TEXT: © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  ROBIN HOOD
  BY NEIL SMITH
  ILLUSTRATED BY PETER DENNIS
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Contents
  Introduction 
  4
  The Legend of Robin Hood 
  6
  Robin Hood and the Knight  •  Robin Hood and  
  the Potter  •  The Knight Pays His Debt  •  Robin Hood  
  and the High Cellarer  •  Little John and the Sheriff  •   
  Robin Hood and the Archery Contest  •  The Rescue of  
  Sir Richard of the Lea  •  Robin Hood and the King  •   
  Robin Hood at the King’s Court  •  Robin Hood and  
  Guy of Gisborne  •  Robin Hood and the Monk
  The Myth of Robin Hood 
  37
  Robin Hood and Little John  •  The Jolly Pinder of  
  Wakefield  •  Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar  •   
  Robin Hood and the Bishop  •  Robin Hood and  
  Allan-a-Dale  •  Robin Hood’s Golden Prize  •  Robin  
  Hood and Queen Catherine  •  The Death of Robin Hood
  Robin Hood’s World 
  59
  Who was Robin Hood?  •  When was Robin Hood?  •   
  Where was Robin Hood?  •  The Merry Men  •   
  Robin Hood’s Enemies
  The Modern Myth 
  76
  Bibliography 
  80
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  4
  Introduction
  Of all the myriad characters inhabiting England’s vibrant past, two men stand 
  out as representing something essential in the English identity. The first is 
  King Arthur, who pulled the nation together in a common defence against 
  invaders; the second is Robin Hood, who defied the odds to stand up to 
  hypocrisy and injustice. Neither man may actually have existed, but they live 
  on in the collective imagination, through the legends and myths told about 
  them. This book focuses on Robin Hood, who remains as elusive today as he 
  apparently did to the Sheriff of Nottingham during England’s Middle Ages.
  There are few in the English-speaking world that have never heard of Robin 
  Hood. His name is synonymous with an outlaw whose motive is to do good 
  deeds using unlawful methods. He is a trickster, fighter, lover, adventurer; 
  he looks like Errol Flynn, or Russell Crowe, or Kevin Costner, or any of his 
  television incarnations; he wears Lincoln green, carries a longbow, and knows 
  how to use it. He lives deep in Sherwood Forest, leads a band of colourful 
  outlaws known as the Merry Men, and his passion is reserved for the always-
  beautiful Maid Marian. Robin Hood takes from the rich and gives to the 
  poor, and he fights against the corruption of the local law and the established 
  Church. He is a placeholder for better times when Royal authority is more 
  judiciously applied. All of the above is a combination of myth, fabrication, 
  and pure fiction – almost all of it anyway.
  We know about a man called Robin Hood because people first told stories 
  or sung ballads about an outlaw now lost to the historical record and then 
  wrote them down. As time passed, later interpretations entered the tales as 
  contemporary motifs, and the exploits of other bandits were used to freshen 
  up the stories for new audiences. The legend of Robin Hood coalesced through 
  that process. The core of the legend is contained in a few collected ballads 
  under the title of A Gest of Robyn Hode, and dated to around 1450, before 
  the English Reformation. While it is a bit too convenient, it is reasonable to 
  argue that the stories originating after the Reformation of the 16th century 
  form the myth of Robin Hood. From after the mid-1500s, new characters are 
  introduced, including some merely for entertainment value, and new stories 
  emerge. The greatest change, though, is that of Robin Hood himself. His 
  status changes from yeoman to disaffected nobleman; he has a love-interest 
  where none existed before; and he becomes less brutal. This is also where the 
  notion of Robin taking from the rich to give to the poor enters the story, along 
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  5
  with the idea that Robin was fighting oppression while awaiting the arrival 
  of the true king. The myth reaches its apotheosis in the Technicolor delights 
  of The Adventures of Robin Hood, with Errol Flynn dressed in the Lincoln 
  green, but the seemingly timeless story of Robin Hood has endured for new 
  generations and audiences and will no doubt continue to do so.
  Robin Hood and the bishop. 
  (Bridgeman)
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  6
  The Legend of 
  Robin Hood
  We do not know the exact origins of the Robin Hood legend, but we do know 
  the means by which it was disseminated. The first stories were ballads passed 
  along by itinerant singers who visited fairs and public gatherings to entertain 
  the public. A canon of songs soon sprang up, with little embellishments no 
  doubt added here and there to suit individual styles and target audiences. 
  Robin’s popularity spread so far that by the 15th century monks were taking 
  note of the ballads and writing them down. Later in that century, around the 
  1490s, the ballads appeared in print for the first time. The bulk of the stories 
  that make up the legend were collected under the title A Gest of Robyn Hode,  
  a 456-line poem divided into eight ‘fyttes’. A couple of stories found in the 
  18th century Percy Folio manuscript, from which much of the Robin Hood 
  myth stems, may also be traced back to the legend and are included here.
  Robin Hood and the Knight
  Barnesdale Forest, teeming with game and deer, was Robin Hood’s sanctuary 
  as well as his home in those days, and free from interference from the law. 
  A page from The Jolly Pinder 
  of Wakefield, a ballad first 
  published in 1632, which 
  includes the account of 
  Robin Hood and Little John's 
  first meeting.
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  7
  The forest extended for many miles across south Yorkshire and down into 
  Nottinghamshire, where it joined with Sherwood Forest. An army of a 
  thousand men could hide in those woods with impunity, though Robin’s band 
  of Merry Men probably numbered closer to one hundred. One day, as Robin 
  was leaning against a tree deep in the forest, three of his men approached. His 
  trusted lieutenant, Little John, was there, along with William Scarlett, and the 
  diminutive Much the Miller’s Son. Robin decided that he wanted to entertain 
  a ‘guest’ for dinner; some high-ranking noble would do nicely, and ideally a 
  baron or a knight. He told his three companions what he wanted, but warned 
  that they should not pick on farmers or yeomen. Also, Robin added, those 
  knights or squires who were known to be good people should be left in peace. 
  Archbishops and priests, on the other hand, were fair game, and the Sheriff of 
  Nottingham was on the top of the list of potential victims.
  As the sun sank slowly towards the horizon, Robin instructed Little John 
  to take Scarlett and Much and to go to Sayles Farm, near the old Roman road 
  called Watling Street, where they were sure to find a suitable target.
