The Cheshire archers were a body of elite soldiers noted for their skills with the
longbow
A longbow is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. Longbows for hunting and warfare have been made from many different woods in many cultures; in Europe they date from the Paleolithic era and, since the Bronze Age, were mad ...
that fought in many engagements in England and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include
Agincourt and
Crecy.
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...
employed a bodyguard of these ''yeoman archers'' who came from the
Macclesfield Hundred and the forest districts of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
.
[Davies, C. S. (Ed.). (1976). ''A history of Macclesfield''. Manchester University Press.]
References
{{Reflist
Military_history_of_Cheshire