Christophe of Grey
Leathersmith/Archer
Efficiency Of The Longbow 2
Coat of Plates – Only the needle bodkin penetrated and resulted in a very small wound. The other arrow heads while not penetrating did leave large plate sized deformations that were well within survivable limits.
Plate – This armor form stopped most arrows. The needle bodkin did punch past the threshold but would not cause the wearer great risk. The padding tested was the minimum of historical examples. If thicker padding were used it is felt no arrow would have reached the skin. However, other sources remind us that plate armor was worn over vital areas, varied in thickness and provided joints that were either unprotected or protected only with padding or maille. Thus, while a warrior in plate armor would survive lethal strikes, it is safe to assume that they could become incapacitated through more minor wounds. And let us not forget that in today’s money values a full suit of armor would cost around $80,000, well beyond the price range of the vast majority of military men of the time.
In conclusion then to answer the question “Was the longbow an effective military weapon?”, the answer has to be a resounding YES. Bane notes the following conclusions from his tests:
“Most soldiers on the battlefield would have been at risk from the longbow. The average archer would have had the tools to wound or kill most armor types. Even with the advent of the coat of plates, the archer would have had an impact on an advancing army. Only the most expensive and well made plate armor wearers would have had an advantage. Although even with plate, I only tested the impact to major protected areas. The joints and gaps would still be vulnerable being mostly of maille until the 16th century. Without significant metal to withstand the energies of an arrow or excessive padding to spread out the force, arrows of the 1400’s would have been deadly.”
References:
English Longbow Testing; Matheus Bane, http://www.currentmiddleages.org/artsci/docs/Champ_Bane_Archery-Testing.pdf
The Physics of Medieval Archery; Storford Archery Club, http://www.stortford-archers.org.uk/medieval.htm
Towards a More Medieval Archer; http://www.ealdormere.sca.org/files/handbook_archeryapp1.pdf
The Battle of Agincourt; http://www.geocities.com/beckster05/Agincourt/AgMain.html
The Crooked Stick: A History of the Longbow, Hugh D. H. Soar, Westholme, 2004, ISBN 1-59416-002-3