  When Little John and his companions arrived at Sayles Farm, they  
  took up positions along the road, with their bows strung and ready for 
  action. They looked up and down the road, but no one appeared from either 
  direction for long hours. Then, suddenly, away from the road, they saw a 
  mounted figure making his way through the woods, along a concealed track. 
  The traveller was a knight, but not one that would fit the beautiful chivalric 
  images carefully drawn by monks in illuminated manuscripts. This dreary-
  looking knight sagged in his saddle, one foot in the stirrup while the other 
  swung loose. The rider’s hood drooped over his eyes, and he was as sorry a 
  sight as the bandits had ever seen. The knight’s pitiful condition, however, did 
  not stop them from stepping out of the trees into his path. With his arrow 
  nocked, John extended Robin’s invitation to dinner.
  ‘I had intended to eat in Doncaster or Blyth,’ the startled knight replied, 
  ‘but I bear no personal malice towards Robin Hood, so I will go with you.’  
  He bade Little John to lead the way.
  When the little group returned to Robin’s lodge, the knight introduced 
  himself, ‘Sir Richard of the Lea, at your service,’ while the outlaws prepared 
  a sumptuous dinner of bread, wine, deer, and wildfowl. The knight was 
  thoroughly impressed with both his reception and his meal, and promised 
  to return the honour if he ever came back this way. Robin appreciated the 
  appreciation, but remarked that it was unusual that he, a mere yeoman, 
  should be entertaining a man of such high status in this way. It was obvious 
  from Robin’s tone that Sir Richard was expected to pay at least his fair share 
  for the food. The knight, however, said apologetically that he had no money 
  to offer for such a feast, not any more than ten shillings. Robin turned to 
  Little John and asked him to check Sir Richard’s belongings, adding that he 
  would take anything and everything above that amount, though he would 
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  8
  lend the knight some money if he really needed more. The outlaws and their 
  guest didn’t have long to wait before Little John returned, confirming Sir 
  Richard’s poverty.
  Surprised, Robin was also curious about how his guest had been reduced 
  to his current situation. He asked if Sir Richard had been raised to his knightly 
  status from the yeoman class due to some battlefield distinction, or if he had 
  behaved immorally, and so been reduced in his station as a punishment. The 
  knight denied both, confirming that his nobility was hereditary, but he told 
  Robin that, over the last two years, he had been forced to raise 400 pounds to 
  save his son from a false charge of murder. He had been forced to borrow so 
  heavily from the Abbot of St Mary’s Abbey that if he could not repay the debt 
  he would be landless and forced to leave England.
  ‘Have you no friends to help you?’ Robin asked.
  Sir Richard replied, ‘Those I thought were my friends scattered when my 
  misfortune became clear.’
  In 1883, author and illustrator 
  Howard Pyle published The 
  Merry Adventures of Robin 
  Hood of Great Renown in 
  Nottinghamshire. This book 
  reworked the old ballads 
  and presented them in a 
  modern, cohesive form, while 
  emphasizing Robin’s status 
  as a hero who robbed from 
  the rich to give to the poor. 
  While the writing style is 
  now dated, the book remains 
  one of the most influential 
  works about the outlaw. 
  Many of the illustrations that 
  Pyle drew for the book are 
  reprinted in this one. Here, 
  Robin stops the sorrowful 
  knight. The overly ornate 
  decorations betray the highly 
  romantic Victorian style 
  adopted by Pyle in his book.
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  9
  Robin considered this and then had Little John bring him 400 pounds from 
  the outlaws’ treasury. Little John, for his part, pointed out how threadbare the 
  knight’s clothes were and how he clearly needed new livery to truly dress to 
  his status.
  Robin said, ‘You’ll make a fine tailor,’ to which Little John quickly 
  measured both the knight and some suitable cloth with his longbow, much 
  to the amusement of Will Scarlett. John was indeed a handy tailor, and 
  he soon produced brand new livery for the knight. To complete the man’s 
  transformation: Will Scarlett gave him a new pair of boots; Little John handed 
  over a pair of shiny spurs; and Robin led out a grey horse for the man to ride. 
  Sir Richard was grateful beyond words for his new wardrobe, but the generous 
  Robin was not finished.
  ‘No self-respecting knight could travel without a squire,’ he pointed out. 
  ‘I’m sure John would be happy to oblige.’
  Little John nodded his agreement. Then all that was left to do was conclude 
  their bargain, whereby the knight would pay off the Abbot at once, and then 
  repay his debt to Robin within 12 months.
  Dressed in his new finery and mounted astride his new horse, Sir Richard 
  left the outlaws with renewed confidence and hope. Little John gathered 
  what he needed for the journey and strode out alongside his temporary new 
  ‘master’. Robin and his Merry Men watched them go, satisfied that they had 
  made a new friend and ally.
  Robin Hood and the Potter
  When Spring turned to Summer in the forest, the woods burst into life with 
  birds singing happily in the trees, surrounded by fresh blossoms, while Robin 
  Hood and his Merry Men held their councils in the sunshine. Though such 
  mornings seemed idyllic, these men were still outlaws and stayed alert in 
  case the Sheriff’s men might creep up on them. Therefore, when one of the 
  Merry Men spotted a horse and cart approaching across open ground nearby, 
  he immediately brought the cart-driver to the attention of Robin. Robin 
  recognized the visitor as a potter who often travelled that way to avoid paying 
  the penny road-toll. Little John also recognized the potter.
  ‘He’s a stubborn one, that potter, but a good fighter,’ he told the Merry 
  Men. ‘I once fought the man in nearby Wentbridge, and I can still feel his 
  knuckles.’ Mischievously, Little John declared, ‘I’ll wager 40 shillings that no 
  man among us could force that potter to pay to pass this way.’ Robin Hood 
  could not resist the challenge.
  The Merry Men took cover in the trees and undergrowth and waited 
  until the potter came closer. Robin jumped out in front of the cart, grabbed 
  the reins of the potter’s horse, and told him to stop. The potter asked what 
  Robin wanted, to which Robin replied that the potter had ‘oft passed this way 
  through my forest, but had never paid a toll.’
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  10
  Indignantly, the potter asked for the outlaw’s name, but if he recognized the 
  words ‘Robin Hood’ he did not show it, and seemed unimpressed by the answer.
  He told Robin, ‘I will pay nothing to receive permission to go through an 
  illegal roadblock. Now let go of my horse, or it’ll be the worse for you.’ Robin 
  did not let go of the reins, so the potter dismounted, went back to his cart, 
  and pulled out a two-handed staff. He repeated his threat that Robin would 
  be in trouble now. Robin dropped the reins and drew his sword.
