The Bowmen of Adel A short history of the club 1948-2008

Big Red Book1

The Bowmen of AdelA short history of the club1948 – 2008By David O’Carroll2

CONTENTSAuthor’s preface 4Introduction 5Archery in YorkshireThe first fifty years 6The club is formedEarly daysIndoor archeryThe new groundThe Scorton ArrowThe AschamNational and international achievementsAddled CryerTV appearancesTassels & FlannelsBoA caught with their pants downWeb presencePerennial problems50 th anniversaryThe WharfedaleSixty years celebrated 12Secretary honouredSearch for a new groundThe safety fenceThe St.George longbow tournamentLife members60 th AnniversaryBack to flannelsAfterword - the futureAnnexesPast Presidents, Chairmen and Secretaries 18Trophies and insignia 19Illustrations & tablesBoA timeline 93

Author’s prefaceI decided to bring the history of the club up to date as part of our celebrations tocommemorate the 60 th anniversary of the Bowmen of Adel. Alas, no-one could find thehistorical notes written ten years previously for the Addled Cryer so I slipped into the moredaunting task of writing the history from scratch. I am therefore very indebted to the helpgiven by some of our more longstanding members, especially Geoff Gaunt who read the firstdraft and then supplied me with copious notes on the historical background of Yorkshirearchery as well as Phyl Abbott who noticed waywardness in my typing and grammar – muchto my chagrin.So I present this to the club as my parting gift on stepping down from the Presidency andindeed leaving the club after more than thirteen years, as Lis and I move our home andarchery base to the Gower in South Wales.David O’Carroll, OBE4

INTRODUCTIONArchery in YorkshireThere is a long heritage of archery in Yorkshire. In particular, in Leeds and the surroundingarea there has been a tradition of archery as a sporting pastime for more than two and ahalf centuries. 1 The Wharfedale Archers are recorded in 1737 as having their butts atFarnley Hall near Otley. Half a century later the Yorkshire Archers (1789-94) held meetingson the Knavesmire in York and in the grounds of their various members’ homes; several ofthese meetings were in the Countess of Mexborough’s estate at ‘Chapel-Town’, then justnorth of Leeds. There were, in addition, private archery meetings during these times, onesuch being held in 1790 in the grounds of Bramhope Hall.The Leeds Archers Society was formed in 1848. 2 The Society, our nearest forebear, “ceasedto function on the 28 th August 1880, four days before the first Grand Northern Meeting”. Itsgrounds were adjacent to Blenheim Square, an area of Leeds still known as the Archeries.This seems to have been a time of rapid decline of archery throughout Britain, a situationthat did not improve until after the end of the Second World War in 1945/46.The Bowmen of Adel (BoA) and Bronte Archers, both formed in 1948, were at the forefrontof the resurgence of archery in Yorkshire after the demise of nearly all the archery clubs andsocieties towards the end of the 19 th century. There are only three older archery clubs thathave survived continuously to the present in Yorkshire- Scarborough (1934), White Rose(1944) and Abbeydale Archers (1947). William Hargreaves Bailey, an archer from Ripon (aclub then in abeyance) was one of the first members of BoA. Bailey was a member of theBritish team at the World Archery Championships held in Paris in 1949. In the six decadessince its foundation, the Bowmen of Adel has played major roles in archery activities inYorkshire, and indeed in northern England. Members of the club, both past and present, canjustly claim to have continued the long tradition of archery in and around Leeds.1 Gaunt, G. (D.) 1989, Some aspects of the later history of archery in Yorkshire. Yorkshire ArcheryAssociation.40pp2 Gaunt, G.D. and Sillers, D.H.C. 1980. The Leeds Archers Society (1848-92). Journal of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries, volume 23, pp3-11.5

