First published in 1976, robert hardy s longbow, which has achieved an enviable reputation as a classic book on the subject, tells the story of this weapon throughout british history with drama, vigour and enthusiasm. Hardy brings to full light the true impact and performance of this magnificant medievel weapon. Alamy born in cheltenham, he was the youngest of six children of major henry harrison hardy. Hardy has ever written either that the longbow was invincible or that it was the sole cause. Strickland and hardy in 2005 took this argument further, suggesting that the shortbow was a myth and all early english bows were a form of longbow. A social and military history robert hardy download. Capable of subjecting the enemy to a hail of deadly projectiles, the longbow in the hands of massed archers made possible the extraordinary victories enjoyed by english forces over superior numbers at crecy and poitiers, and remained a key. Such detailed information about construction and use. A social and military history by robert hardy 1992, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Longbow a social and military history robert hardy paperback 224minor wear, including corner bumps and light marks to cover. Robert hardy, the great longbow expert lone warrior.
A social and military history, 3 and with matthew strickland, and the great warbow. New enlarged third edition with full account of the mary rose treasures. Robert hardy gave her a bow with a 45lb draw weight to hold the mary rose bows can be three times that, or more basically, they are a stick and a piece of string, but the bows with the larger draw weights can shoot arrows that pierce steel armour. The english longbow, also called the welsh longbow, was a powerful type of medieval longbow a tall bow for archery about 6 ft 6 in 2. The welsh became experts in the use of the longbow, and used the longbow very effectively in battles against the invading english. Hardy s bow has even inspired revisionist rivals in the field of weapon research, but remains a seminal work. With drama, vigor and enthusiasm, robert hardy chronicles the arrival of the longbow in britain and its gradual adoption as the most important weapon in the english military arsenal, and its coming of age at the battles of crecy, poitiers and agincourt. Longbow a social and military history by hardy robert. A social and military history by robert hardy isbn. The longbow was the weapon at the heart of the english military ascendancy in the century after 40. With drama, vigor and enthusiasm, robert hardy chronicles the arrival of the longbow in britain and its gradual adoption as the most in the english military arsenal, and its coming of at the battles of crecy, poitiers and agincourt. May 1, 2015 the military archery at nevilles cross, 46. Hardy is a wellknown character actor in england and an acknowledged expert on the longbow and its history.
It is an important source for the history of the longbow, as the bows, archery implements and the skeletons of archers have been preserved. Presentation mode open print download current view. Honestly, lets presume that the image would fail wp. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Robert hardy describes the raising of the mary rose, the discovery of so many longbows on board and how those bows were tested. The english longbow was a powerful medieval type of longbow a tall bow for archery about 6 ft 1. An acknowledged expert on the longbow, he was for eleven years a trustee of the royal armouries at hm tower of london, and is a consultant and trustee of the mary rose. Matthew strickland and robert hardy, pub sutton, 2005, isbn 0750931671.
Christopher timothy was nominally the main star of all creatures great and small, but. Aug 03, 2017 timothy sydney robert hardy cbe fsa 29 october 1925 3 august 2017 was an english actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. A social and military history 2nd revised edition by hardy cbe, robert isbn. Robert hardy, 89, is a military enthusiast who studied english.
Robert hardy visited the longbow shop on may 2015 which is a date everyone will remember for a very long time to come and a high point for the uks largest traditional archery shop based in birkenhead. We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. I remember, he claimed when speaking to the audience on the second occasion, that he fell in love with the longbow when he played henry v in a bbc tv series. A social and military history by robert hardy alibris. Here he traces its evolution from its appearance at the dawn of recorded history, its arriva. So far as i know, no one has yet published a defence of the tra. The longbow shop had the privilege of hosting a day with the legendary actor, author and longbow expert robert hardy cbe who enthralled over 100 guests, sharing his amazing experiences and.
There are various descriptions of the medieval longbow. The longbow has been mythologized, and sometime just lied about, but nontheless it was a gamechanger on the battlefield. In the distinguished volume on the great warbow he coauthored with robert hardy, strickland building on earlier work by jim bradbury and. This revised and expanded edition chronicles the history of the longbow from the earliest known example used 8000 years ago, through its coming of age at the battles of crecy, poitiers and agincourt, to its use as a hunting and sporting weapon, and its presentday status in britain. English longbow testing against various armor circa 1400 pdf. The original draw forces of examples from the mary rose are estimated by robert hardy at 150160 lbf 670710 n at a 30inch 76. I met robert hardy, who died august 3, twice in the 1980s, at a mary rose conference, and later at the old royal armouries. Timothy sydney robert hardy cbe fsa 29 october 1925 3 august 2017 was an english actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. Robert hardy, actor and longbow expert, will be giving a talk on the english longbow at the longbow shop to mark the 600th anniversary of the battle of agincourt. I do wish i could pick up a digital copy of the book as well but i love having this in my collection. English longbow academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. The martin savannah longbow is an excellent example of a simple yet functional longbow design. Hardy, who died in august last year, had three children. The survival of the actual weapons made it possible to do much scientific work, with accurate assessments of the strength needed to draw a bow, and of its effective range.
The english longbow was a powerful medieval type of longbow about 6 ft 1. Not so widely known is his deep interest in archery and its history. Loved robert hardy s book longbow, but this is the icing on the cake. It permits old folks like me to relive the glory days of youth, when we used to make our own bows and arrows and set out to see to it that good triumphs over evil, whilst enjoying the illusion of scholarly maturity. First published in 1976, robert hardy s longbow, which has achieved an enviable reputation as a classic book on the subject, tells the story of this weapon throughout. Robert hardy at the longbow shop bow international. The english longbow, also called the welsh longbow, is a powerful type of medieval longbow a tall bow for archery about 6 ft 1. She was surprised, to start with, that the bow itself was so light. Robert hardy is famous for appearing in all creatures great and small and the harry potter films.
