CHAPTER XII.

_ARCHERY SOCIETIES, 'RECORDS,' ETC._

Prince Arthur, the elder brother of King Henry VIII., enjoys the reputation of having been an expert archer, and it is believed that in his honour a good shot was named after him; but as he was born in 1486 and died in 1502, his skill in the craft cannot have had time to arrive at maturity, though even in modern times a stripling has occasionally snatched the palm of success from the more mature experts.

That King Henry VIII. took a deep interest in archery as necessary for the safety and glory of his kingdom is quite certain, and the various Acts of Parliament passed in the course of his reign (3 Henry VIII. ch. 3, 4, 13; 6 Henry VIII. ch. 2, 11, 13; 14 & 15 Henry VIII. ch. 7; 25 Henry VIII. ch. 17; and 33 Henry VIII. 6 & 9) sufficiently prove his determination to stimulate the more frequent use of the long bow. But, apart from his public encouragement of archery, he took personal interest in it himself, and, being a famous athlete, he was no doubt as successful with his bow as his natural impatience would allow. The following extracts from the accounts of his privy purse for the year 1531, when he was forty-one years of age, may be taken as the nearest approach to his actual scores that can be reached. The late Lord Dudley's score at 60 yards, when shooting with one of the best shots at that distance, at one guinea per arrow, must have shown an equally unfavourable balance:--

'20 March.--Paied to George Coton for vij shottes loste by the Kinges Grace unto him at Totehill at vj_s._ viij_d._ the shotte xlvj_s._ viij_d._

'29 March.--Paied to George Gifford for so moche money he wanne of the Kinges Grace unto him at Totehill at shoting xij_s._ vj_d._

'13 May.--Paied to George Coton for that he wanne of the Kinges Grace at the Roundes the laste day of April iij_l._

'3 June.--Paied to George Coton for so moche money by him wonne of the Kinges Grace at bettes in shoting vij_l._ ii_s._'

And again on the last day of June there were 'paied to the iii Cotons for three settes which the King had lost to them in Greenwich Park xx_l._ and vj_s._ viij_d._ more to one of them for one up shotte.'

This George Coton (Cotton) is probably the same person who was governor to the Duke of Richmond, the King's natural son.

On January 31, 1531, 'paied to Byrde Yoeman of the Kinges bowes for making the Roundes at Totehill by the Kinges commandment xij_s._ viij_d._'

The musters, or what we should now call reviews, were at this time held in the Tothill Fields.

Sir W. Cavendish, the historian of Cardinal Wolsey, thus speaks of his interview with the King in 1530, when he was the bearer of the news of the death[8] of Wolsey to the King, then staying at Hampton Court. (See Cavendish's 'Wolsey,' 1827, p. 396.)

'Upon the morrow (of St. Nicholas Eve, 1530) I was sent for by the King to come to his grace; and being in Master Kingston's chamber in the Court (Hampton Court), had knowledge thereof, and repairing to the King, found him shooting at the rounds in the park, on the backside of the garden.

'And perceiving him occupied in shooting, thought it not my duty to trouble him: but leaned to a tree, intending to stand there, and to attend his gracious pleasure. Being in a great study, at last the King came suddenly behind me, where I stood, and clapped his hand upon my shoulder; and, when I perceived him, I fell upon my knee. To whom he said, calling me by name, "I will," quoth he, "make an end of my game, and then will I talk with you," and so he departed to his mark, whereat the game was ended.

'Then the King delivered his bow unto the yeoman of his bows, and went his way inward to the palace, whom I followed.'

Sir Thos. Elyot, the first edition of whose book, the 'Governour,' was printed in 1531, devoted chapter xxvii. to the praise of the long bow, and was the earliest writer on the subject of archery, unless the unknown author of the 'Book of King Modus,' which is said by Hansard ('Book of Archery,' 1840, p. 210) to be 'preserved in the royal library at Paris,' wrote about two centuries and a half before the 'Toxophilus,' by Roger Ascham, was printed in 1545.

Neither Elyot nor Ascham makes any mention of the societies of archers known as the Fraternities of St. George and of Prince Arthur, but something of the kind is plainly indicated by Richard Mulcaster in his book, the 'Positions,' published in 1581, where he quaintly says, 'This exercise' (archery) 'I do like best generally of any rounde stirring without the dores, upon the causes before alleaged: which, if I did not that worthy man our late learned countriman Maister Askam, would be halfe angrie with me though he were of milde disposition, who both for the trayning of the Archer to his bowe and the scholler to his booke, hath showed himselfe a cunning archer and a skilful maister.