The first fifty yearsThe club is formedOne of our longstanding members, Geoff Gaunt,recounts the tale of how Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman,then Chairman of the Adel War Memorial Association,saw a husband and wife shooting in their garden atHighland Manor, Scotland Lane, Horsforth, one Sundayafternoon in 1948. He enquired whether they would beinterested in forming an archery section at Adel andthey agreed. The couple were Fred and Betty Wells.The very last edition of Archery News 3 in the summerof 1948 mentions the formation of the club whichsuggests that shooting started in June or July but theBig Red Book 4 records that the name of the club wasformally accepted as the Bowmen of Adel on 22 ndOctober 1948.BoA badge -1972Society of Archers record book.Early daysIn August 1949, Bill Bailey was a member of the British team at the World ArcheryChampionships in Paris. This honour for the club was surpassed in July 1950 when twocouples from Adel took part in the World Archery Championships atCopenhagen- Bill and Mona Bailey, and Doug and Maudie Young.The first two gentlemen champions of Yorkshire were SamHenderson (1954) and Ron Hill (1955) – both from Adel. The'Dundas Shield' awarded to the club team whose accumulated scoreis greatest over the two day Grand Northern Archery Tournamentcame to Adel from 1949-1951, 1953 and 1969-1970.Dundas ShieldAnother club member, Peter Mackenzie, was manufacturing strawbosses and target faces in the 1950s. As the club grew steadily fromaround 20 in the 1950s to 30 by 1960 it was clear that the club atAdel was at the forefront of archery in Yorkshire.Indoor archeryIn 1950 some members of the Bowmen of Adel had realised the importance of practisingthroughout the year if they were to compete effectively at tournaments. A number of indoor3 Archery News, October-November 1948, volume 27, no.6, p.70.4 Major Roger Crees presented the club with a leather bound folio book on his retirement as Chairman andSecretary in October 1959. It was to be used as the minute book and some notes of early meetings weretranscribed into this book.6

venues were tried for winter training including some freezing cold army barracks, but noneproved suitable. It became apparent that a custom-built indoor range was the solution butthis was not possible at Adel. However Roundhay Rugby Union Club in Chandos Avenuewere welcoming and a new club was formed around 1951 under the revived name of LeedsArchers. Some members transferred to the new club whilst others became members of bothclubs. The members of the new club funded and built an indoor range themselves and theclub flourished until 1977. In the mid 1960s, BoA members were able to shoot indoors atthe Gateways School in Harewood, thanks to Betty Logan who was school secretary.Unfortunately she suffered a stroke whilst shooting at Adel and the facility lapsed soonafterwards.Social and other eventsThe members of the club were active members of the Adel War Memorial Association andtook part in dances and the annual summer fair in the grounds, often collaborating with thecricket club in organising these events. It has to be noted that at a dance organised with theLeeds Archers the friendly relations between the two clubs reached their zenith with the wifeswapping saga.The “New Ground”The Red Book describes the relationship between “the Archery Section” and the “Hall” asbearing the semblance of the Lord of the Manor at “The Hall” and the tenant farmers. Theminutes show that at times sharp words have been exchanged between the Hall and thesports sections. Cricket and archery were joint tenants of the field and encroachments weremade on the archery timetable from an early time. It was therefore with great hopes thatarchery moved to the “new ground”, the upper field that had been purchased for thispurpose and to lay out hockey pitches. There were problems straight away and in thesecond season it was decided to cancel the 1962 End of Season Tournament because of thelack of sympathy of the Hall Committee. By 1969 the committee minutes note “A deal ofconfusion appears to be developing as to who has the field, even after 1 st April which is thedate when archery has first call.” Members grumbled about the state of the field in April andsuggested that the pitches used by hockey and football be swapped each season. The Hallagreed to consider this suggestion.The Scorton ArrowClub members have been successful at the Scorton Arrow on five occasions and thus theclub has had the honour of holding the competition at Adel. The Society of Archers meetingwas first held at Adel in 1962 after a Mr A Wales of Liverpool had won the Captaincy. Thiswas an important meeting for the Society of Archers 5 since it was here that the articles ofthe Arrow which had been set out in the original parchment and changed at variousmeetings over the years were set out in modern times on a single piece of paper andagreed.5 The Antient Silver Scorton Arrow, by Ben Hird, The Society of Archer-Antiquities, 1972.7

