A wapenshaw or wapinshaw (from the Old English for "weapon show") was originally a gathering and review of troops formerly held in every district in Scotland. [1] [2] The object was to satisfy the military chiefs that the arms of their retainers were in good condition [1] and that the men were properly trained in their use.
The term is still in use, to describe some competitions by bowling clubs [3] [4] in Scotland.
Wapenshaw is also occasionally used, in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom for rifle or other gun shows, particularly those involving historic weapons. [5] [6]
Wapenshaw is also widely used by 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.