POLISH-NOBILITY-L Archives

From: "Eastwood Group" <>
Subject: [POLISH-NOBILITY] Medieval Polish Forests & Foresters
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 20:27:12 -0400

Dzien Dobry!

Are any of you ladies or gentlemen a Polish historian? I have
an unusual question for somebody who knows Polish history,
and particularly about life at the end of the Middle Ages (i.e.
AD 1300 to about AD 1500).
In western Europe (along the Rhine River, or in France, or
even in England, for example) woodsmen who went out to cut
down tree branches in the forest carried a 'bill' or 'billhook' for
that purpose. Essentially, these bills were hook-shaped blades
mounted on long poles, enabling a man to reach up into a tree
and cut off (or pull down) a collection of branches for his fire,
or for his lord's fire.
My question is this -- Did Polish woodsmen or farmers use
some form of tool like a western billhook? I know that Polish
scythes (for cutting grain) were on a long shaft, rather than on
a short handle (a 'snath') like western scythes....so they might
have been used as woodsmen's bills, too. They made really
terrifying weapons, as well, when they were used by Polish
farmers fighting against the Teutonic Knights.
If you don't have an answer to this question, do you know
of anyone who might? I'm the great-grandson of a nobleman
whose line traces back to the Mierzejewo Forest (just south
of Ostroleka), but sadly, the family no longer speaks Polish,
so I need to hear from someone who speaks English.
I would definitely like to see what a Polish billhook looked
like, and learn what it was customarily called!
Dziekuje! Thank you for considering this inquiry, and I'll
look forward to hearing from someone with an answer!
With my best regards,
Prof. David O'Dell
Communications Faculty
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, New York, USA

This thread:

• [POLISH-NOBILITY] Medieval Polish Forests & Foresters by "Eastwood Group" <>