Sam Henderson won the Captaincy in 1957 but held the 250 th recorded meeting on TheStray, Harrogate. Mr R. Shiel won the Captaincy in 1966 and he held the 259 th meeting atAdel. David Aikin won the captaincy of the arrow twice, in 1969 and 1975. And so for thesecond time the meeting was held at Adel, the 262 nd meeting of the Society in 1970, andthe 268 th in 1976. In between, Ron Hill won it in 1972 and Jonathan Stuart in 1987. So in allthe meeting has been held at Adel five times.The AschamThe Ascham has been described as “the Scorton Arrow for the ladies”. Members of theBowmen of Adel have been involved since the inception of this annual competition in 1977and have organised the tournament at Adel (and once at Temple Newsam) five times in1986, 1994, 1997, 2006 and 2008. Mrs Maureen Potter won the Silver Arrow twice in 1985and 1993 and Margaret Easdown in 1996. 6National and international achievementsAfter the initial international successes of members in the early 1950s there was a fallowperiod until the late 1960s and 1970s which ended with the success of Pauline Edwards whowon the Lady Championship of Britain many times and went on to represent Britain atinternational level. As a junior archer, Jackie Abbott became the Ladies champion at the1979 Grand National Archery Meeting. There was also more junior success with AndrewLloyd. In 2005 the club was able to celebrate Matthew Arnold’s success as a juniorcompound archer shooting for Great Britain in the Europa Cup in Cles, Italy. He only missedthe gold medal by a couple of points. Next year he was off to Mexico for the WorldChampionships.Addled CryerThe first newsletter was sent out in March 1982 but the Addled Cryer was first published in1995 and soon became the main line of communication across the club. This authoritativeposition was not always recognised. Margaret Fisher bemoaned the deteriorating status inthe Easter 1999 edition –“The Adel tournament again proved that no-one reads this magazine, as there was some debate aboutstart times, etc. Would you please note that any future internal events will be run as declared in theAddled Cryer. This newsletter is the official organ of both clubs and is circulated to all members; checkhere first!”By this time the Cryer had been expanded to cover the growing joint membership with thecivil service archery club HASSRA Leeds AC 7 which operated from Quarry House in thecentre of Leeds. The newsletter was often the stage for the Mouseman of Adel. Not woodcarvings of mice but cartoon mice bewailing the trials and tribulations of archery which firstappeared on the club’s competition entry forms.6 Taken from the Ascham record book by the author during the 2008 competition.7 HLAC were able to provide an additional indoor venue for BoA members and a joint indoor tournament forBoA, HLAC and the regional civil service championships.8

BoA TIMELINE1948 Club established.1949 Club badge designed.1954 Junior section approved. Sam Henderson first gentleman champion of Yorkshire.1956 Club ladder established. First End of Season Tournament – Albion round. 21 members.1957 First record of shooting indoors at “The Hall” – not repeated in 57/58 season.York and Hereford rounds to be shot on Sundays. First mention of GNAS Handicap improvement medal.Sam Henderson becomes Captain of Scorton Arrow (250 th competition was held in Harrogate in 1958).1959 No children to be admitted unless parents are members.1960 Sam Henderson elected as first President. Club peaks at 30 members.1961 New ground opened- 6 th September. Eric Riley trophy donated by his widow.1962 Scorton Arrow and Yorkshire championships held at Adel.1963 Ladies allowed to wear bottle green slacks .1964 Eighth End of Season Tournament York/Hereford rounds shot. Indoor shooting with Leeds Archers.1967 Scorton Arrow at Adel. Indoor shooting at Gateways School, Harewood.1968 Grand Northern Archery Meeting held at Adel.1970 Scorton Arrow at Adel.1971 Indoor shooting at “The Hall”.1972 Betty Wells handicap trophies inaugurated.1973 Scorton Arrow at Adel.1976 Scorton Arrow at Adel.1978 Jackie Abbott (aged 16) becomes National Ladies and Junior Ladies champion.1981 First competition for the Nock. Won by Ann Gaunt.1986 The Ascham first held at Adel.1988 Scorton Arrow at Adel.1995 First edition of the Addled Cryer. Indoor completion held at The Forum, Quarry House.1997 Membership peaks at 80+.1998 Club celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. Hosts the Ilkley Arrow2000 Serious consideration given to move the club to a new location. Members vote to stay.2003 21 st Wharfedale to be held at Adel.2004 Royal Armouries ask BoA to organise a new longbow tournament. First tournament held in collaborationwith the Royal Society of St. George in April 2005 at Morley.2005 Matthew Arnold comes a very creditable second in the Cadet Boys Compound in the European JuniorCup held from the 13th-16th July in Cles, Trentino, Italy. Membership peaks at 100+.2006 Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire – Dr Ingrid Roscoe FSA visits The St.George Longbow Tournament.2008 Club celebrates its sixtieth anniversary.9

