Slurbow
The slurbow is a type of crossbow with a wood or metal barrel over the top of the stock that is arguably influenced by the emergence of the pistol. There is a gap between this shroud and the stock that allows the string to travel unimpeded. There are few examples of the medieval slurbow that remain to this day; one of the few that remain is one that is dated 1549 from the Royal Armoury of Madrid.
The slurbow was not mentioned in medieval writing until the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Such excerpts from the time, including 'Slurbow's and their arrows', 'Slurbow bolts', and 'fire arrows for slurbows', are referred to in many ledgers for weapon stores inside of castles. Through looking at the records it becomes clear that the slurbow fired bolts and arrows like the crossbows they are based on. Most of the bolts designed for the slurbow had no feathers in the shaft as they would slow down the travel of the arrow.
Further reading
- The Book of the Crossbow: With an Additional Section on Catapults and Other Siege Engines, Ralph Payne Gallway, Dover publishing, March 2009