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Title
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Incendiary War Crossbow, 16th-17th Century
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Collection Location
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Museum of the Company of Old Crossbowmen of Visé (Musée de la Compagnie des Anciens Arbalétriers Visétois), Rue Haute 46, 4600 Visé, Belgium
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Date
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16th to 17th centuries
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Location
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France
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Description
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This crossbow originally dates to the 16th or 17th century, but its stock was reconstructed in the 18th century. In its original state, it was a war crossbow designed to shoot bolts carrying burning tow (coarse fibres).
Near the tip of the stock, there is a bolt groove carved directly into the wood. Bow irons, made of wrought iron, connect the prod to the stock. Three linked metal pieces serve the function of a bowstring. The steel prod sits on the very end of the stock rather than penetrating it. The wooden stock is generally four-sided, but not perfectly cuboid; the stock is thicker around the area of the catch mechanism, then narrows significantly before flaring slightly at the butt.
The top of the stock has a few metal plates: possibly to provide structural support, or possibly to evoke a time when this crossbow was entirely covered in metal plates. The trigger is a lever made of iron. The nut is made of metal.
The Museum explains the lack of a sight by stating that an incendiary bolt would not need to hit small targets, but merely surfaces that were flammable.
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Source
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Information and images courtesy of the Museum of the Royal Company of Old Crossbowmen of Visé (Musée de la Compagnie Royale des Anciens Arbalétriers Visétois), through their publication "Saint Georges & l'arbalète," or "Saint George & the Crossbow."
Bibliography
Nihon, Jean-Pol. "Première partie: L'arbalète." In Saint Georges & l'arbalète, edited by Jean-Pol Nihon, 5-50. Visé: Compagnie des Anciens Arbalétriers Visétois, 2010.
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Length (stock): 64 cm
Width (prod length): 48 cm
Weight: 3.550 kg