TV appearancesThe club has acted as the venue for publicity on archery a number of times. In 1979 thelocal television company requested an opportunity to cover the junior county championswho were at the club. But when the cameras arrived it was decided that the subject matterwas not sufficiently interesting so they packed up and went away. The Addled Crye recordsanother such occurrence in the Winter 1999 edition.“A PRO’s life is not a happy one –trying to co-ordinate press coverage is an art form in itself and needsperseverance and good luck.Therefore, at very short notice, we were destined to become television stars for the new local cable TVchannel which started on 26 November.Peter Baker didn’t really know what to expect – would they turn up with a large pantechnicon andstudio lights? Would we need to have make-overs and rehearse our lines? Geoff Gaunt wascommissioned to bring a selection of bows new and old, to illustrate the development of the club over50 years.The TV crew (all two of them) arrived late with a camcorder and clipboard as their only equipment.Grandiose ideas of indoor and outdoor shooting were quickly scrapped as we realised that all theywanted was 90 seconds! Some of us take that long to shoot a single arrow, so how were they going toshow anything meaningful to TV viewers?!All in all it went very well and we actually got about 110 seconds on screen. Peter is the new TV stargetting across in the short time, the recent successes of the club, both in competitions and in growingat a time when the national trend is for clubs to shrink. The camera was able to show shots of longbow,recurve and Brian Furneaux explaining some of the finer points of the high-tech compound bow, beforerushing back inside to complete a postal shoot. There were also convincing shots of archers of all agesfollowed by shots of a target full of arrows in exemplary groups – these were all genuine- none weredone by hand! Jean Clarkson had a valiant attempt at doing the splits whilst simultaneouslydemonstrating the stance for clout shooting and the piece was completed with the reporter shooting agold at her second attempt...at about 7 yards!”Tassels and flannelsIn the 1960s there was much discussion in the committee of etiquette, dress andclubmanship and it was thought that these matters should be drilled into new members. Ata general meeting in July 1960 it was felt that caps should be worn for safety reasons andthat the GNAS dress code should be followed with the exception that gentlemen’s greyflannels would be acceptable. Members were required to wear tassels at all times and theclub ordered 36 blazer badges. Ladies had to wait until 1963 before they were allowed towear bottle green slacks “in order to keep warmer when shooting”.BoA caught with their pants downAt the beginning of the 1960s, Rippon Archers were revived and celebrated the event withan open tournament in which competitors were invited to attend in medieval clothing. Anumber of Adel members hired apparel from a theatrical costumier. As these werecumbersome to drive in safely they decided to meet and change clothing in a lay-by justsouth of Rippon. Passing motorists thinking there must be a film being shot slowed down,eventually blocking the entire road for a short time, much to the embarrassment of thearchers.10

