nglish archery excelled that of every other nation, and Sir John
Fortesque states "that the might of the Realme of England standyth upon
archers." In the reign of Henry II. the English conquests in Ireland
were principally owing, it is recorded, to the use of the long bow. The
victory gained over the Scots, by Edward I., in 1298, at the great battle
of Falkirk, was chiefly won by the power of the English bowmen. In 1333
Edward III., with small loss, gained a signal victory at Halidown Hill,
near Berwick, when attacked by the Scots under the Earl of Douglas.
Speed gives, from Walsingham, the following description of the
battle:--"The chief feat was wrought by the English archers, who first
with their stiff, close, and cruel storms of arrows made their enemies'
footmen break; and when the noble Douglas descended to the charge with
his choicest bands, himself being in a most rich and excellently tempered
armour, and the rest singularly well-appointed,--the Lord Percy's archers
making a retreat did withal deliver their deadly arrows so lively, so
courageously, so grievously, that they ran through the men-at-arms, bored
the helmets, beat their lances to the earth, and easily shot those who
were more slightly armed through and through." Gibbon notes the singular
dread with which the English archers filled their enemies in the
crusades, and states, "that at one time Richard, with seventeen knights
and 300 archers, sustained the charge of the whole Turkish and Saracen
army." In the reign of Richard II., in 1377, the Isle of Wight was
invaded by the French, who landed in great force at Franche-Ville (called
afterwards Newtown), which they destroyed, and then directed their march
to Carisbrooke Castle, for the purpose of taking that stronghold. The
news of the invasion soon spread throughout the island, and no time was
lost in mustering the forces which it possessed. These forces consisted
chiefly of archers, who so admirably posted themselves in ambush, that
they rendered a good account of the advanced division of the French. The
other division of the enemy had commenced an attack on Carisbrooke
Castle, when the victorious archers advanced to its relief, and soon
cleared the island of the intruders. The battle of Shrewsbury, in 1403,
was one of the most desperate encounters ever seen in England. The
archers on both sides did terrible execution. Henry IV. and the Prince
of Wales on one side, and Earl Douglas with Henry Ho