‘Picking a quarrel’ explains the munitions bow, used by trained archers on the battlefield. Unlike the highly decorative hunting or sporting bows used by wealthy princes, this weapon is plain, but very efficient and fit for purpose.

The crossbow allowed soldiers who had not received the years of training required to use a longbow the ability to defend themselves with a string weapon.

The crossbow was a flexible weapon, deployed in castle defence, on siege lines, aboard ships and in the open field. It was straightforward to use and very democratic due to the mechanical devices used to prepare it for shooting.

Primary source historical evidence exists for the use of crossbows at Edinburgh Castle in a purveyance document from 1299. Besides the weapons themselves, pack thread for making strings for the bows and goose wings for feathering quarrels are mentioned.

The weapon continued to be used at the castle by garrison troops throughout the medieval period, and it features in one of the castle’s own displays in David’s Tower. 

As well as the crossbow and its projectiles knowns as bolts or quarrels, other arms and equipment used by the archer are explained, including sword and buckler, and the typical crossbow archer’s shield, the pavise.


The Battle of Flodden, fought between England and Scotland in 1513 marked a turning point for Scottish troops in their manner of fighting.  Traditionally they had used the spear as their main infantry weapon, at around 10 feet in length. James IV was keen to adopt the continental pike, which was dominating the European battlefields, combined with field artillery weapons. 

The pike was much longer at 18 feet in length, and relied on disciplined advance in echelon formation. The new weapons were shipped into Scotland, along with French sergeants to give the Scots levies the required training. The pike blocks were vulnerable on the flanks due to the difficulty in bringing such a long and unwieldy weapon to bear on anything other than what was in front of it. The sergeants carried halberds, a shorter multi use weapon, very like the brown bill used by English troops. 

The halberd was a formidable weapon, combining a spear head and a rear spike called a 'fluke' which were capable of punching holes in armour, and an axe head which could be laid on with great force, slashing anything in its way.

Flodden was a disaster for the Scots; the pikes were confounded by the ground which stopped the advance and rendered them useless. Many of the French sergeants were killed by the Scots troops who blamed them for the defeat. The reality was that the French soldiers weren't given enough time to properly drill the Scots, and the chosen ground was completely unsuited to effective tactical use of the pike. The weapon remained however, as 'pike and shot' started to become the accepted way of warfare in the 16th century.

The sergeant is dressed in the continental style waffenrock, armed with a halberd, and wears an open faced sallet. As a royal weapons store Edinburgh castle played a key role in the preparations for the Flodden campaign, and many of the Scots troops mustered within sight of the castle on the open ground of the Burghmuir.

In the bombard Mons Meg, Edinburgh Castle has one of the most remarkable survivors from the middle ages. She was gifted to James II in 1457 by Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy. James married Philip's grand niece Mary of Guelders in 1449, and Mons, as she was then known by the Scots, was part of an extensive weapons dowry that came with James' new bride. 

Bombards like Meg were at the extreme end of gunpowder artillery, and were principally used to reduce castles and fortified towns. Historical speculation surrounds her active service, and definitive 'battle honours' for Meg are impossible to pin down, however there are extant records of some of her outings. 

The Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland 1473-98 contain extensive entries relating to the campaign of 1497, when the royal artillery train including Meg was dragged to the 'Raid of Norham'; her job to smash the walls of Norham Castle standing on the banks of the English side of the River Tweed.

Equipped with the tools of his trade, 'Hob the Gunner' gives Meg's vital statistics, how she was prepared for firing, and tells the story of the Raid.