Archer's Test

[Ceri Jones]

The law about shooting on sundays still applies, which is why so many clubs still shoot on sundays, but then so is the law that you can shoot a welsh man from the walls of chester after midnight. There was a list of strange laws that have never been wiped in a S. Wales paper last week, i'll see if i can find them again.

[Snarkhunter]

The term "butts" appears quite frequently in place names - in London (about a mile or so from London Bridge) there is Newington Butts.

Archery has added a number if terms to English, for example, "Highly strung", "Another string to your bow", Straight as an arrow", Wide of the mark" etc.

Archery has also provided a number of surnames: Bowyer, Arrowsmith, Fletcher and Stringer all sping immediately to mind.

[provins]

Never heard the term Archers Test before but if ever I open a pub that'll make a good name.

[BasicNigel]

Originally Posted by Ceri Jones

The law about shooting on sundays still applies, which is why so many clubs still shoot on sundays,

Actualy the law was changed in 1567 (I think), that required practice to be carried out using a arqubus - a early form of musket........ bet the idiots REALLY loved that

Some where I've got a pile of data about dates 'n' stuff about archery practice (for posting on another non-archery related site), when I've sifted throught it I'll post it here too.

[DIP]

I'm quite sure now that it was near Luddenden Dean - so the description "test" must be somewhat colloquial to that particular place. Anyhoo, yes, I agree, GREAT name for a pub or a band - though my favorite would be Milk Maid Legs - for either

I did find a good link for some further info :
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-butts.htm

Thank you all for your help! Please keep it coming in if you discover something, that and if you ever spot a live one still in use.

Cheers!
DIP

Originally Posted by provins

Never heard the term Archers Test before but if ever I open a pub that'll make a good name.

[Dante]

Originally Posted by hooktonboy

And I'm pretty sure that I've read that Edward I (?) thought that archery practice was so important (militarily speaking) that he banned all other sports on Sundays, made archery practice compulsory, and decreed that if you shot somone during practice "accidentally" then this was not a crime and therefore there was no punishment!

A number of our Kings / Queens kept the law that all able bodies men must shoot on Sundays and all dodge games, like dice, were banned. Also if you were convicted of murder and we happened to go to war being a good Archer was a good way to get a pardon

<Sarcasm>
Having read / responded to a thread on speeding tickets and now considering the disappearance of traditional Butts / Popinjay maybe our government has replaced those popinjay targets with speed cameras for high speed practice in a modern world
</Sarcasm>