Web presenceThe Committee was not particularly interested in the club having a web presence, butallowed David O’Carroll to put up an unofficial website for the club using free space onAmerica on Line.This site was soon officially adopted by the club and under the auspices of the newSecretary, Nick Beeson was transformed onto a new site in 2000 atwww.archeryadel.ndo.co.uk . In 2003 it was felt that the site had fallen into disrepair and thepresent site was created with its own domain name at www.bowmenofadel.org.uk. The sitenow has the official calendar which can be updated quickly and is accessible to all memberswith the internet at home or work. It also contains current documents of the club –members guide, constitution and policies- and results of competitions. The web has alsoenabled club members to see the latest news, often within days of events and to sharephotographs and exchange views.Perennial problemsAnyone reading the Big Red Book will be struck by the unchanging problems that have facedthe committee. Whilst the source of the problems differ over time each committee has hadto face similar problems and find solutions for their time. Chief amongst these are thepressure on the grounds and facilities. As indoor shooting became increasingly popular thecommittee had to find indoor venues for shooting the postal leagues. In 1986 8 the minutesshow: “Drama were unable to agree our request for use of the hall on 8 th March 1987 forthe postal shoot, more enquiries are to be made before an alternative date or venue can beagreed. Shooting at Leeds Dance Centre is now in operation on Tuesday and Thursdayevenings and Saturday afternoons.” The cost was £2 shared between those attending.8 Minutes, 28 th October 1986.11

50th AnniversaryThe Bowmen held its fiftieth anniversary dinner on 28 th February1999 on the basis that theyear started in October 1998. Twenty members of the club attended the dinner and prizegiving at the Cloisters Restaurant, in Swillington. Longstanding members Bert and DorothyLloyd were honoured with engraved brandy goblets, along with Cedric Abbott who wasgiven a memento to recognise the many years of service to the club.During the jubilee year the club struck a celebration medal and badge. Every contestant atthe End of Season Open Tournament was given a Jubilee Medallion and juniors received apen as well.Set of 1948-1998 medals & badge12

The WharfedaleThe club has had a strong longbow contingent and is honoured to host this traditionalarchery competition.The Bowmen of Wharfedale was a small archery club which ran a longbow and bare bowcompetition on their ground at Ilkley Lawn Tennis club on the banks of the River Wharfe. In1984, when the club was closed, David Aikin, then President of the Bowmen of Adel, wasasked to carry on the competition until such time as the club was reconstituted. Twenty-sixyears later David is still running the competition at Adel but alas without the help of hismother and sister who had helped and supported him whilst they could.David had never intended to take up archery but had visited the AWMA grounds to seeabout joining the cricket club. However, he was somewhat taken by the sight of archersshooting over the cricket field and joined up there and then.The competition has become known as The Wharfedale and is a two-way Western shot toBLBS rules with the addition that no sights or sight marks are allowed. Although thecompetition was originally for wooden bows there have not been any bare bow archers for anumber of years and the bare bow trophy is now awarded to the best junior archercompleting the round.WHARFEDALE TROPHIESSpecial PrizeBrewery TrophyPewter plateHorn trophyKlondike trophyTankard Best GoldMedal Best GoldCup on standWooden spoonDIY Longbow kitBest arrow at first end 60 yardsHighest score GentlemanHighest score LadyHighest score JuniorMost hitsGent at 60 yardsLadies at 60 yardsBest arrow at first end 50 yardsWorst whiteMost greens (Yew Tree in Pot)As is usual for longbow competitions in Yorkshire the emphasis is on good company, goodhumour and good sustenance. The traditional fee of one guinea (21 shillings or £1.05p)covered entry but pie and peas, and fruit pie during the lunch break is now £1.25 extra.13

The 2003 competition was something special as it was the 21 stcompetition that David had organized. At the meeting asubscription of all present was held to award him with amemento for all his hard work. This was presented by PhylAbbott of the Bowmen of Adel. Freddie Fairfield, Secretary ofthe British Long-Bow Society, gave the address. He explainedthat shooting in the longbow had been in decline during thelast half of the twentieth century but that because of the efforts of archers like David,longbow archery in Yorkshire had seen a resurgence. He thanked David in front of thoseassembled for keeping the Wharfedale alive and well; all those present showed theiragreement in the usual way….…..with a sherry toast and the ceremonial cutting of the cakeby the Lady Paramount. Archers however had to wait until the first break in shooting totaste the cake which bore pictures of Wharfedale and had been baked by Jean Clarkson(then President of BoA).14

