| Upon this day in Yesteryear, many stout hearts of England gathered upon the eve of victory, Warbows in hand and arrows by their sides... Upon that day almost six hundred years hence, the Shropshire Fraternity of Longbows gathered to celebrate, to let fly the clothyard shaft and drink a stoup of mead to 'Harry, England and St. George' and the Longbow! |
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| Clad in garb of the period, with hose and hood and tabard bright, the company, nigh two score and ten, set forth about the grounds of Moffats School in Kinlet, and sent their arrows flying at banners of many foes! Shots short and long, sighted and blind were loosed, with good cheer and merriment through the day. |
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| The morning was wound up with three mighty volleys at the royal banner of France, followed by a volley of whistling arrows, impressive indeed to the ear! After luncheon the company was entertained and instructed by a group of knights and skirmish archers upon the armour and weapons of the period. There followed a brief bout of hand blows, ending in triumph for the archers! |
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| Upon the conclusion of this action, the company of Longbows was assembled to loose three volleys of (re-enacting blunt) arrows at the five armoured figures, at little more than thirty yards, many strikes were achieved upon their plates! |
| The day progressed, with several fine shots at distance, whereupon the armoured folk re-appeared around the Royal French standard, and were duly shot upon once more at one hundred and fifty yards.... though without success! |
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| The main shooting was concluded for the day with a speed shoot at a row of hanging pumpkins, with many strikes achieved, though several deflections left a number of archers feeling understandably frustrated! |
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| There followed soon after the presentations, in honour of the event and the enjoyment of the day, the assembled company turned their attention to the final highlight of the day... lighting the bonfire, shaped as a castle for the event. A hard task it proved to be, though at last an archer pieced the walls and the fortress of cardboard was razed to the ground! |
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| A fair day was had by all, with many thanks due to the hosting club, the Archers of Teme, for their efforts in setting up for the day and the provision of hearty good fare for the luncheon! Many thanks also the archers who attended, it would not be the same without the good fellowship that comes with your company! |
| All the photos for the event can be found in the Agincourt Rove 2015 album. |