  The amused Merry Men gathered round as Robin picked up his small 
  buckler shield, and the two men squared off ready to fight.
  The potter struck first, knocking the buckler out of Robin Hood’s hand. 
  Robin ducked to retrieve the shield, but then the potter hit him across the 
  neck, and the outlaw fell to the ground. The shocked Merry Men rushed 
  in to assist their leader. The situation suddenly looked very bleak for the 
  potter, who found himself in the midst of a heavily armed crowd of outlaws.  
  He complained that they had been very rude to prevent a man from travelling.
  Even as he helped Robin to his feet, Little John’s interest lay in who had 
  won their wager. Reluctantly, Robin was forced to acknowledge that he had 
  Robin Hood greats the potter. 
  Artwork by Peter Dennis.
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  11
  lost, and so owed Little John the money. Robin also conceded the potter’s 
  point regarding his delay, and, rather than kill the man, offered his friendship.
  Robin then saw an opportunity for a bit of mischief. He asked if the potter 
  would be willing to exchange clothing so that Robin could go safely into 
  Nottingham on the pretence of selling the pots, while the potter waited in the 
  forest. Although suspicious, the potter thought it best to agree with the outlaw 
  chief, and the two switched outfits. Little John reminded Robin that the Sheriff of 
  Nottingham was neither a friend nor a stupid enemy, and that it was a dangerous 
  game he intended to play. Robin laughed and waved away his friend’s concerns. 
  He then took the potter’s horse and cart and set out alone for Nottingham.
  It was not long before Robin reached the gates of Nottingham. The guards 
  waved him through without comment, and he stabled his horse before setting up 
  his stall next to the Sheriff’s gate in the marketplace. Once he had laid out his wares, 
  Robin called out for buyers who might appreciate the cheapest prices for quality 
  pots. Customers soon descended on Robin, realizing that he was underselling the 
  pots, and hoping to take advantage of this obviously naïve potter. The buying 
  frenzy continued until Robin had only five pots left, and those he sent to the 
  Sheriff’s wife for free. She was delighted at the surprise gift and came out to thank 
  the potter in person. She also promised to buy more of his pots the next time he 
  was selling in town and then invited him to dine with the Sheriff and herself.
  Robin followed the Sheriff’s wife back to her house, but, on entering, he 
  immediately came face to face with the Sheriff standing in the hall. The Sheriff 
  didn’t show any sign of recognizing Robin, but instead seemed curious about 
  his wife’s unexpected guest. When she explained about the potter’s generosity 
  with his wares, the Sheriff said he was most welcome to dine with them and 
  led the way to the table.
  As they sat down to eat, two of the Sheriff’s men, standing near the table, 
  began discussing a wager of 40 shillings on who was the best archer between 
  them. Robin’s ears pricked up, but, as yet, he said nothing. When the meal 
  was over, the Sheriff and Robin made their way to the archery range to watch 
  the contest. Robin saw that the Sheriff’s men were obviously novices and shot 
  their arrows too quickly. He turned to the Sheriff and suggested that, if he had 
  a bow, then everyone would witness a better shot than they had seen so far.
  The Sheriff quickly ordered a bow brought for the potter. Robin strung 
  the bow, but, as he made ready to shoot, found himself unimpressed by the 
  quality of the weapon. Nevertheless, his first shot missed the target peg by 
  less than 12 inches. Robin’s second shot, however, shattered the peg, easily 
  winning the contest against the now-shamed Sheriff’s men.
  The Sheriff, unlike his men, was greatly amused, and asked this potter if 
  he would like to have his own new bow – one that, he claimed, had previously 
  belonged to Robin Hood. The Sheriff asked the potter if he knew of Robin 
  Hood, and naturally Robin denied knowing any such person. The Sheriff said 
  that Robin was a notorious local outlaw and promised that if the potter came 
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  12
  Weapons of an Outlaw
  If we believe the myth and legend of Robin Hood, it is 
  hard to imagine a more successful outlaw. As far as 
  we know, Robin Hood spent almost his entire 
  adult life living in a particular area in England, 
  where he led a band of fiercely loyal retainers, 
  and eluded every attempt to capture him. 
  Like any professional, however, 
  Robin Hood had to be highly 
  proficient with the tools 
  of his trade, which in 
  his case were the bow, 
  sword, and quarterstaff.
  It is difficult to picture 
  Robin Hood without his 
  longbow. Indeed, he was  
  the consummate archer, whose 
  incredible accuracy would make 
  a legendary figure even without all of 
  his other attributes. He must also have 
  possessed great strength because 
  the bow was not a simple weapon 
  to use, despite its appearance.
  Robin’s bow would have 
  stood at least as tall as himself 
  at around six and a half 
  feet in length. It would 
  have been a self-bow, 
  meaning it was made 
  from one piece of wood, 
  probably fashioned from a 
  Yew or Ash tree. An English 
  yeoman 
  would 
  typically 
  lean into his bow, pushing 
  forward with his left arm while 
  holding the hemp or flax string taught 
  with the fingers of his right hand. That 
  would require anywhere between 50–60 pounds-force for 
  hunting, or 100–180 pounds-force, or 440–800 Newtons, 
  to draw the bow into its full kite-shape when ready to shoot.  
  The length of the draw would equal the length of the arrow, 
  around three feet. Then, Robin would hold his position 
  in complete stillness while he sighted his target 
  down the shaft of the arrow. A typical trained 
  archer might expect to easily hit his target at 150 
  yards, but one of Robin’s ability would certainly 
  have fancied his chances at ranges of up to 
  350 yards. Any living 
  target in between 
  those distances could 
  not expect to survive 
  the encounter even if 
  human and wearing 
  armour. Moreover, in 
  the unlikely event that 
  Robin missed his target, 
  the average rate of shooting 
  for longbowmen was an 
  impressive six shots per minute, 
  and there is no record of Robin 
  Hood missing twice.
  The longbow was Robin’s main 
  weapon, but it was only useful at a 
  distance. When it came to close combat, 
  Robin would have drawn his sword. 
  Given that he carried a bow, it is unlikely 
  that Robin carried anything larger than 
  the one-handed sword that was common 
  for fighting men in the Medieval period. 
