Brook, Alexander JS, an Account of The
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PROCEEDINGS of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Our full archive of freely accessible articles covering Scottish archaeology and history is available at http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/psas/volumes.cfm National Museums Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh www.socantscot.org Charity No SC 010440 ARCHERY MEDAL T ANDREWS F O SABERDEEND AN S3 34 . AN ACCOUNE ARCHERTH F O T Y MEDALS BELONGINE TH O T G UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS AND THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL OF ABERDEEN. BY ALEXANDER J. S. BROOK, F.S.A. SCOT. Archery does not appear at any period in Scottish history to have taken rood flourishean t o vigorousls d d spontaneouslan yn i d di t i s ya England neithed an , sportr rfo arrod , huntingan ww bo r warfare o , th d edi occup positione yth , iu Scotlan dTweede soutd thath di f t ho i t . Notwithstandin face th ge tgrea th tha l t al t battle Scote sth lossy b t were decidee Englisth y b dh bowmen e lessoth , n seem o havt s e been lost upo e Scottisnth h warriorse th f wit r o e exceptiofo ,w th h fe a f no Borderers, they never learne wit w handlo t hdbo sufficiene eth t skilo t l oppos Englishe eth . Ascham ToxopMluss hi n i , (publishe 1545)n di , admitterefere th o st d superiorit e Englisth f o yh ovee Scottisth r h bowmen. Alluding to Textor's quotation from Petrus Crinitus in praise of the " verye excellent shoters" among the Scots, he admits that " they be good mee denie h warrf no be,t n n feattheisca u bu "ei theis ow a re r skill with the bow, and adds : " The Scottes themselves prove Textor a lyer both with authoriti d alsan oe daily experiencea certayn y b d e an , proverbe that they have amonges them in theyr communication wherby they gyve the whole prayse of shotyne honestlye to Englysshe men saying thus: that every Englysshe archer beareth under hys gyrdle xxiiii Scottes." * Acts of Parliament are not wanting to show that the importance of e weapoth fulls nwa y realise e Scottisth y db h kings. As early as the time of William the Lion it was enacted that all be- twee e age f th nsixteeo s d sixtan n y should provide themselves with arm accordancn si e with their position, amon weapone th g s enumerated being "ane bow arrowes.d ean " James I., impressed doubtless from his English education with the importance of archery, endeavoured by every means in his power to encourage its practice among his subjects. In his first parliament (1424) 1 Arbor's edition, pp. 83, 84. 4 34 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S . it was enacted,1 " that all men busk thame to be archaris fra thai be xij yeris of eilde And that in ilk x H worth of lande thar be maid bowmerki speoiald an s y nere paroche kirkis quhar vpone haly n daime s may cum and at the lest sehute thriss about and haif vsage of archary And quha sa vsis not the said archary the lorde of the lande sal raiss of him a wedder and gif the lorde raiss not the saide payne the kingis schireministeriss hi r o f saiking.e th l raiso t " t si By another statutfollowine th n ei g year (1425 ordaines wa t )i d 2 that different rank sarmee werb o t ed accordin theio gt r station, thad l an al t " yemen (yeomen) of the realme betuixt xvj and sexty yeris salbe suffi- ciandly bowit and scheint withe suerde buklare and knyfe." Probably on accoun difficultiee th f o t s encountere subduinn di Highlane gth d Chiefs, stils Jamelwa furthe. sI r impressea ds a wit w usefulnese hth bo e th f o s military weapon, for in 1429 he again practically repeats, with some further details same th , e statute 3 :—" Item tha yemak il t x x n f thao s i t lib in gudis haif a gude doublat of fence or ane habergeone ane yrn hat withe bow and schefe suerde buklar and knyfe And all vther yemen of x lib in gudis haif bow and schefe suerde and buklarre and kiiyff And the yeman that is nane archerre na can not deyll withe a bow sail haif a gude souer hat for his hede and a doublat of fence withe suerde and buklar and a gude ax or ellis a brogit staff." James