Incendiary quarrels/arrows/crossbow bolts

Matchlock · 7th August 2012, 03:27 PM

Hi Ibrahiim,

Thank you so much for your teatise on quoits!

I found a good illustration of a 15th c. incendiary arrow in Philip Mönch's Kriegsbuch, 1496, Universitätsbiblitothek Heidelberg, Cod.Pal.germ. 126, fol. 28r.

Best,
Michael

Eric Slyter · 26th June 2013, 05:10 AM

I've long wondered about crossbow bolts with the twist below the head and the socket. I hadn't previously been able to find any information on them at all, except that they were possibly javelin points or made for frame-mounted crossbows. If I am to understand correctly, they are incendiary bolts then? What is the time period for them? Thanks!

Eric Slyter · 27th July 2013, 12:53 AM

Bump! Any further clarification on this?

Matchlock · 12th March 2014, 08:22 PM

Hi Eric,

It was only today that I noticed your query concerning the twisted haft of incendiary quarrel irons. I beg your pardon for not replying any earlier but as you may have gathered meanwile I was in hospital for the whole year of 2013 and can now only slowly make my way through all my posts.

As I have tried to show in this thread, all the iron heads with a very long and thin 'neck' and twisted haft seem to have been been shaped this specific way to safely hold the incendiary mass. We generally attribute them to the Late Middle Ages, ca. 14th to 16th century.
Nevertheless, many iron heads for incendiary crossbow bolts are known to show no twisting at all.

Best,
Michael

Matchlock · 12th March 2014, 08:27 PM

In addition to posts #31 and 32 above, I have added two images of the array of some of the many hundreds of unusually heavy Thirty Years War clay grenades dug up in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, in 1983.

I also added an image of glass hand grenades, French, ca. 1740, found in Freiburg, and provided a link to the Wikipedia survey:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_grenade

Best,
Michael

Matchlock · 14th March 2014, 12:26 PM

As their principle is basically the same as with incendiary arrows, I'd like to introduce two extremely rare 16th-17th c. tar lances (German: Pechlanzen) in the Emden Armory.
The incendiary tar mass was set afire and the lance was hurled by some sort of a catapult onto the shingled roofs of a besieged town where the delicate iron arrowheads got stuck, and the blazing tar would splatter around. Additionally, the short barrels are barbed for better contact with the roof shingles.
The saucer-like wooden plate at the bottom was meant to direct the splashing fire right onto the roof.

The measurements are:
overall length 2.25 m
width of the tar saucer 21 cm
weight 3.2 kg

I took these photos in 1987.

m

Marcus den toom · 14th March 2014, 06:12 PM

Hi Michael,

Amazing that these things survived

Did the barrels shoot some sort of bullets or incendiary mass/arrows? (sort of mortar arrow ?)

7th August 2012, 03:27 PM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi Ibrahiim, Thank you so much for your teatise on quoits! I found a good illustration of a 15th c. incendiary arrow in Philip Mönch's Kriegsbuch, 1496, Universitätsbiblitothek Heidelberg, Cod.Pal.germ. 126, fol. 28r. Best, Michael Attached Images

12th March 2014, 08:22 PM	#4
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi Eric, It was only today that I noticed your query concerning the twisted haft of incendiary quarrel irons. I beg your pardon for not replying any earlier but as you may have gathered meanwile I was in hospital for the whole year of 2013 and can now only slowly make my way through all my posts. As I have tried to show in this thread, all the iron heads with a very long and thin 'neck' and twisted haft seem to have been been shaped this specific way to safely hold the incendiary mass. We generally attribute them to the Late Middle Ages, ca. 14th to 16th century. Nevertheless, many iron heads for incendiary crossbow bolts are known to show no twisting at all. Best, Michael Last edited by Matchlock; 13th March 2014 at 12:42 PM.

12th March 2014, 08:27 PM	#5
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	In addition to posts #31 and 32 above, I have added two images of the array of some of the many hundreds of unusually heavy Thirty Years War clay grenades dug up in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, in 1983. I also added an image of glass hand grenades, French, ca. 1740, found in Freiburg, and provided a link to the Wikipedia survey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_grenade Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 12th March 2014 at 08:41 PM.

14th March 2014, 12:26 PM	#6
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	As their principle is basically the same as with incendiary arrows, I'd like to introduce two extremely rare 16th-17th c. tar lances (German: Pechlanzen) in the Emden Armory. The incendiary tar mass was set afire and the lance was hurled by some sort of a catapult onto the shingled roofs of a besieged town where the delicate iron arrowheads got stuck, and the blazing tar would splatter around. Additionally, the short barrels are barbed for better contact with the roof shingles. The saucer-like wooden plate at the bottom was meant to direct the splashing fire right onto the roof. The measurements are: overall length 2.25 m width of the tar saucer 21 cm weight 3.2 kg I took these photos in 1987. m Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 14th March 2014 at 05:45 PM.

26th June 2013, 05:10 AM	#2
Eric Slyter Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 8	I've long wondered about crossbow bolts with the twist below the head and the socket. I hadn't previously been able to find any information on them at all, except that they were possibly javelin points or made for frame-mounted crossbows. If I am to understand correctly, they are incendiary bolts then? What is the time period for them? Thanks!

27th July 2013, 12:53 AM	#3
Eric Slyter Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 8	Bump! Any further clarification on this?

14th March 2014, 06:12 PM	#7
Marcus den toom Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 535	Hi Michael, Amazing that these things survived Did the barrels shoot some sort of bullets or incendiary mass/arrows? (sort of mortar arrow ?)