Sixty years celebratedSecretary honouredIn 2000 Nick Beeson was honoured as the recipient of the Yorkshire Sword. The sword ispresented by the Yorkshire Archery Association to the person who has done most topromote the sport in the previous year. The award was for his work in encouragingyoungsters to enter the sport, developing the county website and organisation of the countyclout championships. And this on top of being Secretary of BoA and finding time to shoot!Search for a new groundBy the beginning of 2000 some of the frustrations of the previous 52 years were coming to ahead and with the Millennium encouraging the club to think ahead the committee drew up adevelopment plan. It recognised that the club having peaked at 70 members was in dangerof shrinking if it could not provide its members with the facilities such numbers needed. Asearch was therefore conducted for new grounds within 5 miles of the present site. Welooked at Yarnborough rugby club, the Roundhegians ground in Moortown and the OldLeodesians in Alwoodley. All were real possibilities but all had problems. At Alwoodley thereappeared to be enough space to build a new indoor facility but when the possibility was putto the AGM it was clear that there was no stomach for the hard work a self-build wouldentail. In the end, it was concluded that Adel was a very well kept ground and in a beautifullocation which surpassed many other local archery clubs. It was therefore well worth theinvestment to improve our lot.The safety fenceIn 2005 it was resolved to find a solution to the longstanding problem of people walkingbehind the targets during shooting. The club also had concerns for those riding horses in theVicar’s field. A change in the management of AWMA also gave the club hope that thingscould be improved and ultimately led to cross-section co-operation to build the safety fencealongside the path to the all-weather pitch which meant that shooting was not constantlyinterrupted by pedestrians walking behind the targets rather than waiting for the fieldcaptain to signal it was safe. Much of the construction work was undertaken by CedricAbbott and David Aikin with occasional help from other members. The expense was metmostly by BoA with generous contributions by the football and hockey sections. The finalcost of the construction was £1,373.16p.The St.George Longbow Tournament & the Royal Armouries’ ArrowThe club is indebted to Lou Radcliffe for his inspirationalideas in first proposing a national longbow competition tocelebrate St.George’s Day and then securing a fine trophyfrom the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The Bowmen of Adelinvited other clubs and individuals to donate trophies orsubscribe as individual Foundation members. This enabledthe Custodians of the arrow to strike a special medal for the15

competition based on the design of the medal of the Leeds Archers Society.In April 2005 over 120 longbow archers from all over the UK joined the shooting at Morley inone of the largest longbow competitions of 2005. It was blessed with fine weather and ourhard working field party raked in the pounds at a have-a-go. The tournament was in twoparts- a two-way Western followed by a shoot-out between the three highest ladies,gentlemen and juniors (nine archers in all) for the Royal Armouries Arrow. The decision tomake the gentlemen shoot the same distance as the lady and junior archers but at thesmaller 80cm target face proved controversial especially when a lady won the contest. Insubsequent years the top archers, ladies, gentlemen and juniors have shot together threearrows each at a wand, a three dimensional pig and at an effigy of a man at arms behind anarrow slit in the castle wall. Despite this change in format the arrow continued to be won bya lady archer until 2008.Life membersIn 2005 it was decided to give recognition to two longstanding members of the club whohad made a contribution to the club over many years. The constitution allowed the club toaward up to two life memberships at any time but had never done so. The President readout the following citation at the AGM.“These two members have been exemplary members of the Bowmen of Adel. They have brought encouragementto new members through participation in have-a-go events and training of new archers. They have givenlongstanding service as office holders and committee members of the club.“They have both worked tirelessly to ensure that the club facilities are maintained to a high standard whether it berepairing equipment or marking out the field. Most recently they have undertaken the lion’s share of theconstruction of the safety fence.“They have promoted archery in Yorkshire taking part in target, field and clout competitions, assisting with theAscham Tournament and now the St.George Longbow Tournament from their inception.“Cedric has also organised the photographic recording of the Society of Archers records of the Scorton Arrowcompetitions. These show that David Aikin won the Antient Scorton Silver Arrow in July 1969 and May 1975.David has also been responsible for keeping the art of shooting in the longbow alive in Yorkshire havingorganised the Wharfedale Longbow Tournament for the past 23 years.“It is therefore beholden on the members of the Bowmen of Adel to record their appreciation of their commitmentto the sport we share by offering life membership of the Bowmen of Adel to them both.”60th AnniversaryThe Bowmen held its sixtieth anniversary dinner on 18 th October 2008. Thirty members ofthe club attended the dinner, caberet and prize giving which was held in the AWMA hall. ThePresident addressed the gathering to say that he thought that the club was at its vibrantbest that he could remember. He was therefore very pleased to present two new trophies tothe 2008 crop of beginners who had shot for the trophies the previous weekend. During thejubilee year the club struck a celebration medal and brooch. All members who had shot around during the year were given a celebratory lapel brooch and leather key fob. Each16