  This was a straight, double-edged steel 
  weapon, measuring around three 
  feet in length, with a crossbar 
  separating the blade from the 
  grip, or hilt, and a metal ball, 
  the pommel, on the end of 
  the handle to add weight to the 
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  An English longbowman from the first half of the 14th 
  century. It is soldiers like these that have often served 
  as the basis for depictions of Robin Hood. (Arwtork by 
  Gerry Embleton from Osprey Publishing’s WAR 11: English 
  Longbowman 1330-1515)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  13
  with the Sheriff’s men on a foray into the woods the next day, he would be 
  guaranteed to meet the outlaw.
  Robin prepared the potter’s horse and cart for the ride into the forest early 
  the next morning. He said goodbye to the Sheriff’s wife and gave her a gold 
  ring in appreciation of her hospitality. She thanked Robin and watched as her 
  husband and his men made their way out of the town and into the woods.
  Once the town was out of sight and the Sheriff’s party rode amongst the 
  trees, approaching the area where Robin had left his Merry Men the previous 
  day, Robin took out a horn and blew it loudly. In a matter of moments, 
  several score of Merry Men, including Little John, swarmed out from the 
  undergrowth in which they had been hiding and surrounded the Sheriff’s 
  party, holding them at sword- and arrow-point.
  Robin jumped down from the cart as Little John asked him how he had 
  got on while standing in for the potter. Robin pointed to the stunned Sheriff 
  and said that he had brought him back as a reward for all his hard work. Little 
  John was greatly amused and exclaimed that the Sheriff would probably give 
  100 pounds never to have seen Robin Hood. That sounded fair to Robin, 
  who turned to the dismayed Sheriff and told him that he would be allowed 
  back of the sword. The counterweight at the rear gave the 
  sword a balance point close to the hilt, and made it easier to 
  work with in combat. There was little need for finesse with 
  this sword as there would be little time in the heat of the 
  fight for anything more than lusty cutting and thrusting.
  In addition, Robin Hood carried a buckler. This was a 
  small, convex shield held easily in one hand or fastened to 
  the forearm and designed to deflect blows. However, the 
  skilled fighter could use the buckler as an offensive weapon, 
  either to punch his opponent or to hook an arm or sword.
  Rounding off the well-armed outlaw’s close-range 
  weapons was the dagger. This was a ubiquitous piece of 
  equipment for almost any man in the period. Daggers 
  were shorter than swords, though often designed the same 
  way, with a double-edged blade connecting to a suitable 
  handgrip. The common method for using a dagger was to 
  thrust with its extremely sharp point, which could pierce 
  the joints in armour, rather than to slash, which could be 
  easily deflected.
  The other personal combat weapon used by Robin 
  Hood and his Merry Men was the staff, sometimes called 
  the quarterstaff, though that term was not used in the 
  period. It is, perhaps, the weapon most often associated 
  with the legendary outlaws. This staff was about seven or 
  eight feet long, made from hardwood, and thin enough 
  for a man to grasp tightly but thick enough not to bend 
  or break easily. Many staves were little more than sturdy 
  branches, stripped of leaves and twigs for the purpose. The 
  staff was too large for single-handed use, and some have 
  argued that it took the name quarterstaff after the way  
  it was held about a quarter of the way along the shaft.  
  The main method of fighting with the staff was to block 
  and parry the opponent’s blows while seeking an opening 
  to thrust the shaft horizontally into his softer regions.  
  A blow with a shaft was unlikely to kill, and it was therefore 
  often used as a training aid in learning to fight.
  Nevertheless, with so much material readily available 
  in the forest, Robin Hood’s men would find a staff quick 
  and cheap to procure. Of all his weapons, Robin appears to 
  have been least proficient with his staff, famously losing his 
  fight to Little John on their first encounter at the log bridge 
  and receiving a quick bath in the stream for his troubles.
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  14
  to return to Nottingham, but that he would do so without his horse and gear. 
  Indeed, he would not be returning to Nottingham at all if it were not for the 
  generosity of his good wife.
  That night, when the Sheriff arrived back home, his wife asked him how 
  he had fared in the forest, and if he had brought Robin Hood back with him.
  The Sheriff cursed Robin, shouting, ‘Damn him, and the Devil take him!’ 
  He told her what had happened and said that the only thing he had left from 
  his trip to the forest was a white horse, given to him by the outlaw – and that 
  that was a present for her.
  The Sheriff’s wife burst out laughing. ‘Robin Hood,’ she said, ‘has taken 
  the proper price of his pots, and left us with a story to tell.’
  Back in the forest, Robin asked the potter how much his pots were actually 
  worth. The potter lamented that he was down by two Nobles through not 
  going to Nottingham. Robin promised him ten pounds as compensation, and 
  that he would always be considered a friend when he passed through the 
  forest, tolls or not. The two men then parted company as friends.
  The Knight Pays His Debt
  The Abbot of St Mary’s had gathered his advisors, in order to remind them 
  that a visiting knight was due to pay his debt that day. He anticipated the 
  knight’s failure to pay with some relish, but his Prior chided the Abbot for 
  being so flippant about another man’s misfortune. They were then joined by 
  the corpulent High Cellarer, who said he had come to collect the Abbot. 
  They were due to go and meet the knight at the court of the High Justice 
  of England. Like the Abbot, the Cellarer was full of cheer at the expected 
  windfall, because he also believed the knight would not turn up and that 
  his land would therefore be forfeit. Much to the surprise and chagrin of the 
  Cellarer and Abbot, he did.
  Sir Richard of the Lea had come accompanied, as was proper for a knight 
  in those days, by a squire and servants. On their approach to the court, 
  the knight ordered these men to disguise themselves with weeds, to give 
  the impression of having travelled by sea. The porter welcomed them at 
  the gatehouse, but was surprised to see that such poorly dressed men had  
  such a fine horse in tow. Sir Richard therefore ordered his horse stabled 
  before meeting with the Abbot, so that the animal did not betray the effect 
  of their disguise.
  When he entered the Abbot’s Hall, the knight knelt in homage. The Abbot 
  didn’t ask him to stand, but asked immediately for his money. Sir Richard 
  claimed poverty, and so the Abbot asked, ‘Why have you bothered to come at 
  all, if you cannot or will not pay?’
  ‘To plead for more time,’ the knight replied. He then turned to the Justice 
  and asked him for help with his predicament, but the Justice shook his head, 
  siding with the Abbot. The Abbot then rejected his debtor’s pleas.