May 05, 2011 robert hardy is famous for appearing in all creatures great and small and the harry potter films. The great warbow by robert hardy, matthew strickland. As well as describing the longbow s colourful past in battles such as crecy, poitiers and agincourt, and in the robin hood legend. Tv and film celebrity robert hardy enjoys a day at the longbow shop. Its sad that sir hardy will not be with us to share more of his amazing knowledge. Jan 01, 1976 with drama, vigor and enthusiasm, robert hardy chronicles the arrival of the longbow in britain and its gradual adoption as the most important weapon in the english military arsenal, and its coming of age at the battles of crecy, poitiers and agincourt. This communication is intended solely for the addressee and is confidential and not for third party unauthorised distribution. Aug 05, 2017 robert hardy, who has died at the age of 91, simply had to wander in front of the camera to dominate the show. All creatures great and smalls robert hardy sells his. The longbow shop had the privilege of hosting a day with the legendary actor, author and longbow expert robert hardy cbe who enthralled. An acknowledged expert on the longbow, he is a trustee of the royal armouries at hm tower of london, and of the mary rose trust. Robert hardy has 60 books on goodreads with 1217 ratings. An excellent history about an important weapon by an expert. The welsh repelled ralph, earl of hereford in 1055 using the longbow hardy, pp.
A social and military history 5th revised edition by robert hardy isbn. A social and military history, by robert hardy, cbe, fsa. In 2011, clifford rogers forcefully restated the traditional case based upon a variety of evidence, including a large scale iconographic survey. Hardy, whose groundbreaking work on the subject in his 1972. From before the domesday book, through anglosaxon england, medieval wales and ireland, the crusades, bannockburn and the wars of the roses, until the time of the tudors, this book takes us on a wideranging and fascinating journey through history. Robert hardy, tudor longbow expert and mary rose trustee. This revised and expanded edition chronicles the history of the longbow from the earliest known example used 8000 years ago, through its coming of age. This book is in part the outcome of that work, brought together by robert hardy, but it has gone far beyond its origins. This is audio only, converted from a tape recording. Harry potter star robert hardy was the master of movies. Hardy brings to all of his roles an acting savvy honed to a fine edge by years of study and training at the best british institutions. A social and military history by robert hardy and a great selection of related books. An acknowledged expert on the longbow, he was for eleven years a trustee of the royal armouries at hm tower of london, and. A social and military history, robert hardy this revised and expanded edition chronicles the history of the longbow from the earliest known example used 8000 years ago, through its coming of age at the battles of crecy, poitiers and agincourt, to its use as a hunting and sporting weapon, and its presentday status in britain.
Robert hardy i found the following article to be a fascinating and insightful read. Away from acting, he is an acknowledged expert on archery. The longbow shop had the privilege of hosting a day with the legendary actor, author and longbow expert robert hardy c. Robert hardy lectures about the english longbow in stockholm at the wasa museum. Consultation with leading longbow expert robert hardy cbe, regarding the type of arrowhead. Robert hardy is presented with a bow by the mediaeval society in recognition of his longstanding association with the organisation. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as siegfried farnon in the bbc television series all creatures great and small, cornelius fudge in the harry potter film series and winston churchill in. More than 3,500 arrows and 7 whole longbows were recovered from the mary rose, a ship of henry viiis navy that was sunk at portsmouth in 1545.
It explains many technical aspects, such as why yew is such a good material for bowmaking, the various stages of making a longbow and how arrow points developed to penetrate chain mail and armour. Historically, a fine bow was among a persons most treasured possessions. This book is a great reference to the history of the longbow. English use of longbows was effective against the french during the hundred years war, particularly at the start of the war in the battles of sluys 40, crecy 46, and. Robert hardy on the medieval longbow the military archery at nevilles cross, 46.
I believe i first came across the story in robert hardy s the longbow. I am anxiously awaiting his next work supposedly called war bow. A social and military history by robert hardy and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A traditional longbow is also known as a self bow, meaning that it is made from a single piece a stave of wood. Robert hardy was one of our strongest supporters, and were very appreciative of all the work he has done for us. The longbow evolved during the 12th century in response to the demands of siege and guerrilla operations in the welsh marches, a topographically close and economically marginal area that was in many ways similar to the regions in which the crossbow had evolved. Estimates for the draw of these bows varies considerably. The welsh were the first people on the british isles to have and use longbows. Longbow a social and military history by hardy robert abebooks. Robert hardy, second from right, in harry potter and the order of the phoenix, 2007. Robert hardy relates that one of the best known modern archers, howard hill, used a 172 pound longbow to reach a. Also examined is the longbow as a sporting and hunting weapon, and its status in britain today.
Age at death, sex, stature and any skeletal abnormalities e. As well as a talk on the subject the actor, who says he has had a lifelong fascination with the longbow, will be signing co. There is a book to be written on every aspect of the medieval archer, but this is not it. Robert hardy s longbow is the definitive work on the history and technical aspects of the longbow. It brought up several interesting aspects of the medieval archer and logistics of military campaigning that i not previously thought of. A social and military history hardcover april 1, 1993 by robert hardy author visit amazons robert hardy page. A social and military history is elegant, beautifully written. Robert hardy became enthralled with the longbow and if you ever get to see a real one up close its not difficult to understand why.
Robert hardy is famous throughout the world as an actor. There are no surviving longbows prior to the 15th century and more than from the renaissance period see surviving bows. It could prove invaluable to those individuals already actively involved, as well as budding aficionados just starting out in the sport. The great warbow is a vivid and exciting exploration of the bow and arrow as weapons of war.
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