Meaning
A maker of arrows responsible for cutting and trimming the wooden shafts and attaching the fletching.
Description
Fletchers made arrows for use in hunting and warfare, shaping wooden shafts to precise specifications and attaching feather flights known as fletching to stabilise the arrow in flight. The occupation was of great strategic importance during the medieval period when the English longbow was a decisive weapon of war. By the Tudor period the widespread adoption of firearms was reducing demand for arrows and the trade declined sharply. Fletchers are most commonly found in records from the medieval and early modern period rather than the Victorian era.
Also Known As
Arrow Maker, Arrowsmith
Commonly Found In
- Parish Registers
- Guild Records
- Medieval Records
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