contestant at the St.George Longbow Tournament and the End of Season Open Tournamentwas given a Jubilee Medallion on a golden braid or a key fob. Trophy winners at TheWharfedale were given a silver anniversary medal.Back to flannelsIn the excitement of the GNAS decision to allow club colours BoA members could not agreewhat these should be. It was therefore decided by the committee that BoA should registerblue, red and yellow tops as the club colours and orders were put in for polo shirts andsweatshirts in these colours. The matter was reviewed for the anniversary year andmembers appeared at the Selby Open in 2008 in red tops with the anniversary badge andblack trousers. At the 2008 AGM it was decided that grey trousers should be worn, harkingback to the grey flannels and red tassels of the 1950s and 60s.Afterword -the futureIt is I find unwise to try to predict the future in detail but I see a great future for the club. Itis actively recruiting each year and putting resources into introducing people to archery andcoaching them once in the club. In our Jubilee Year I challenged club members to win sixtymedals and I was delighted when this was achieved. This is a recipe for a golden future inthe next decade and beyond.17

Annex APast Presidents, Chairmen and SecretariesPresident Chairman Secretary1948-1956 not recorded 1948-1956 not recordedThe position of President was created inOctober 1956. It was proposed thatPercy Grigsby be the first President buthe died on 17 January 1957 neverhaving taken up office. It was not filleduntil 19601960 Sam Henderson1963 Roger Crees1970 Fred Wells1972 Betty Wells1979 David Aikin1985 Cedric Abbott1988 John Ellison1990 Phyl Abbott1992 Dorothy Lloyd1996 Jean Clarkson2003 David O’Carroll2008 Bob Key1956 Sam Henderson1957 Margorie Fox1958 Roger Crees1959 Denis Mason1962 Jim Hopkins1965 Fred Wells1966 Betty Logan1969 Terry Corcoran1970 Betty Wells1972 Len Peel1973 David Aikin1977 Cedric Abbott1982 John Ellison1986 Paul Beck1989 Graham Potter1991 Cedric Abbott1999 David O’Carroll2002 Malcolm Myhill2004 Andy Arnold2006 Alastair Cameron1956 Percy Grigsby1957 Roger Crees1958 Joan Merry1959 Maurice Fraenkel1962 Margorie Fox1963 Dick Howland1964 Geoff Drake1969 Isabel Quinney1971 Brian Wadman1972 Len Peel1973 Sylvia Akerman1974 Cedric Abbott1977 David Aikin1978 A J Elliott1979 Janice Rowland1982 Maureen Potter1985 Caroline Clift1991 Bob Moore1999 Althea Devine2000 Nick Beeson18

