Came across a claim about mary rose nocks being antler? Is this bee ess or not?

[toomanyknots]

Can't provide the link via the rules, but here is the quote:

If you tried to find horn tips for your English Longbow you would most likely find Water Buffalo horn tips. Not at all authentic. The single surviving horn tip from the Mary Rose appears to be deer or stag horn. If you wanted to have authentic horn tips for your Longbow you would use deer elk or cow horn. Here they are and pre drilled. Set of 2 pre drilled longbow tips.


Just curious, as I really don't know either way, but I thought they were supposed to of been all horn, presumably cow horn?

[Bryce]

Might wanna take this too the warbow section those guys are really into these specific bows.
Interesting topic though.

[WillS]

I read somewhere (no idea where) that while horn was fine for low poundage bows, antler was far more preferable for the warbows.  It's either Ascham or somebody who's not Ascham who wrote it.  Helpful? I thought so.   

They probably used whatever they could, right? 

[WillS]

I just reverse-Googled your quote.  The guy who wrote it? Dave Robertson of Medicine Bow Woods.  Enough said!

[Bryce]

I just reverse-Googled your quote.  The guy who wrote it? Dave Robertson of Medicine Bow Woods.  Enough said!

Ha!

[JW_Halverson]

It's either Ascham or somebody who's not Ascham who wrote it. 

It's great how we can always count on you for help!

Now, excuse me while I go get something to wipe the coffee off my computer screen.  And remind me to not be drinking coffee when I read your future posts, Will.  You really caught me off guard with that one!

[WillS]

It's either Ascham or somebody who's not Ascham who wrote it. 

It's great how we can always count on you for help!

Now, excuse me while I go get something to wipe the coffee off my computer screen.  And remind me to not be drinking coffee when I read your future posts, Will.  You really caught me off guard with that one!

Any time! 

[adb]

I just reverse-Googled your quote.  The guy who wrote it? Dave Robertson of Medicine Bow Woods.  Enough said!

Yup... nuff said. The man's eyes should be brown.

[toomanyknots]

Ohhh, didn't know that was the same guy!

I read somewhere (no idea where) that while horn was fine for low poundage bows, antler was far more preferable for the warbows.  It's either Ascham or somebody who's not Ascham who wrote it.  Helpful? I thought so.   

They probably used whatever they could, right? 

That's interesting. It is nice harder then horn I think.

It's either Ascham or somebody who's not Ascham who wrote it. 

It's great how we can always count on you for help!

Now, excuse me while I go get something to wipe the coffee off my computer screen.  And remind me to not be drinking coffee when I read your future posts, Will.  You really caught me off guard with that one!

LOL

[PatM]

What would be more readily available for outfitting a bow with nocks? A Cow provides one set per lifetime, a Red Deer stag would provide enough for perhaps five bows every year it was alive.

[toomanyknots]

What would be more readily available for outfitting a bow with nocks? A Cow provides one set per lifetime, a Red Deer stag would provide enough for perhaps five bows every year it was alive.

True. I would think though, that the bowyers back then, making bows in bulk for war, would purchase bulk amounts at a time to use. I would think farmers would have more than enough to sell from harvesting their live stock, just like today. Or quite more likely, the bowyer just used his own cows horns if he or his family owned live stock.

[JW_Halverson]

Likely to be significantly more cattle in England at the time than stags.

[Don Case]

Only the lords were allowed to take deer. Not sure how this relates to antler. There was probably a worker whose job was to gather cast off antlers.

[adams89]

i guess they used what they could get their Hands on, not every farmer would kill a cow per year and you could not find or harvest deerantler everyday, i think hornnocks were a luxury good like a car with Airbags, you don't always need them, but you're happy to have them

[Marc St Louis]

What would be more readily available for outfitting a bow with nocks? A Cow provides one set per lifetime, a Red Deer stag would provide enough for perhaps five bows every year it was alive.

Oddly enough a Cows horn actually grows back when cut, takes a couple of years, so one Cow could provide horn for several warbows over its lifetime. 

I do believe that it was Cow horn that was used for Warbow nocks, most of the time.

P.S.  A Cows horn does not need to drilled to fit on the bow as the tip is a cone shaped hollow and perfectly round, once the "meat" dries and falls out after being cut.