Home > Bow Reviews > Roy King Self Yew Traditional English Longbow 65#@28"

For an Englishman the sight and feel of a superb piece of Yew worked to perfection by a master conjures up all the history,heritage and heroism that throughout history defined the English Longbowman.

I learned recently that possibly the finest bowyer of the modern age passed away a short time ago before Christmas - Roy Kings' name will be forever associated with the Mary Rose and the Mary Rose trust for whom along with Robert Hardy he was chief advisor. He was renown for the replica bows he produced, I count myself fortunate to own and have shot one of his incredible Self Yew bows.

My review is of my first self yew Traditional English Longbow, It took me 3 years to prize this from the hands of the fellow who had owned it originally, eventually my constant harassment wore him down, well, that and the fact that the bow developed a small crack at the join in the handle, the bow was given to Russell French, bespoke bowyer, who repaired the crack, made a very handsome leather grip for it and placed a rather ugly "bandage" around the wood just below the handle, he assured me it would not affect the performance and would ensure the crack had nowhere to go should it re appear.

Longbow men will eulogise about the merits of Yew and the pure joy of shooting a well crafted Self Yew bow, and not without good reason, I have always found a good one will tend to draw 10# lighter but shoot 10# heavier than its marked weight. This stunning specimen is no exception, you don't often see such straight and tight grain, the workmanship is exemplary and the bow is a delight to hold.

Picking up a Yew bow is always a surprise, the bulk fools you into expecting something heavier, but it's weight and delicacy belie the power lurking within.

A word of warning, should you ever be fortunate enough to come in to the possession of such an outstanding bow it should never be left unsupervised, despite the taboo associated with touching another mans' bow without first asking permission there will always be some halfwit who, overcome by it's dazzling beauty will pick it up and God forbid even attempt to string it - I mention this because that's exactly what happened to this bow just a little while ago - A fool of an archer decided to take a closer look and attempted to string the bow, he succeeded in stamping on the lower horn nock and snapping it entirely - we shall leave the tale now, as it gets ugly from here, suffice to say no friends were made.

I wanted to do the chrono test at the same time as this review but that will have to wait until the nock is repaired. However I can tell you how she shoots. Longbows and hand shock go together like strawberries and cream if there was none it just wouldn't feel right, this bow does produce some shock but not as much as some, on the kicked by a horse scale it would rate as 5/10, however this will subside quite considerably when a proper heavy arrow is used.

In length it is 74" and there is nothing like the chunkiness of a Yew handle. the string is 16 strands of Dacron although I think I should make a linen one which would look  just right with this bow.

I can appreciate the form, shape and lines of a modern bow but there is nothing like a hand crafted Longbow from a piece of fine Yew, not just the beauty of the natural wood nor the curves and smooth lines that a skilled bowyer can tease from the stave, the bow must have life and work with the archer, of all bows, for me, the English Longbow is not just a weapon but a work of art too. despite the broken nock and the ugly bandage the life that Roy breathed into this bow still glows from the wood and just the touch of it inspires awe - What a beauty...

In all probability you will never now get your hands on a genuine Roy King Yew Longbow, so the review is possibly less relevant than most of the others, however in honour of one of the greatest Longbow makers I have ever come across it is only right that his bow takes its rightful place on these pages.

What of the bow?
The bow was made in England:
Of true wood, of yew wood,
The wood of English bows;
So men who are free
Love the old yew tree
And the land where the yew tree grows.

What of the cord?
The cord was made in England:
A rough cord, a tough cord,
A cord that bowmen love;
So we'll drain our jacks
To the English flax
And the land where the hemp was wove.

What of the shaft?
The shaft was cut in England:
A long shaft, a strong shaft,
Barbed and trim and true;
So we'll drink all together
To the gray goose feather
And the land where the gray goose flew.

What of the men?
The men were bred in England:
The bowman--the yeoman--
The lads of dale and fell
Here's to you--and to you;
To the hearts that are true
And the land where the true hearts dwell.

---

Steve Nicholson and Andy Gilfrin, are real archers interested in the best archery suppliers have to offer. In our search for the very best bow, arrows and equipment we have shot, used and worn pretty much everything on offer.

We value feedback from users and suppliers and are keen to hear from you if you wish to contact us about anything on the website.

Contact Steve .. steve@archers-review.com

Contact Andy .. andy@archers-review.com

We are now offering the opportunity for suppliers, manufacturers and bowyers to get involved. Check out the sponsors page for more information.

Essential Details
What : Roy King Self Yew Traditional English Longbow 65#@28" Price : Priceless

One of the finest pieces of Yew wood I have ever seen

Skilfully worked to follow the natural growth of the wood..

The addition of the "Russell French" leather grip..............

........................... was the perfect marriage.

The elegant nocks compliment classic curves of an English Longbow.

For an Englishman the sight and feel of a superb piece of Yew worked to perfection by a master conjures up all the history,heritage and heroism that throughout history defined the English Longbowman.

Latest

Magazine We were very pleased to give our support to the James Whale Kidney Foundation shoot which we cover in this months magazine. We were also contacted by Lars Pilø with news on the archery related finds on Jovfonna, and while we couldn't get out there ourselves Lars kindly filled in some background information for us.


A mixed bag this month, me in the South West, Geoff putting the record straight, a chat with Keith Stay and the wisdom comes from South Cox of Stalker bows. 

We take a tour the length and breadth of the British mainland to visit Scotland with Border Bows, Yorkshire with Aidy Hayes, the Wirral with Jason from thelongbowshop.com, down South with the Company of Canterbury Longbowman, and Geoff is in Spain.

Quick Links

A list of other Bow Reviews

Heritage Longbow Group test
Martin X200
Istvan Toth Mongolian Horse Bow 53" 35#@28"
Rivers Edge Arroyo 57# @ 26"
Black Widow PCH 3 47#@28"
Decabow Klassic 72" 48#@28"
Qarbon Nano Grizzly Stik 51#@28"
Centaur 2pc 62" 45@26"
Beiter Workstation 100
Hoyt Gamemaster 2 45#@28"
Chris Boyton High Performance Longbow
Heritage English Longbow Workshop
Bearpaw Scythian Style Horsebow
A&H ACS 12" Short Riser 62" 47#@28"
Aidy Hayes Longbow
Falco Legend Flatbow 50#@28"
Anneewakee Addiction 56" 48#@28"
Neil Harrington Longbow 72" 50#@28"
Heritage Longbows 56#@28" Target Bow
Heritage Longbows 80#@32" Warbow