I am trying to find definitions of: Pound arrow and broad arrow as used for flight shooting in the middle ages.

Thank you for any help you can give.

John Edgerton
Newark, California, USA

I would also like to add "standard" arrow to that list of definitions as well.

John

John. You ask an interesting question. To my knowledge there is no exact definition of either the 'standard', 'bearing', 'broad', 'flight', or 'pound' arrows, there are only assumptions. The 'standard ', 'bearing', and 'flight' arrows are mentioned in the Pronouncement of a Contest on Finsbury Fields in 1557. It would sem from this that the 'Standard' arrow took precedence over the 'Bearing' arrow since although the monetary award was the same for each, the best 'Standard' arrow got a Crown of gold, and the 'Bearing' an arrow of gold.
It has been assumed by some - including myself - that the Standard arrow was a 'run of the mill' livery shaft, whilst the bearing version was one known to shoot true and well. The Flight shaft was rewarded least and was probably a light(er) version of one or the other.
Over one hundred years later, in 1663 a similar Contest was held, including the 'Pound', and the 'Broad' arrows. The latter may have been a version of the Standard arrow but the Pound arrow provides a problem. One suggestion is that it may have been related to its weight against silver coin. Another is that it reflected the 20m shilling Award giiven