'In the middest of so many earnest matters I may be allowed to intermingle one which hath a relice of mirthe: for in praysing of Archerie as a principall exercise to the preseruing of health how can I but prayse them who profess it thoroughly and maintain it nobly, the friendly and franke fellowship of Prince Arthur's knights in and about the Citie of London which of late yeares have so reuiued the exercise, so countenaunced the artificers, so inflamed emulation, as in themselues for friendly meting, in workmen for good gayning, in companies for earnest comparing, it is almost growne to an orderly discipline, to cherishe louing society, to enriche labouring pouerty, to maintaine honest actiuitie, which their so encouraging the under trauellours, and so increasing the healthfull traine, if I had sacred to silence would not my good friend in the Citie, Maister Heugh Offley, and the same my noble fellow in that order, Syr Launcelot, at our next meeting haue giuen me a sowre nodde, being the chief furtherer of the fact, which I commend, and the famousest knight of the fellowship, which I am of? Nay, would not even Prince Arthur himself, Maister Thomas Smith, and the whole table of those wel known knights, and most actiue Archers haue layd in their challeng against their fellow knight, if, speaking of their pastime, I should haue spared their names? Whereunto I am easily led bycause the exercise deseruing suche prayse, they that loue so prayseworthy a thing, neither can themselues, neither ought at my hande to be hudled up in silence.'

In 'the Auncient order Societie and unitie laudable of Prince Arthure and his Knightly Armory of the Round Table London, 1583,' Richard Robinson says, 'King Henry VIII. not onely ... proceeded with what his Father had begun,' by keeping up a body guard of archers, 'but also added greater dignity ... by his gracious charter confirmed unto the worshipful citizens (of London) ... this your now famous Order of Knights of Prince Arthure's Round Table or Society.'

But when the practice of archery was enforced by Act of Parliament, and there were shooting butts and fields at hand almost everywhere for the use of those who took a genuine interest in the exercise, there could be but little reason for the introduction of archery societies and clubs. The meetings for the exhibition of skill would be the regular musters.

How different the position of archery would have been if, instead of clamouring for and getting passed irksome Acts of Parliament, compelling all to shoot, archers, bowmakers, fletchers and others had started a National Long-Bow Association with State sanction and encouragement for the promotion of this exercise and the reward of the most successful shots!

As in early times there were great musters or reviews of companies of archers, of whom the sole actual survivor is the Royal Body-Guard of Scotland (the Archers Company of the Honourable Artillery Company, itself originally a body of archers, was revived late in the last century, and is now represented by the Royal Toxophilite Society) for military display; and local festivities, and wardmotes, as still maintained by the Woodmen of Arden (revived in 1785) and the Scorton Arrow Meetings (dating back to 1673), for the glorification of the best local shots; and the daily use of the long-bow for exercise and sport, i.e. killing of game; so now there are the meetings of the Grand National Archery Society, established for the peaceable purpose of annually rewarding the champion and championess and other illustrious archers, as hereafter set out in the full account of these meetings, and also the local public meetings of similar character also given; and in addition to these there are the meetings of the numerous archery societies and clubs in different localities, and the constant private practice either at home or on club grounds.

Nothing is now to be gained by insisting upon the marked inferiority of the 'incomparable archers' who flourished towards the close of the eighteenth and in the first half of the present centuries, as compared with the many strong and accurate shots who have displayed their skill since the establishment of the Grand National Archery Meetings. Mr. H. A. Ford seems to have been unable to find any records of shooting at 100 yards where more than one-half of the shots were hits, though he says (p. 112), 'I have seen a letter as late as 1845, from good old Mr. Roberts' (the author of the 'English Bowman,' 1801), 'who was well acquainted with the powers of all the best archers of the preceding half-century, in which he states "he never knew but one man that could accomplish it."' This one man was probably Mr. Augustus L. Marsh, Royal Toxophilite Society, who owned, and was able to use, the magnificent self-yew bow of 85 lbs. now in the possession of Mr. Buchanan, of 215 Piccadilly, as may be seen from the following records of his best scores in 1837:--

1837 Hits Score

June 1 at 4 ft. targets, 100 shots at 100 yards 61 233 " 27 " " " 59 235 " 29 " " " 52 214 July 6 " " " 54 204 " 11 " " " 58 246 " 20 " " " 58 204 " 21 " " " 51 197

These would be considered even respectable performances now when hits in the _petticoat_ count, and all hits between the colours count in that of higher value, also when three arrows are shot consecutively, instead of two separately, at each end. Competitive examinations had not then been brought to their more recent perfection, and standards of excellence in athletics were as yet unrecorded. Professor John Wilson's ('Christopher North') wonderful long jump remained as unsurpassable as the 'Douglas cast,' unless it were, perhaps, beaten or preceded by the deeds of the wondrous athlete who could clear a full-sized billiard-table lengthwise, though in his first attempt to do so he failed through knocking the back of his head against the far side of the table.

