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Archery is important in English history. For centuries the English longbow was the most important weapon of English armies. The achievement of English longbowmen was lengendary. While this ended with the introduction of firearms, archery was in the Victorian age a popular sport. It was also practiced in America, but I am not sure to what extent it was due to the English influence. Archery was offered at many English schools as an activity. I'm not sure how common this was, but in the early and mid-20th century, it was a common activity at prep schools. This continues to be the case, but I think it is less common than it once was, in part because most schools have a much more extensive activity program than was once the case.
The attendance has increased. We are still practising in the kitchen gardens and one or two seniors now supervise the younger ones. The children follow the strictest safety precautions and no problems have disturbed the sessions. Nearly all the seniors have experienced at least once the exhilarating feeling of hitting the bullseye, while the younger ones enjoy just hitting the target (i.e. missing the ground!)
M.J.F., "Harecroft Hall Newsletter", December 1988.
