Anglo-Scots Billmen

myminifactory

Anglo-Scots Billmen for 15 and 16th Century Armies. Billmen were a mainstay of Late Medieval armies in western Europe, and particularly the British Isles. This was largely due to the relative affordability and ease of equipping and training a group of men in their use. Indeed, the bill was originally an agricultural tool that many men would likely own and be familiar with. Agricultural bills consisted of a rounded blade mounted to a pole, used to cut tree limbs. Military bills accentuated the rounded blade into a hook, excellent for dragging a man off a horse, and added a stabbing blade which gave it the properties of a spear as well. Later versions added a spike horizontal to the pole which could be used to puncture armor with a downward swing. Particularly wealthy lords might keep on some of the more skilled billmen as retainers, but the majority were levies, called up in time of war to serve for a specific campaign. This was a common way for a lord to fulfill their feudal requirements after mustering as many archers as they could. Billmen featured prominently in the Wars of the Roses, the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 15th-16th Centuries, as well as many other smaller conflicts in the period. Our Billmen, sculpted by the incomparable Erramir Orlan of Peculiar Companions, are appropriate for use in armies depicting the final battles of the Hundred Years War, up through the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 and the twilight years of the Border Reivers. The models come in two poses with 8 total variants, both supported and unsupported. Printing at 100% resolution will yield a 28mm miniature. Prints at 105% are slightly more in scale with Perry Miniatures and 110% prints will be in a compatible scale with Warhammer Fantasy miniatures.