Bill (weapon)

The bill (also bill hook or bill-guisarme) was, in the 15th and 16th Centuries, the main close combat weapon of English infantry. Descended from agricultural tools and the pollaxe, the bill was a chopping blade with several spiking projections mounted on a staff of six or seven feet. The blade almost universally had one pronounced spike straight off the top like a spear head, in addition to a hook mounted on the 'reverse' side of the blade. George Silver, a great fan of the bill, recommended that the overall length should be from the ground to two fist grips beyond one's upper reach, making it 7 feet long or so.

During the 16th Century when most European states were adopting the pike and arquebus, the English preferred to stick with the tried and tested combination of bill and longbow that had been so successful during the Hundred Years War, the Wars of the Roses and in constant conflicts with the Scots. Even in the Elizabethan period bills were still common with levies sent to fight the Scots.

See also

• Halberd