Medieval Fletching

[bow-toxo]

Sorry Bow-toxo, I misunderstood what you were saying. Your source tells you that the arrow-shafts were all of the same length in the arrow-bags? As well as having helical fletching? Did I get this right?

Dave

 Not quite.The helical fletching, yes. Arrow bags were not mentioned. In given leather discs, at least some of them, all arrows were the same length as might be expected if they were from a competentfletcher.

[triton]

take any pictures of the arrows?  From what I've seen the fletches were laid in the glue straight.  helical makes sense but art works (call it art if you like but they were more like news paper photographs IMO) show fletches straight, even the clumsy pictures.  Photographs of artifacts seem to show a straight line where the quill was stuck

[bow-toxo]

take any pictures of the arrows?  From what I've seen the fletches were laid in the glue straight.  helical makes sense but art works (call it art if you like but they were more like news paper photographs IMO) show fletches straight, even the clumsy pictures.  Photographs of artifacts seem to show a straight line where the quill was stuck

 No pictures.
 

[Yewboy]

The fletchings were all straight, not helical, Have just finished a fletching DVD with Mark Stretton and we have filmed these arrows from the MR and they show close ups of where the Fletching lay in the glue and they are straight.....all of the ones that have the glue still in place, there is not one arrow there which has any evidence of a helical fletch.....Sorry Bow-Toxo, I am sure you mis heard Alex's answer.
Also the lengths of the arrows does differ, there are arrows of 27" right through to 33" but the vast majority are 30.5", these are also covered in the DVD in some detail.

[adb]

I ask again, bow-toxo, what evidence is Alex basing her statement of "helical" fletching on? I have seen the Mary Rose arrows myself as well, and the evidence marks look straight to me.

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[bow-toxo]

Also the lengths of the arrows does differ, there are arrows of 27" right through to 33" but the vast majority are 30.5", these are also covered in the DVD in some detail.

        I know that the arrow sizes are as you say. I did not mean the entire collection as a group. I tried to say; a sheaf of arrows together in the same disc are all 24 the same length. In another sheaf they may be a different length from those in the first sheaf.

[CraigMBeckett]

adb,

In looking at the photograph you posted the witness mark, (if indeed it is a witness mark), seems to show an offset fetching  going from near the lower left hand edge to the right centre of the shaft. Or is this just a function of the photograph?

Craig.

[Yewboy]

I actually took the photo that adb has shown and the quill marks are most definately straight, there are many others as well.
I think that what Alex was referring to was the helical binding that holds the fletch in place and not the actual fletch being attached helically.

[CraigMBeckett]

Yewboy ,

Thanks for the information, if you have other photos of the fletching area I would appreciate it if you posted them or pointed to a link where I may view them.

Craig.

[Yewboy]

Yewboy ,

Thanks for the information, if you have other photos of the fletching area I would appreciate it if you posted them or pointed to a link where I may view them.

Craig.

Hi Craig,
Mark Stretton and I have just produced a Dvd on fletching medieval arrows and this shows many of the arrows close up and you can see the fletching imprints, this is also evident on the arrow found in Westminster abbey
it will be available from Monday, pm me if you want details of where to buy it
thanks

[Rod]

Given that the opinion of experienced archers and fletchers who have personally inspected these shafts is unanimous as to them being straight fletched, perhaps someone who is known to Alex might get in touch with her and get her comment on this report.

Rod.