Crossbow

by Ralph Payne-Gallwey

The definitive work on the crossbow, which has always been looked on askance by the English as a continental weapon. Although it certainly never could achieve the rate of fire of the longbow in a trained archer’s hands, the crossbow had its merits. However cumbersome and slow to load it was in comparison with the longbow, the crossbow had greater range and penetrating power against armour, and was quicker to master. 'This book is a complete description of the crossbow from its introduction to England by the Normans after 1066 through to its use as a sporting weapon in 1903. The crossbow, by its bulk, allowed its makers to embellish the strictly functional aspects of the weapon by adding engravings, inlays, and their own mechanical touches to decorate the weapon. 'The author expertly compares the cross- and longbow, and includes comments on the early handgun to complete the picture. He describes how crossbows were made, and the varying styles of from wood bows via composites to the steel bow, and he also describes the auxiliary parts of the weapon. Modern crossbows are also covered, including Belgian target shooting barreled cross bows. 'The last part of the book, a treatise on thre ancient ballista and catapult, is of interest to anyone studying projectile weapons and sieges. Ballista, catapults, trebuchets and spring guns are described, which naturally leads back to the crossbow and the start of the book. This book is absolutely essential for all who are seriously interested in archery and the history of bows and projectile weapons.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, European History

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1985

About the author

Sir Ralph William Frankland-Payne-Gallwey, 3rd Baronet (1848 - 1916) was an accomplished engineer, historian, ballistics expert, and artist.

He authored several books on military and sporting history, theory, and practice. He wrote The Crossbow, which was re-published in 2007 by Skyhorse Publishing.

Reviews

[Jacob Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my Nonfiction book report. I thought that this book was pretty good. It was written so that the reader could easily understand the basic function of a crossbow without any previous knowledge. I thought that the pictures and diagrams of the different types and designs of crossbows was really cool to see. I really liked when in the later chapters, it explained how to make and build a crossbow. I also really liked how there was also explanations of siege weapons and how they worked.

[Paul A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource on the many types of crossbows and siege engines that were used throughout history, ranging from the earliest self-type crossbows to windlass steel crossbows. There is even an additional section discussing the Turkish composite bow and its use and construction! Each section is beautifully illustrated and great care is taken in describing the shape and dimensions of each machine. I definitely enjoyed reading about the manufacture and historical context of crossbows, siege engines, and more.

[AskHistorians]

While quite old, and now slightly outdated, this is still one of the most accessible and easiest to acquire histories of the crossbow. Much of the information it contains is still largely correct, even if Payne-Gallwey is over-fond of the steel crossbow and rooted in an antiquated understanding of medieval warfare.

[A.ORCHARD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossbow

Very informative reading about the history of the crossbow . With good images of all forms of crossbow . Excellent.