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  15
  ‘You are no true knight,’ he added, ‘but a false 
  knight!’ and the Abbot dismissed the knight, 
  insisting that he should leave their presence 
  immediately. The Justice then turned to the Abbot, 
  barely concealing his amusement, and asked how 
  much money he would give the knight to hurry 
  him off his land. ‘One hundred pounds?’ the 
  Abbot suggested, but the Justice thought that was 
  not enough. ‘Give him 200,’ he ordered the Abbot.
  Sir Richard finally stood up, tired of this level 
  of discourtesy towards a man of his rank. He 
  proclaimed, ‘Keep your purses closed. There is no 
  amount of money in England that would force me 
  to part with my lands.’ Before the two men could 
  react, he walked over to a nearby table and threw 
  down 400 pounds from his bag. The Abbot stared 
  open-mouthed, realizing his chance to grab the 
  knight’s estates so cheaply had been lost.
  Having so dramatically paid his debt, Sir Richard 
  promptly walked out without so much as a backward 
  glance. He retrieved his horse and changed out of his 
  ‘poor’ clothes, before returning home to Uttersdale 
  where his Lady waited anxiously. He told her how 
  they were now free of the Abbot’s debt, and they had 
  Robin Hood to thank for it.
  Though he intended to waste no time, it would be a while longer before 
  Sir Richard could repay his debt to Robin Hood. When he had accrued the 
  400 pounds he needed, the knight sent word to Robin that he was ready. He 
  mustered a company of 100 archers, supplied them with bows and sheaves 
  of arrows, and dressed them in his red and white livery. He then marched 
  his new retinue out in the direction of Barnesdale. They had not travelled 
  far when they came upon a crowd of villagers blocking a bridge over which 
  the men needed to cross. Riding forward, Sir Richard ascertained that the 
  villagers were threatening a young man who had defeated the local champion 
  in a wrestling match.
  Driven forward by a sense of justice, the knight pushed his horse through 
  the crowd while his archers followed with their arrows nocked. The crowd 
  pulled back from this threat, allowing the young man to escape. Seeing that 
  this had inflamed the anger of the crowd rather than dissipating it, Sir Richard 
  ordered his men to bring wine for the villagers. As he expected, this relaxed 
  the villagers, dispelling their anger. The young man had been saved, and the 
  crowd were happy, but Sir Richard’s scheduled meeting with Robin had been 
  seriously delayed.
  A statue of Robin Hood in 
  Sherwood Forest. (Hemis / 
  Alamy)
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  Robin Hood and the High Cellarer
  In the forest, although it was the agreed day for Sir Richard to repay his debt 
  to Robin Hood, the outlaw was in no mood to celebrate, because the knight 
  had not yet turned up. Little John reassured Robin that, ‘The sun has not yet 
  gone down, and I am sure that a knight such as Sir Richard can be trusted to 
  honour his obligation before the day is over.’ Robin did not want to hear any 
  excuses, so he ordered Little John to take Much and Scarlett up to the Sayles 
  Farm and find him another ‘guest’; perhaps a messenger, someone who could 
  tell good jokes, or even a poor man that might need their help.
  The three men strapped on their weapons and picked up their bows, 
  before making their way through the woods to the farm where they had 
  first met Sir Richard. Once there, they took up positions on both sides 
  of the road and settled down to wait. It was not long before Little John 
  noticed a Benedictine monk slowly approaching on a horse with a retinue 
  of over 50 armed men around him. Little John turned to Much and 
  said that he would wager everything he had that the monk was carrying 
  money, and that Much and Scarlett should check their bows as they might  
  have to fight. The three men nocked their arrows, and prepared to spring 
  their ambush.
  Richard of the Lea comes to Robin’s camp (previous page)
  I first encountered Robin Hood in literature, as opposed to 
  seeing Richard Greene in tights on the TV, in the wonderful 
  Howard Pyle edition of the tales, illustrated and written by 
  him in a rich pastiche of the high Gothic popular in the 
  late Victorian period. His description of a fantasy medieval 
  England in which even my own workaday market town, 
  once in the centre of Sherwood, becomes ‘Fair Mansfield’ 
  and sprouts turrets and walls, is quite enchanting. 
  Although my own taste in maturity is for the darker Robin 
  of the ballads, I decided to take Pyle’s careful and highly 
  coloured reworking of the stories as the basis of my series of 
  paintings. Not only did Pyle invent the Caribbean pirate, 
  as we know the type today, but he put his stamp firmly on 
  the image of Robin and his Merry Men.
  In the long tale called The Gest of Robin Hood part of 
  the story concerns Robin’s encounter on the road with a 
  knight fallen on hard times called Sir Richard of the Lea 
  who has a castle not far from Nottingham. It may have 
  been at modern Annesley -‘Anne’s Lea.’
  Sir Richard’s plight is a complex one. Basically, he 
  has become entangled with the corrupt and avaricious 
  clergy at an abbey who are demanding repayment of a 
  debt, and who will take his castle and lands if he can’t 
  pay. This was a common ploy of the ever-growing and 
  powerful monasteries in medieval England.
  When Robin brings the tattered and impecunious 
  knight into his camp, he finds that Little John has 
  brought in a Bishop and his entourage who have a 
  treasure chest and much other rich booty. The strongbox 
  is opened with a two-handed sword, according to 
  Howard Pyle, to reveal hundreds of gold pieces. With 
  this Robin is able to help the knight out of his difficulty.
  This illustration contains a ‘group shot’ of some of 
  the better known characters in the band, including Maid 
  Marion, perhaps the least convincing of the outlaws, who 
  doesn’t appear in the ballads and was created in Tudor 
  times, maybe to add a leavening of romance to what had 
  become rather coarse and raucous performances of rustic 
  Robin Hood plays.
  - Peter Dennis
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  19
  When the monk finally rode up alongside Little 
  John’s hiding place, the big man jumped out, with his 
  bow at full draw, the arrow pointed at the monk’s chest. 
  He commanded the astonished monk to stop or die. 
  Little John explained that his master was ‘annoyed at 
  missing his meal because of people’s tardiness’. The 
  monk asked who Little John’s master was, and Little 
  John told him proudly, ‘Robin Hood’. The monk 
  sneered in contempt at the name. Much did not think 
  much of the monk’s attitude and loosed a blunted 
  arrow into the arrogant monk’s chest, knocking him 
  backwards off his horse. On seeing the monk’s apparent 
  demise, his retinue immediately scattered and fled, 
  except for the two grooms who held the reins of the 
  monk’s packhorses.
