The Soldier in Medieval England

Researched, complied & edited by Rodney G. Dalton

Extracted from: http://www.medievalsoldier.org

Employing one of the most efficient weapons of the Middle Ages, the Medieval Archers were for centuries that corps of an army capable to decide the outcome of the battle.  The right deployment in the field, combined with the rapid "fire" capability could ensure the victory even when their army was in numeric inferiority.  Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt (Azincourt) are classical examples.

Foot Archers-13th Century

The role the Medieval Archers could play in battle was quickly understood, and as early as the years following the Norman Conquest, the practice of archery was much encouraged and the Medieval Archers were granted special privileges.  Among the enactments of Henry I of England, it was provided that if anyone practicing with arrows or with darts should by accident slay another, it was not to be visited against him as a crime.

From 1066 until the end of the 12th Century, the longbow was of the most simple construction. It appears frequently in the Bayeux tapestry. The arrows were usually barbed.

During the 13th Century, besides the mounted men-at-arms or heavy cavalry, there were light troops formed by the mounted archers and crossbow-men. The Medieval Archers were becoming every day of more importance in the field. And, if the bow was an efficient arm in battle, it was still more so in sieges, and the defense of strongholds and mountain-passes.

There was a clear difference between the Continent and England as far as the Medieval Archers are concerned.  While the longbow was preferred in England, the crossbow-man was an essential component of a Continental army during all this period. The crossbow-men were either mounted or on foot. One of the popular type of crossbow arrows was the four-sided or pyramidal head.

Among the Medieval Archers, the English archer is the most prominent character. In the 14th Century, he was equally efficient in siege and in the field. The defender of town or castle could not peep beyond the parapet, but an English arrow could nail his cap to his head. In the field, provided the archers were, by marsh, wood, or mountain, secured from a flank attack, they would bid defiance to any number of mounted men-at-arms. The foot-archers were in far greater proportion then the mounted ones. The bows were of two kinds: painted and plain (white).

On the continent, the missile weapon employed to oppose the English longbow was still the arbalest (crossbow). The troops who used it were chiefly Genoese and Spanish infantry mercenaries. Mounted crossbow-men were also engaged, but in much smaller numbers.  How inefficient the crossbow was when opposed to the English archery appears in every page of the histories of the 14th Century. The element of success was simply the more rapid “fire” of the English archers using the longbow.

Although the 15th Century saw the first hand-gunners, the Medieval Archers were still in favor.  The crossbow-men continue to have an important place in the Continental armies of the day. There were also important changes in organizing the Medieval Archers.  Learning from the lessons of Crécy and Agincourt, Charles VII of France instituted the French-Archers, equipped partly with the longbow and partly with the crossbow.

Below are some English soldiers with the name of Dalton:

Name	Rank	Captain	Commander	Year	Nature of Activity
William Dalton	Archer Eure	Ralph	Sir Percy, Henry, earl of Northumberland	1383 - 1385	Not specified (Scottish Marches)
John Dalton	Man-at-arms	Windsor, William de	Windsor, William de	1371-1372	Standing force Ireland.
Thomas Dalton	Man-at-arms   Windsor	William de Windsor	William de	1371-1372	Standing force Ireland.
Robert Dalton	Hobel			1383-1386?	Not known
Robert Dalton	Archer	Arundel, Richard Fitz Alan, earl of Arundel	Richard Fitz Alan, earl of Arundel	1387	Exped Naval.
William Dalton	Archer	Percy, Thomas, Sir	Percy, Thomas, Sir	1385	Exped Naval
John Dalton Thomas	Archer	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of Nottingham	Mowbray, earl of Nottingham, de	1389-1390	Standing force Scotland (East March)
Peter Dalton	Archer	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of Nottingham	1389-1390	Standing force Scotland (East March)
Solomon Dalton	Archer	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of	1389-1390	Standing force Scotland (East March)
Richard Dalton	Archer	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of	Nottingham, Thomas de Mowbray, earl of	1389-1390	Standing force Scotland (East March)
Robert Dalton	Archer	Braham, John, Sir	Scrope, Stephen le, Sir	1395-1397	Standing force Ireland
Robert Dalton	Archer	Hake, Andrew, Sir	Arundel, Richard Fitz Alan, earl of	1388	Exped Naval
John Dalton	Archer	Haddley, John		1400	Exped Scotland
Thomas Dalton	Yeoman / Valettus Archer	Botreaux, William,	Lord Henry V	1415	Exped France
John Dalton	Archer	Godard, Henry	Henry V	1415	Exped France
Robert Dalton	Yeoman / Valettus / Archer	Carrewe, Thomas, Sir	Devon, Hugh de Courtenay, earl of	1420	Keeping of the Sea
Thomas de Dalton	Archer	Ashton, William   Bedford	John, Duke of	1420	Exped France
Robert de Dalton	Archer		Scrope, John Lord, of Masham	1421	Exped France
John  Dalton	Archer	Fitz Hugh, Henry, Lord Gloucester	Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
William Dalton	Archer	Fitz Hugh, Henry, Lord Gloucester,	Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
John de Dalton	Man-at-arms	Clifford, John Lord	Gloucester, Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
John Dalton	Archer	Neville, John, Sir	Gloucester, Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
John Dalton	Archer	Leyhun, Thomas Gloucester	Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
Richard Dalton	Archer	Leyhun, Thomas Gloucester,	Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
Robert Dalton	Archer	Umfraville, Gilbert, Sir Gloucester,	Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
William Dalton	Archer	Northumberland, Henry Percy, Earl of	Gloucester, Humphrey, Duke of	1417	Exped France
Thomas Dalton	Man-at-arms	Chamberlain, William, Sir	temp. Henry V or Henry VI		Standing force, France
William Dalton	Archer	Huntingdon, John	Holand, Earl of	1439	Standing force, Acquitaine
Edmund Dalton	Archer	Holand, John, Sir	Huntingdon, John Holand, Earl of	1439	Standing force, Acquitaine
John Dalton	Man-at-arms	Gray, Ralph, Sir	York, Richard, Duke of	1441	Exped France
Thomas of Dalton	Man-at-arms	Beaufort, John, Duke of Somerset	Beaufort, John, Duke of Somerset	1443	Exped France
John Dalton	Archer	Beaufort, John, Duke of Somerset	Beaufort, John, Duke of Somerset	1443	Exped France
John Dalton	Man-at-arms	Cusak, Thomas, Sir	Beaufort, John, Duke of Somerset	1443	Exped France