II. was more precise and exacting in his enactments than his father, for, by the statute of 1457, weaponshawings were to be held four time sa year , footbal d golan fl were forbidden d bowmarkan , s wero t e be set up in each parish 4 :—" Item it is decretyt and ordanyt that wapin- schawingis be haldin be the lordis ande baronys spirituale and temporale four thatymi d yeie fufe gol e th vtterle th An crtth b fn si bal d yan l criyt doune and not vsyt And that the bowe merkis be maide at ilk parroch kirk paira buttif o schutind san vsye schu gn b Sundak il t ma thad t k il yAn t sex schottis at the lest vnder the payne to be raisit apone thame that 1 Aota Parliamentorum Jacobi I., 1424, ActsP.S., vol. ii. p. 6, cap. 19. 2 Ibid. p. 10, cap. 17. 3 , Hid.cap. 18 12 .. p vol . ii . 4 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 48, cap. 6. In the previous year (1456) it .was also ordained " wort n thame th twenty marks com wapenshawo t e sa armed an dw witbo ha shea arrowf o f thei , ysor cannot shoot, wit axe,n ha " &c.—Ibid. 45 ,. p vol . ii . ARCHEEY MEDALS OF ST ANDREWS AND ABERDEEN. 345 cumi giffie lessb e thamo j notth 3t no i tt , t a , e that e bowcumith eo t s merkis, to drink And this to be vsyt fra pasche till alhallomess efter And nixe beth t mydsome e reddb o t ry wit l thehal r graith without failze And that ther be a bowar and a fleger in ilk hede towne of the schyre thad towne An th t e graithfurnysf d stuo an f m ehi s efte needis a r m shi whert servy cuntroe ethama th e eh t with .... .parochi e Andth f egi n be mekill that ther be iij or iiij or fyue bow merkis in sik plaeis as ganys therfor And that ilk man within that parochin that is within fyfte and passit xij yeris sail vse schuting and that men that is outwith and past thre scoir yeris sal vse vther honest gammys as efferis." It may be noted in passing that in the reign of James III. the uniform archen oa f r consiste "a brigandinf do e jacker "o t mad smalf eo l plater so lings of metal sewed on leather or quilted between folds of canvas. In. the same reign, 1471, footbal golagaid e lan far n forbidden, butt orderee sar o dt be put up and shooting practised : yeomen that cannot handle the bow are to furnish themselves with targes of hide * :—" Ilk yeman that can not deil witht the bow, that he haf a gud ax arid a targe of leddyr to resist the schot of ingland, quhilk is na cost bot the valew of a hide." In 1491 2 weaponshawings were again ordered to be held four times e year penaltied th an n , i r non-attendancsfo e were prescribed. n 151I e battl3th f Hoddeo e s foughtwa n . Althoug e defeath h t greaa wa n si e e attacEnglis t th th measur f o ko t he archersedu , which cause e Scoto avoith t d e o death-dealiny givt sth d wa e g showef o r arrows rathes i t i , r remarkabl vanquishee th t fino victoe no et dth d dan r profiting fro e battlelessoe th mth f o n. While Henry VIII. passea d fresh statute in 1515 enforcing the use of the bow and increasing the qualification for using a crossbow or hand-gun to 300 marks, subse- quently raise £100o dt Scottiso n , h enactmen founs i t d pointine th n gi 1 Ibid. 100 p vol . , ii .cap . 6 . 2 Jame149n i . 1 sIV ordaine d that weaponshaw hele sb d four timeyeare d th n an ,si tha diS'erene th t t ranks attend armed accordin theio gt r station yema,d e "th an f no Realme betuix sextene and sexty sail haf sufficient bowis and schaiffis swerd buklare penaltiee bow.e th sten th f i knyf f O dx o "a sf d attachesper gu differene r eo th o dt t ranks for non-attendanoe at the weaponshaws that "of like bowman at the first fait xs at the second xs and at the thrid xls And sa furthe also oft tymnies as he beis fundiu faltj tharefter." Aota Parliamentorum Jaeobi IV., Acts, . 226 p vol . ,ii . cap. 13 . 346 . PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. same direction,' and the bow is only incidentally mentioned in the! two subsequent Acts of James V. s passewa t dn 153I Ac makin n 5a l t imperativi g e liegeth n so e having land to the extent of £40 and upwards to appear at weapon- shawings-with s onli hagbut w y d bo mentioneculverins an se th t bu d: in the preamble of the.