  Little John, Scarlett, and Much accompanied the 
  dazed and unwilling monk to where Robin waited. As 
  was customary in those times, Robin pulled back the 
  hood of his cloak in a gesture of openness when they 
  met, but the monk refused to do likewise. Little John, 
  incensed at this disrespectful gesture, reached out to 
  pull down the monk’s hood. Robin stepped forward and waved Little John 
  away. He asked how many men the monk had had in his retinue, and when 
  Little John told him ‘fifty’, Robin ordered him to blow his horn.
  Seventy of Robin’s men came running at the summons, all of them dressed 
  in scarlet striped tunics. Surrounded by so many heavily armed outlaws, a 
  larger force than even his own retinue, the monk had no choice but to accept 
  Robin Hood’s invitation to dine with the Merry Men.
  When they were all washed and seated to dinner, Robin opened the conversation 
  by asking, ‘To which Abbey do you belong, and for whom do you work?’
  The monk replied he was from St Mary’s and that the High Cellarer  
  was his superior. That reminded Robin of the unpaid debt due him from the 
  still-absent Sir Richard. He brought this to the attention of the monk and 
  Little John added that the monk probably carried enough money to repay it. 
  The monk insisted that he had never heard of Sir Richard of the Lea, or his 
  debt, but Robin cut him off.
  ‘You’re a servant of the Church, and it is surely fate that you should show 
  up at this fortuitous time.’ He then asked the monk how much money he 
  carried. The monk replied that he only had 20 Marks on him. ‘If that’s true,’ 
  said Robin, ‘you may keep it and be on your way with my good wishes.’ 
  He then ordered Little John to check the monk’s baggage. Little John then 
  spread the monk’s cloak out on the ground. It was a matter of moments before 
  the big man found a purse containing 800 pounds. Little John shouted out 
  Errol Flynn as Robin Hood 
  and Olivia de Havilland 
  as Maid Marian from The 
  Adventures of Robin Hood 
  (1938), arguably the most 
  popular and influential Robin 
  Hood movie to date. (Mary 
  Evans Picture Library)
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  20
  his discovery to Robin who was delighted with his windfall. Robin took the 
  money, and, having no further use for the monk, sent him away with a note 
  for the Abbot, asking him to send him a monk every day.
  Sir Richard of the Lea finally rode into the Merry Men’s territory shortly after 
  the monk had departed. He greeted Robin warmly as he dismounted. Robin 
  inquired of Sir Richard’s land, and the knight replied that his land was safely 
  back in his hands thanks to Robin. He added that he would have arrived sooner 
  if he had not been held up by a wrestling match. Without further ado, the 
  knight proffered the 400 pounds he owed Robin, plus 20 Marks as a courtesy 
  payment. Robin was overjoyed, but declined the money, telling Sir Richard that 
  the Church had already paid his debt, and he could not take it twice.
  In addition, Robin gave Sir Richard the extra 400 pounds he had taken 
  from the monk, and told him to use it wisely so that he would never be 
  indebted again.
  Little John and the Sheriff
  It was on one of those perfect days when young men go out to shoot arrows 
  for sport and wagers that Little John came to the attention of the Sheriff of 
  Nottingham. At an impromptu tournament, Robin Hood’s lieutenant had 
  beaten the scores of a group of local Nottingham lads with three shots. The 
  Sheriff, who had been watching nearby, was 
  suitably impressed, and called him over. He 
  asked John his name and where he was from.
  Little John warily gave a false name, 
  ‘Reynold Greenleaf of Holderness,’ and the 
  Sheriff seemed satisfied. He offered Little John 
  a place in his retinue, for which ‘Reynold’ 
  would receive 20 Marks annually.
  Little John was already in the service to the 
  famous outlaw at the time but the Sheriff was 
  able to persuade him to give his services for 
  12 months. Little John was happy to take the 
  Sheriff’s money, but he had no intention of 
  becoming one of his faithful minions.
  One 
  Wednesday 
  morning 
  shortly 
  thereafter, Little John lay abed longer than he 
  usually did. The Sheriff was away hunting and 
  there was not much for Little John to do. It 
  was after noon before hunger got the better of 
  him, and he went down to the kitchens to ask 
  for something to eat. The steward there refused 
  to provide any food, however, unless his master 
  was at home.
  Little John fighting the cook 
  as depicted by Howard Pyle.
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  21
  Little John threatened the steward, but the man ignored him and turned 
  to leave. Angered by the steward’s disrespect, Little John knocked him down, 
  before helping himself to some food and drink. Several people in the kitchen 
  witnessed this, and it so happened that one witness was a very large cook. He 
  was affronted at Little John’s behaviour. The cook thought ‘Reynold’s’ act was 
  very unjust, and that he was one of the Sheriff’s worst bullies. The cook rushed 
  over and punched him three times, prompting Little John to draw his sword. 
  The cook reached for a nearby sword too, and the men squared up to fight.
  Little John and the cook slashed and thrust at each other with their swords, 
  the clanging of steel echoing in the kitchen. Little John was surprised at the 
  cook’s sword-fighting skills, and his sense of justice.
  Pausing in the fight, John held up a hand, and told the cook, ‘If you can 
  draw a bow as well as you wield a sword, I’ll take you to join Robin Hood, 
  and make you one of his Merry Men. Robin will give you 20 Marks annually 
  and two changes of clothes.”
  The cook was tempted and said that if Little John sheathed his sword, 
  the two would be friends. Little John complied, and, to confirm their  
  new friendship, the cook prepared them both a meal of deer, bread, and 
  wine. Over this repast, Little John and the cook made their plans to leave 
  Nottingham that night. When darkness fell, the two new friends quietly made 
  their way to the treasury and broke open the locks. Once inside, they took the 
  Sheriff’s silverware, including his silver chalice, and 300 pounds in cash, then 
  fled into the woods.
  By morning, when they reached the outlaw stronghold in the forest, Robin 
  Hood was there to meet them. He was delighted to see Little John, his companion, 
  and their acquisitions. He asked them for news of Nottingham, and Little John 
  briefly recounted his adventure in the Sheriff’s service. At this point, a plan came 
  to Little John, which he told Robin would yield greater profit.
  He abruptly turned and left, running as swiftly as he could through  
  the forest, to a glade where the Sheriff of Nottingham was still out hunting.  
  The Sheriff was also happy to see Little John, but asked why he had come 
  so hastily. Little John replied, ‘I was walking in the forest when I saw a 
  spectacular stag leading a herd of 70 deer through a clearing. The stag’s antlers,’  
  he continued, ‘were so fearsome that I was afraid to attack it on my own.’
