124 Yew-Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



In the time of Henry viii. archery practice had 

 fallen so much into disuse that an Act was passed, 

 151 1, providing, among other matters, 'that the 

 Statute of Winchester for archery be put in due 

 execution ; and over that, that every man, being 

 the King's subject, etc. etc., not lame, decrepit, or 

 maimed, do use and exercise shooting with long- 

 bows, and also do have a bow and arrows ready 

 continually in his home, to use himself in shooting.' 

 He was also to provide bows, etc., for every man- 

 child in his home, from seven years upwards.^ If a 

 servant, the cost of these might be deducted from 

 his wages. For every infraction of this Statute the 

 penalty was 6s. 8d. 



A Statute of Philip and Mary decrees that ' all 

 temporal persons, having estates of a thousand 

 pounds and upwards, shall, from the ist May 1588 

 (besides horses and various armour enumerated), 

 keep "thirty bows, thirty sheaf of arrows," and so 

 on in decreasing amounts. "Temporal persons" 

 having 5^ and under 10^ "one long bow, one 

 sheaf of arrowes, and one steel cap or scull," 

 " and every person who by the Act of King 

 Henry viii. capt. 5," was bound by reason of 

 certain qualifications to provide horses, armour, 

 etc., and shall "from the ist of May, for three 

 months, lack or want such provision," shall forfeit 

 "for every horse in which he is deficient, ten 



^ Hannett, The Forest of Arden. 



