last modified: Fri Jan 2 21:52:08 GMT 2004
Email		The Ballista... The group has a bow ballista, which is like a giant crossbow on a stand. ** The group no longer has a Trebuchet or a Mangonel. We have however made the above, more transportable ballista which is available for events. More information and pictures about the ballista will be added soon. ** The Trebuchet... As well as replica personal medieval weaponry such as bows, swords and so on, Feudal Archers also has a trebuchet. Standing nearly 20 feet tall this has been built by two of the members using hand tools only and is intended to give an idea of the operation and the power of the medieval siege engine. In the middle ages such siege engines operated on one of three principles: torsion, tension or counterpoise. The trebuchet--from the French word trebucher, to tumble or fall--works on the latter system and when a heavy pivoted weight falls at the front of the machine, this action brings up a long throwing arm and sling at the back so hurling the missile forwards to its target. Whereas other siege engines such as mangonels (catapults) and ballistae (large arrow shooting crossbows) had their roots in Greek and Roman technology, the trebuchet seems to have been a purely medieval invention, the heavy artillery of its day. It was used to sling heavy stone balls to smash down castle walls although there are records of trebuchets being used to sling bags of quicklime, rotting animal carcasses and even the heads cut from prisoners in order to encourage the defenders to give in to the besiegers. The Feudal Archers trebuchet was built largely using information contained in the classic book on siege weaponry, Sir R Payne Gallwey's "The Crossbow" (London 1903 and various recent reprints). To see a selection of working siege engines including a full-sized trebuchet, go to Caerphilly Castle in South Wales where there is a permanent exhibition. Sometimes re-enactment groups operate the siege engines and shoot missiles into the castle's water defences. It is hoped that the Feudal Archers trebuchet will also be going on show at least once or twice during the year at suitable venues even though transporting all that timber is quite a headache! Our siege engine is designed to be dismantled though, and can be assembled from scratch in about an hour. Pictures of the Trebuchet Click an image to make it bigger The Trebuchet MkI in the garden where it was built. The Trebuchet MkI. The Trebuchet MkII, now with a longer arm at Herstmonceux Castle. The Trebuchet releases its missile at the walls of Pevensey Castle, Sussex. It was on loan to The Medieval Siege Society. The Medieval Siege Society use the Trebuchet to besiege Herstmonceux Castle. The sling leaves the hook - splosh - the projectile, a large cabbage, lands in the moat!