  The Sheriff grew excited at the prospect of such a prize and ordered Little 
  John to lead the way. They ran back the way ‘Reynold’ had come, the Sheriff’s 
  thoughts filled with the taste of venison and the image of a magnificent 
  12-pointer hanging on his wall.
  ‘Just through here,’ John said, and the Sheriff ran faster, but instead of a 
  stag standing in the clearing when they emerged from the trees, it was Robin 
  Hood who waited, with his bow drawn and an arrow nocked. The Sheriff 
  realized suddenly, and to his utter dismay, that he had been betrayed by 
  ‘Reynold Greenfleaf’, who Robin greeted warmly as Little John.
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  Robin invited the Sheriff to share their supper, and added insult to injury 
  by promising to serve him on his own stolen silverware. He also told the 
  Sheriff his life was safe but ordered Little John to strip him of his finery and 
  give him a green cloak to wear.
  Robin then called his Merry Men to him so that the Sheriff could see  
  that they all slept in their cloaks, and that he was being treated no differently. 
  The Sheriff therefore spent an uncomfortable night on the hard ground, 
  trying to sleep amongst the band of outlaws. The next morning, Robin told 
  the Sheriff that he was to live with them for 12 months in the forest, where 
  they would teach him how to be a just man. The Sheriff replied that he would 
  rather Robin cut off his head than spend another night in the woods, but that 
  if Robin let him go, he would be the outlaw leader’s friend.
  Robin accepted the agreement, but made the Sheriff swear an oath to never 
  harm Robin or his men, and to always provide aid when asked. The Sheriff 
  gave his promise, and was soon on his way, but, of course, he had no intention 
  of keeping his word.
  Robin Hood and the Archery Contest
  Soon after his overnight stay with the Merry Men, the Sheriff of Nottingham 
  sent out a call for the best archers in the north of England to compete at the 
  butts in Nottingham. This would be the grandest tournament for archers, and 
  the winner would receive a silver arrow with golden feathers. Robin Hood soon 
  heard of the Sheriff’s archery contest, as word had spread so widely that the 
  news even reached the meeting place in the depths of his forest.
  Robin couldn’t resist such a contest and was confident he would win, but he 
  was also wary about a possible trap being set by the Sheriff. He gathered his Merry 
  Men to accompany him to the competition, where they would also find out if the 
  Little John fights the Sheriff’s cook (opposite)
  One famous tale has Little John infiltrate the Sheriff’s 
  household as a huntsman and archer. Howard Pyle 
  correctly has the Sheriff living in a house in the town of 
  Nottingham; he didn’t live in the Castle. Hunting was 
  available very close to hand, as a deer park, an enclosed 
  area of land kept well stocked with animals to hunt, lay 
  beneath the stone outcrop of the castle in an area still 
  known today as ‘The Park’.
  One hunting morning, Little John wakes late and finds 
  that the hunting party has left. He stumbles down to the 
  kitchen and demands breakfast of the steward. The steward 
  tells him that he’s too late. John, true to character, creates 
  a violent scene and grabs a chicken which he is about to 
  eat when the cook, who is his equal in shortness of temper, 
  enters the room, retrieves the chicken and draws his sword. 
  Why a cook would wear a sword in his own kitchen is 
  never explained, but there follows a mighty fight.
  Neither can gain the upper hand and eventually they 
  call it quits and become friends, quite a normal outcome 
  of a fight in the tales. John declares himself to be Robin’s 
  man and invites the cook to join the famous outlaw band, 
  which he accepts. They load up the Sheriff’s silver plate 
  onto their horses and set out into the forest.
  - Peter Dennis
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  24
  Sheriff’s word, given after his recent capture 
  by Robin, was to be trusted.
  When Robin arrived in Nottingham, 
  therefore, he did so with 140 bowmen at 
  his back.
  Archers from far and wide had entered 
  the competition. Robin chose five of his 
  men to compete, in addition to himself, 
  and instructed the rest to be ready just in 
  case the Sheriff was up to his old tricks. 
  All the competitors were to take three 
  shots in rotation. Little John, Scarlett, 
  Much, and two other Merry Men named 
  Reynold and Gilbert all shot well, but 
  they were no match for Robin, who beat 
  them all and took the prize.
  Just as Robin had suspected, however, 
  the competition was a trap. As he began 
  to leave, the Sheriff’s horns blew to signal 
  an ambush. Guards rushed in to surround 
  Robin and his men, as a furious Robin 
  accused the Sheriff of betrayal and shouted 
  that his promise given in the forest had 
  obviously meant nothing. Even as Robin protested, however, the arrows were 
  already flying. As the Sheriff’s men closed in for the kill, the rest of the Merry 
  Men also attacked. Men fell dead and wounded on both sides, but the outlaws’ 
  archery gradually proved superior, and the Sheriff’s men slowly fell back.
  The surrounded Merry Men broke free of the cordon the guards had 
  formed, and made for the forest. Robin thought that the crisis was over, but, 
  just as he was about to make his run for the safety of the treeline, he saw Little 
  John fall with an arrow in his knee. He immediately turned to help his friend.
  In considerable pain, Little John demanded that Robin finish him off to 
  prevent the Sheriff from taking him alive for torture. Robin refused, telling 
  Little John he would never do such a thing, even if all the gold in England 
  were laid in a row for him. Instead, he hoisted his trusty lieutenant over his 
  back and carried him as they fled into the forest.
  The fleeing outlaws ran for their lives through the trees until they came  
  to a castle surrounded by a double-ditch. A familiar face stood at the gate,  
  Sir Richard of the Lea, whom Robin had saved from debt. The knight welcomed 
  Robin with open arms and an offer of his protection against the Sheriff.  
  Sir Richard waved Robin and his men inside the castle, then ordered the gates 
  shut and the drawbridge pulled up. He told his guests to arm themselves, man 
  the walls, and prepare themselves for a siege.
  Different sources often 
  depict specific Merry Men 
  in slightly different ways, 
  but probably none varies 
  quite as widely as Will 
  Scarlet; even his name often 
  changes. As Will Scatheloke, 
  he is sometimes depicted 
  as a violent and hot-headed 
  man. As Will Scarlet, he can 
  sometimes be foppish as 
  depicted here by Howard 
  Pyle.
