The Longbow “was first recorded as being used by the Welsh in AD 633... more than five centuries before any record of its military use in England... The average length of arrowshafts recovered from the 1545 sinking of the Mary Rose is 75cm.”

Longbow, Wikipedia

A skilled longbowman could shoot about 12 shots per minute. This rate of fire was far superior to competing weapons like the crossbow or early gunpowder weapons. The nearest competitor to the longbow was the much more expensive crossbow, used often by urban militias and mercenary forces. The crossbow had greater penetrating power, and did not require the extended years of training. However, it lacked the rate of fire of the longbow.

Medieval Warfare, Wikipedia