Why are the English rounds we shoot so named?

[Chase Archer]

I was asked this question last year and I didn't have a clue, infact I don't think the person asking the question ever got an answer.

There must be someone out there knows why a Yorks a York and a Staffords a Stafford, they are the slightly easier ones, but what about Nationals, Westerns, Americans, St Nicholas and St George, Albion and Brays?

Can someone point me in the right direction as to where I can find the answers or is there anyone out there that knows?

The usaul rewards, ( and ) to anyone that can supply the answers.

[Max]

Not sure about the other rounds but the York round seems to come from 1844 when the first Grand National Archery meeting was held in York. Distances shot were 60, 80 and 100 yards.

[provins]

A Bray is named after the man who invented it so his grandaughter told me.

[Little Miss Purple]

I was told the national was shot so that anyone could shoot to the same distance with the 'four nations' of GB. Not sure if that's true or not!!

[Rik]

Originally Posted by provins

A Bray is named after the man who invented it so his grandaughter told me.

Hmmm, nearly. They named it in honour of him. I'm not sure you can say he invented it, especially since the format has changed in recent years.

Was that V you were speaking to...?

[provins]

Originally Posted by Rik

Hmmm, nearly. They named it in honour of him. I'm not sure you can say he invented it, especially since the format has changed in recent years.

Was that V you were speaking to...?

Hi Rik
It was Em I was talking to, known her along time, nice lady.
It was years ago she told me about a relative I believed to be her grand dad.
Your probably right about the round being named after him for services to archery.
I'm sure the facts will probably come out in the thread eventually.
By the way years ago we thought FITA stood for Foreign Interferance inTraditional Archery!!!

[Max]

This is a hard subject to tie down, but I wonder if some of the place and county names are linked to where early Grand National Archery meetings were held? There seems to be evidence of the York being linked to the first meeting in 1844. At that time there is a mention of Ladies shooting a similar round of shorter distance. Could it be that Ladies and junior rounds derived from the York (Hereford and Bristol) are also named after the place chosen to host those early Grand National meetings? If anyone has access to early archives a to where those metings were held, it may yield a clue.

[Furface]

Don't have chapter and verse but the Hereford was so named after the Hereford Ladies Tournament where it was used. I think the Bristols were named because the person what suggested them liked Bristol. The nationals, I have a vague memory, were those used in national Championships (Doubled).

[grantwomack]

I know in Australia, they just chose the names of biggish cities and attached them to rounds. Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Townsville, Geelong, etc, etc. I thought the Brits had just done the same... Would be nice to know that there is more to it!

[Chase Archer]

Thank you all for the information you have provided so far.

I, like Grant, thought that they may have been just chosen at random, but it makes it much more interesting to hear that they could have been named after, or in honour of someone; like the Bray as provins suggested.

Please keep your ideas coming in.