Longbow Lineage and the Luttrell Psalter

The Luttrell Psalter, created in fourteenth century England under the rule of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell is filled with beautiful manuscripts and illuminations.  However, its significance comes from the unmatched depictions of everyday medieval life in the estate, such as Sir Geoffrey Luttrell's estate.  It depicts life not only from the view of the elite "Lords", but from children, women, and peasants (British Library).  Amongst the depictions of everyday life on the estate is several images of longbows. Such images depict a group of archers in target practice, an archer on horseback, and archery in hunting.  The famous medieval longbows, often times taller than the men wielding them, were made from yew wood, waxed string, and shot arrows with goose feather fletchings (Backhouse 41).  The archers depicted represent a necessity for the ability to protect the estate, that was so clearly prized through the creation of the Luttrell Psalter.

The timing of the creation of the Luttrell Psalter makes perfect sense with the reoccurring depictions of archers.  The fourteenth century contained the bulk of the Hundred Years War between English and Frankish rulers.  The longbow was a pivotal militaristic innovation for England.  The longbow has been proven to have the ability to shoot between six and twelve arrows in sixty seconds, devastating tightly knit opponents with enough force to penetrate armor and break bones (Newman 231).  Not only were these bows extremely effective in battle, but the bowmen firing them were extremely skilled, as the Luttrell Psalter depicts how these bows demanded practice.  Practice would have been essential as the longbows often had draw-weights up to 180 pounds (Newman 231).  In comparison, the average hunting bow used today has a draw-weight of about 70 pounds, and that strength requires adults who have practiced the movement for years.

The Luttrell Psalter depicts many new technological implementations in its daily account of estate life in England, such as the heavy plough, bloodletting, and horse collars.  Many of these technologies shaped the world we see today, but the longbow was the most integral in protecting those technologies.  Medieval Rural Life in the Luttrell Psalter tells of bowmen, saying "their expertise was fundamental to such renowned victories as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, so practice was a serious obligation rather than a pastime of choice" (Backhouse 42).  Not only did the longbow protect the estate, but it protected history, as the Luttrell Psalter might not exist today without the practicing archers it depicts.


Sources:
Backhouse, Janet. Medieval Rural Life in the Luttrell Psalter. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 2000.
Luttrell Psalter. British Library Collection Items. British Library. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-luttrell-psalter.
Newman, Paul B. Daily Life in the Middle Ages. Jefferson, North Carolina, McFarland, 2001.