75010 m85

Sword hilts of the ioth and nth centuries, showing the five-lobed, ‘tea cosy’ and ‘walnut’ types of pommels and (at the right) the curved guard of the nth century.

Some examples of thefransisca or throwing axe of the Franks have been found in England, but the fransisca was replaced quite soon after the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England by the scramasax. The fransisca had a short haft and a head which curved upwards from the handle at a wide angle to a slightly up-turned blade.

Heavy war clubs may also have been used by the Saxons, although there is no pictorial evidence earlier than the 11 th century, and our information is limited to one source, the interpretation of which is open to question. EIowever, the club was certainly used by the Franks who came to Britain as mercenaries and it may have been adopted by the Saxons in this early period. That the club was still used in battle during the 11 th century is confirmed by the Bayeux tapestry, wherein clubs are shown being thrown as well as carried as a primary weapon. (Bishop Odo, whose use of a mace is popularly attributed to his robust interpretation of the Church’s prohibition against churchmen shed-ding blood, is not the only figurę in the tapestry armed in this way.)

Slingers also appear on the Bayeux tapestry and in manuscripts, but they would be of the lower classes. The sling was a simple leather band or strap with an open pocket in the middle for the projectile, and it hurled with considerable force either fired clay balls or Stones, which were carried in a wallet.

Bows are rarely found on archaeological sites because of the decay ofwood, but archers are well represcnted in manuscripts, and the saga ofBeowulf gives ample evidence for the use of the bow as a weapon of war by the Anglo-Saxons’ ancestors. Several traces of bows have been found, and these would seem to indicate a lcngth of about 150CIT1. FIowever, surviving examples found in Germany may be taken as typical of Anglo-Saxon bows, and although these rangę from 120 to 320010 in length, from 180 to 2iocm seems to be an average figurę. These bows are of yew, curving very slightly, thickest in the middle and tapering towards the ends. Metal has been found on the ends of a few, and it is possiblc that horn was also used to tip the staves, as on the medieval longbow. It would appear, therefore, that the bow in use in the pre-conquest period was little different to the longbow, except that the string was not pulled back to the ear, only to the chcst, suggesting either a weaker or morę rigid stave or merely an inferior ability as archers. Nevertheless, these bows were capable of piercing mail at up to 4601, and had an effective rangę with a trajectory of up to 9201.

Arrowheads are not commonly found and can be confused with the smali heads used for throwing