St Michael’s Church, Shotwick, Cheshire.
The grooves in the Norman Porch were made by archers sharpening their arrows for Sunday practice.
A decree by Edward III in 1363 ordered all able bodied men to practice their longbow skills after Mass.
Whereas the people of our realm, rich and poor alike, were accustomed formerly in their games to practise archery – whence by God’s help, it is well known that high honour and profit came to our realm, and no small advantage to ourselves in our warlike enterprises… that every man in the same country, if he be able-bodied, shall, upon holidays, make use, in his games, of bows and arrows… and so learn and practise archery.
OneGuy
Interesting fact. The English longbow required practice not so much for accuracy as for strength. Few men today could just pick up a traditional longbow and pull it back to full draw.
Fredrick
The History of the English Longbow by Donald Featherstone is a great book on the subject.
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