Mr. Frederick Townsend, in 1865, made the best 'record' of shooting at 100 yards, at a wardmote of the Woodmen of Arden, when all the old customs just referred to were still, as now, in vogue, his score being 322 from 80 hits out of 150 shots.

There is now left for consideration the subject of 'record,' or standard of highest excellence at the public meetings, and it appears that Mr. A. P. Moore's performance at Derby in 1849 of 747, when, however, Mr. H. A. Ford became champion by the points, was the earliest notable score. Mr. H. A. Ford improved upon this in the next year at Edinburgh by scoring 899, and in 1854, at Shrewsbury, he made an advance to 1,074. In 1857, at Cheltenham, he took the record on to 1,251 score with 245 hits, and there it now remains.

The first eminent score by a championess was 634, made by Miss H. Chetwynd at Cheltenham, also in 1857. Mrs. Horniblow took the record on to 660 at Worcester in 1862, Miss Betham next advanced it, at the Alexandra Park Meeting in 1864, to 693. At Bath, in 1870, Mrs. Horniblow took it further to 700, and also still further to 764, with 142 hits, in 1873 at Leamington, and at that point it now remains, though very closely approached by Miss Legh's score of 763 at Sutton Coldfield in 1881.

Miss Legh's still better score of 840, with all the 144 hits, was made at the Grand Western Meeting at Bath in 1881; and Mrs. Piers F. Legh outstripped this 'record' by scoring 864 with 142 hits at the Leamington and Midland meeting in 1885; 33 of the hits on this occasion were golds.

The best 'record' of target practice at 120 yards is to be found amongst the doings of the Royal Toxophilites. Mr. H. O'H. Moore, in 1872, on the Norton prize-day, shooting 144 arrows, scored 213 with 43 hits, and Mr. G. E. S. Fryer, on the similar occasion in 1873, scored 273 with 67 hits.

In the shooting at 100 yards of the same society, on the Crunden day in 1854, shooting 144 arrows, Mr. H. A. Ford scored 362 with 88 hits. This score remained unbeaten, though surpassed in hits by Mr. G. E. S. Fryer in 1873 (361 score, 91 hits), until it was fairly outstripped by Mr. C. E. Nesham, who scored 478 with 104 hits in 1883. He also made 435 score with 95 hits in 1886.

In 1866 Mr. T. Dawson, Royal Toxophilite Society, presented a challenge medal for the reward of excellence in shooting at 80 yards, 144 arrows being shot, and in the first year this medal was taken by Mr. T. Boulton with 501 score from 113 hits. This record he took on further in 1875, with 591 score from 125 hits. This has been nearly approached only by Mr. C. E. Nesham in 1886, with 576 score from 124 hits.

The record for the 60 yards (144 arrows being shot) medal, presented by the same gentleman in 1866, was also started in that same year by Mr. T. Boulton, with 824 score from 142 hits. This record was surpassed by Mr. W. Rimington in 1872, his score being 840 from the same number of hits.

A good record for best shooting at 100 yards at the annual West Berks meeting, when 216 arrows are shot at that distance, was first reached by Major C. H. Fisher in 1871, when he made 140 hits with 556 score. In 1877 he carried the record on to 572 score with 136 hits. Mr. C. H. Everett made a still further advance with 155 hits and 633 score in 1880; and in 1881 Mr. H. H. Palairet made 153 with 623 score.

To Mrs. Butt (then Miss S. Dawson) still belongs the best 'record' for the 'Ladies' Day' of the Royal Toxophilite Society, the largest annual gathering of ladies, when the single National Round of 48 arrows at 60 and 24 arrows at 50 yards is shot. She made 70 hits with 406 score in 1867; in 1875 she scored 401 with 69 hits; and in 1885 Mrs. P. F. Legh made 70 hits with 400 score.

FOOTNOTE:

[8] Wolsey died November 30, 1530