For The disused Great Western Railway station, see List of closed railway stations in Britain: W-Z.
A Welsh hook is a type of polearm, a halberd-like weapon with a hook on the back, and gained its name due to its prevalence among the Welsh soldiers during the medieval wars against the English.[1] It appears to have been derived from an agricultural implement known as a forest-bill (or a long hedging-bill) with the addition of a hook on the back and a spike on the front.[2]
In literature[]
- "That no man presume to wear any weapons, especially Welsh-hooks and forest-bills", ("The History of Sir John Oldcastle", Folio 3, 1664, 60).[3]
- Falstaff "My own knee? ... and swore the devil his true liegeman upon the cross of a Welsh hook,—What, a plague, call you him?", (Shakespeare Henry IV Part 1, Act II, Scene IV).[3] The hook had no hilt, so it could not be sworn on despite forming a cross, making it a potential icon for devil worship.
Notes[]
- ↑ Lublin 2013, p. 115.
- ↑ Shakespeare & Rowe 1821, pp. 286–287.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shakespeare & Rowe 1821, p. 286.
References[]
- Lublin, Dr Robert I (2013). "Costuming the Shakespearean Stage: Visual Codes of Representation in Early Modern Theatre and Culture". Ashgate Publishing. p. 115. ISBN 9781409479048.
- Shakespeare, William; Rowe, Nicholas (1821). "The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare: Richard II. Henry IV, pt. I". F. C. and J. Rivington. pp. 286–287.
The original article can be found at Welsh hook and the edit history here.