Annex BTrophies and insignia________________________________________________________________The sealThe seal is a recent acquisition purchased as part of the preparations for the introduction of the St.George, longbowtournament in 2003. The Custodians of the Royal Armouries Arrow decided to issue certificates to all those who attended thefirst tournament and these certificates were signed by the Mayor of Morley but bore the embossed seal of the Bowmen of Adel.There are no club rules on the use of the seal nor its safe keeping.The President’s insigniaThe insignia is to be worn by the President at all official occasions, such as the annual general meeting. It is a brass disc of10cm diameter. At the centre is a Grand National Meeting spider awarded at the Leamington meeting in 1853. It issurmounted by the badge of the Bowmen of Adel, a target face on a green background with six arrows in two groups of threecrossing behind with the words Bowmen of Adel in gothic script. Below the spider is inscribed, again in Gothic script the wordsPresident – Bowmen of Adel. It is hung from a green ribbon with clasps bearing the names of the past Presidents. Originally ithad been intended that the spider be mounted on Yew and hung by a red ribbon. It was presented to David Aikin to wear atThe Nock in May 1983.This spider was first used at Adel as a challenge trophy until its value was realised and a decision taken to incorporate it in thepresidential insignia. There is a note in the Big Red Book about its origins:This brooch is one of those badges, commonly referred to as ‘spiders’, which are presented at Grand NationalArchery Meetings as secondary awards to several of the prize and trophy winners. It dates from the meeting onMessrs Pair and Wisden’s cricket ground at Royal Leamington Spa on 6th and 7th July 1853, the first meeting atwhich ‘spiders’ were awarded.The basis for the award of spiders’ is believed to have varied over the years, and no record has been found of whoobtained them in 1853. Since the challenge brooch is believed to have been found by Major Roger Crees in anantique shop in York it is probable that the original recipient was a Yorkshire Archer. Four such archers are includedin the 1853 prize list, all gentlemen. They are – Fourth best score- John Wilson (York Archers Society), tenth bestscore William Wallace Hargrove (YAS), Best gold at 80 yards – James Fox (Leeds Archers Society) and “Extra prizefor best gold” – R C Bell (LAS). There is a wealth of personal, professional and archery information on Wilson,Hargrove and Fox, but the none of it refers to the award of ‘spiders’. The location of the find and seniority of theaward suggests that John Wilson was the most likely first winner of the challenge brooch.G.D.GTrophies with a historyThe club has acquired many trophies over the years for its own championships and tournaments as well as its opencompetitions. Many bear the name of the donor and in this way they bear witness to the past members of the club. The opentrophies are mostly new especially the “cog” trophies for compound and junior longbow trophies. Cedric Abbott made the threearrow family trophy and David Aikin made the split Yew longbow team trophy (which can be seen in the following picture).19

But little is known about the history of the trophies themselves. Except for the following club competition trophies:Junior TrophyThe committee took much trouble searching for a suitable trophy and this was discussed at several meetings. Finallyin July 1970 it was decided that Mr Hewitt, an engraver, should make one to the club’s specification with a reversibleplate with a boy archer on one side and a girl archer on the other.Stuart A Hirst TrophyThis old trophy was donated to the club in 1949.Following the award of the trophy to his son in 1979, Dr Dentonlooked into the origins of this trophy which turned out to be made of Sterling Silver and assayed in 1824. Themanufacturer’s stamp shows that it was made by Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard, a silver plate and cupmanufacturing partnership at Amen Corner, near St.Paul’s, London. Rebecca Emes was one of England's mostfamous women silversmiths. She was the widow of the important silversmith John Emes and went into partnershipwith Edward Barnard not long after John's death in 1807. Their ledgers show that they supplied plate and race cupsto Cattle & Barber of York, so it may be that this trophy was used for another sport in Yorkshire, but there is noevidence for what this might have been on the trophy itself.The NockThe first Nock (now the Silver Nock) was made by Stuart Crabb a club member who was dentist. He subsequentlypresented gold and bronze nocks in perspex mounted on wooden blocks. The first recipient of the Nock was AnnGaunt in 1980.20