Wapenshaw

A wapenshaw (from the Old English for "weapon show") was originally a gathering and review of troops formerly held in every district in Scotland. The object was to satisfy the military chiefs that the arms of their retainers were in good condition and that the men were properly trained in their use. The term is still occasionally used in the United Kingdom for rifle or other gun shows, particularly those involving historic weapons.

Wapenshaw is also widely used in the Woodcraft Folk to describe a daily ceremony when camping, which involves each camper removing all belongings from their tent and laying them out on a groundsheet in a fixed order. This serves two purposes: to air out the tent, and to ensure that no items have been lost.

References

• Wapenshaw as a Woodcraft ceremony. Retrieved June 1, 2005.
• National Rifle Association of Great Britain list of events including a wapenshaw by the Historic Breechloading Smallarms Association. Retrieved June 1, 2005.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.