First, a funny story: 

This project was inspired by a visit to the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2007, during which I studied and photographed the extant crossbow quiver which they had on display.  Over the following few years I gathered what information I could on the subject, and started to plan construction.

It was in 2010, nearing the culmination of that planning phase, that Matthäus Plattnersohn showed up at the Great Northeastern War with his own recreation of a Medieval quiver for crossbow bolts.  The excellent article which he published on its construction cited the quiver at Higgins as his main inspiration, and the considerable skill, artistry, and attention to authentic detail which he applied in constructing his quiver had clearly launched the bar to a far greater height, quite frankly, than I had at that time intended to reach.  Inspired by the dread of unfavorable comparison I shamelessly thanked providence that I hadn’t built mine first, and unceremoniously shoved the project back down the list.  Far down the list.    

Five years now have passed since that Summer, and I pray that it was safe to have once again approached the workbench with this long-deferred project.  I had never fully abandoned it, of course, and had continued over the years, from time to time, to research and to plan.  I discovered new details of construction from various sources, studied and photographed a second extant quiver at the Swiss National Museum in Zürich, and perhaps most of all had the benefit of Matthäus’ article.

My quiver for crossbow bolts is an homage to period examples, yet it looks much as does Matthäus’; having been inspired mainly by the same extant piece, and what with he and I in apparent agreement on much of its detail.  I am only too happy to report that it is better in construction and authenticity than it had originally started out to be; than it would have been save for the timely inspiration provided by Matthäus’ outstanding example. 

 Inspiration:

The crossbow bolt quivers displayed at the Higgins Armory Museum (Fig 1) and at the Swiss National Museum (Fig 2) are typical of the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries.  Although nearly all of the fur is now gone from their badger skin coverings, many period illustrations (Fig 3–5 for example) suggest how they once appeared.  

Figure 1  Higgins Armory Museum

Figure 2  Swiss National Museum

 

		Figures 4 & 5  Illustrations from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493
Figure 3  Detail of The Martyrdom of St Sebastian, 1475

Construction details:

Those same Medieval illustrations also suggest that the type of quiver which I chose to recreate was once commonplace.  However, unlike the crossbows of the time which reflected the latest technology, took great skill to make, and were often richly embellished, quivers were generally given far less regard.  Relatively few were preserved therefore, and few extant pieces remain.   

Perhaps reflecting the scarcity of these quivers in modern times, I was unable to find where any one of them had ever been dismantled for study.  Whether for want of opportunity or interest, even Sir Ralph William Frankland-Payne-Gallwey, the notorious Victorian author who blithely destroyed countless Medieval crossbows in his Pursuit of Knowledge, apparently never chopped up one of these quivers.  Or at least, he never bothered to take notes while doing so.  By whatever means it was that they got their information, various sources describe a wooden interior either carved, or constructed of thin strips.  This was commonly covered in badger fur, with a leather surround to the mouth.  Leather also covers the back and bottom.  The inside of the mouth of the Higgins quiver appears to be lined with parchment.  I was unable to confirm what treatment may have been common for the interior of these quivers, which could likely have been painted, covered in cloth, parchment, or paper, or left bare. 

I chose poplar wood for the front of the quiver for ease of carving, with flat back and bottom of sturdy ash wood.  A Winter badger fur was used to cover the front, with the top rolled down and stitched much as in Matthäus Plattnersohn’s recreation.  Matthäus had surmised that the top lip of the Higgins quiver was formed in the carving of the interior wood structure, while the second lip was the rolled top of the badger fur.  I had come to this same hypothesis, but then had the benefit of seeing Matthäus’ execution of this plausible form before incorporating it into my own quiver.  Buckskin was used to surround the mouth because it has the flexibility to fit the contours of the wood structure and the roll of badger skin in the manner shown on the Higgins quiver.  I then varnished the buckskin to protect it from weather.  The mouth is lined with goat-skin parchment, while the back and bottom are covered in cow leather.

Although eager to replace the undocumentable quivers which I had been using during archery practices and at events, I knew that the bolt quiver of a Medieval soldier would protect the bolts a little too well, and would not be optimum for the fast work required during Royal Rounds and other timed shoots.  A successful quiver must allow the archer to quickly find and grasp each successive bolt without taking eyes away from the target, and in this respect the early tests with the bare wood quiver were disappointing.  The mouth of the quiver was too narrow to find reliably without looking, and it shrouded the bolts too well for a quick grasp.  I therefore carved the mouth larger in stages until both problems were properly addressed, before applying any of the fur and leather coverings.  The result is a wide mouth near the extreme of the range suggested by period illustrations and extant examples. I quickly found that I could reliably place 7 shots on target during a 30-second speed round when using this new quiver, against the 8 which I commonly place when using quivers which are even more open.  As some improvement may come with familiarity, this is a success barely in need of qualifying.

Illustrations suggest that this form of quiver was worn vertically, with either a doubled belt, or a simple belt and harness.  The Higgins quiver still carries a remnant of its belt, woven through slots in its back and side.  I replicated these slots in the new quiver, and added the requisite belt. 

Figure 6  Bavarian Army Museum

One last thing:    A quiver on display at the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt (Fig 6) still has a cap of leather for covering its mouth.  Although perhaps essential for protecting bolts from weather, and keeping quivers from filling with rain or snow, few such coverings remain.  The cap seen here may be attached to the quiver by a leather hinge, and is held closed by its tight fit around the lip of the quiver.  This may then explain the purpose of the lip, commonly seen on quivers of this type, while also suggesting that no such quiver was ever quite complete without its cap.  Already my next project beckons.

Bibliography:

A Deadly Art: European Crossbows, 1250–1850, Dirk H. Breiding (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014)

European Crossbows: A Survey by Josef Alm, Josef Alm (Royal Armouries, 1994)

Crossbows in the Royal Netherlands Army Museum, Jens Sensfelder (Royal Netherlands Army Museum 2007)

Webliography:

http://mailmaker.tripod.com/leather/quiver/ , Matthäus Plattnersohn’s article on building his quiver for crossbow bolts 

http://haandkraft.blogspot.com/2012/02/crossbow-quiver-pt1.html , A blog article on the construction of a crossbow quiver