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  25
  The Rescue of Sir Richard of the Lea
  It did not take long for the Sheriff of Nottingham to gather his forces at the 
  gates of the castle. When his men were encamped outside, he shouted up to 
  Sir Richard that the knight was a traitor for sheltering the King’s enemies. The 
  knight replied that these were his lands, and the Sheriff should leave until the 
  King had been asked to make a judgement on the matter. The Sheriff could 
  not act against a nobleman on his own authority and had no choice but to 
  abandon the siege and travel to London to speak to the King.
  In the meantime, Robin left the castle and returned to the forest, where he 
  was joined by Little John, once the big man had healed.
  When he reached the Royal court, the Sheriff told the King his story of 
  how he tried to maintain the King’s peace against the outlaw Robin Hood, 
  but that a knight was preventing him from doing so. He then claimed that 
  the knight threatened to usurp the King in the north. The alarmed King 
  responded that he would travel to Nottingham within the fortnight and deal 
  personally with both Robin and the knight. The Sheriff decided not to wait 
  for the King, however, before taking action. He 
  immediately rode back to Nottingham, intent 
  on taking down the upstart knight.
  Sir Richard expected the King or his 
  representative to bring the decision concerning 
  his recent conflict with the Sheriff, and while he 
  was waiting he went about his normal business. 
  The nobleman was completely unsuspecting, 
  therefore, of the Sheriff’s intentions to pre-empt 
  the King. Sir Richard was out hawking by the 
  river near his castle when, without warning, the 
  Sheriff’s henchmen grabbed him, bound him 
  hand and foot, and rode off to Nottingham with 
  him as their captive.
  When Sir Richard’s Lady heard what had 
  happened from the falconer who looked after 
  the birds for him, she rode directly to find Robin 
  Hood, to beg him to save her husband. She warned 
  Robin to act quickly, because the kidnapping 
  party was less than three miles away. Robin was 
  furious at the dishonourable act the Sheriff had 
  committed, and immediately summoned his 
  Merry Men to muster. Robin vowed that any of 
  them who failed to help rescue the knight would 
  be expelled from his band. With all of his 140 
  men firmly on his side, Robin left the forest, on 
  the trail of the Sheriff of Nottingham.
  The famous Shakespearian 
  actor Frederick Warde played 
  Robin Hood in the stage 
  play, Runneymede by William 
  Greer Harrison. The play 
  opened in New York in 1895 
  and proved a dismal failure, 
  shutting after only a few 
  weeks. (Library of Congress)
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  26
  By marching quickly through 
  the hidden forest paths only they 
  knew, the Merry Men were able to 
  outpace the Sheriff’s men and reach 
  Nottingham just in time to greet 
  the Sheriff’s party as they emerged 
  from the trees with their prisoner. 
  Robin stepped boldly in front of 
  the Sheriff’s horse and demanded 
  to know what the King had said, 
  but the Sheriff would not answer. 
  Robin drew his bow and loosed an 
  arrow into the Sheriff, knocking 
  him from the saddle. He then 
  drew his sword, and with a single, 
  swift cut, severed the Sheriff’s head, 
  proclaiming that no man could 
  trust him while he was still alive.
  At that point, all the rest of the 
  Merry Men drew their blades and 
  attacked the Sheriff’s retinue. Leaderless, the Sheriff’s men were no match for 
  the outlaw band and soon ran away from the fury of the Merry Men. When 
  the last of them had fled, Robin walked over to Sir Richard and cut the rope 
  that bound him.
  He handed the knight a bow, telling him that, ‘For the moment, you must 
  consider yourself an outlaw, and should return to the forest with the Merry Men. 
  Hopefully,’ he added, ‘the King will soon show wisdom by pardoning you.’
  Robin Hood and the King
  Two weeks later, the King arrived in Nottingham at the head of a procession 
  of armed knights. When he learned of the death of the Sheriff, he immediately 
  declared Sir Richard of the Lea an outlaw and stripped him of all his lands.
  A Royal hunt was then organized, but deer were few and far between in the 
  Royal forests, much to the annoyance of the King. He swore that he would 
  find Robin Hood and that any man who brought him Sir Richard’s head 
  would receive the knight’s forfeited lands as a reward.
  At this, an old and more experienced knight stepped forward to gently 
  remind the King that so long as Robin Hood carried a bow, no knight would 
  be safe in Sir Richard’s lands.
  Over the next six months, the King’s frustration grew. He stayed in 
  Nottingham during that time, and every day brought new stories of Robin 
  Hood stealing his deer with impunity. One day, a forester standing in the 
  King’s company suggested that, if he really wanted to face Robin Hood, he 
  One of Howard Pyle’s clearest 
  depictions of Robin Hood.
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  27
  should dress five of his knights as monks, and then the forester would lead 
  them to the outlaw. The King quickly agreed to the plan, and had five of his 
  knights dressed in grey cowls. The King himself wore a broad-brimmed hat in 
  the style of an Abbot. Thus suitably disguised, they made their way into the 
  woods, led by the forester.
  The Royal party had gone barely a mile into the trees when Robin Hood 
  suddenly appeared in front of them. He grabbed the reins of the King’s 
  horse and politely introduced himself. Robin indicated his men, who now 
  surrounded the travellers, and told the apparent Abbot that they were all 
  yeomen down on their luck. Since the Church had so much, Robin pointed 
  out, some charity was warranted. The disguised King replied that he only 
  carried 40 pounds, but that Robin was welcome to it, as charity.
  Robin gave half of this money to his men, and returned the other half to 
  the Abbot for his expenses. The ‘Abbot’ thanked Robin, then took out the 
  King’s Seal. He told Robin that he was a messenger from the King, ordered 
  to find Robin and invite him to Nottingham. Robin dropped to his knees at 
  the sight of the Seal and replied that he held no man in higher regard than the 
  King. He thanked the Abbot for the invitation and, in return, requested him 
  to have dinner in the forest.
  Robin Hood and His Merry 
  Men Entertaining Richard the 
  Lionheart in Sherwood Forest 
  by Daniel Maclise painted 
  in 1839. (Daniel Maclise/
  Fine Art Photographic/Getty 
  Images)
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  28
  Curious about the outlaw, the King 
  accepted the invitation.
  Robin led the disguised King’s party into 
  his forest camp, where venison was prepared 
  for a feast. Then Robin blew his horn, 
  beckoning his Merry Men. One hundred 
  and forty of them – Sir Richard included – 
  quickly gathered round the campfire. The 
  King was surprised and impressed by the 
  command that Robin had over his men. 
  Without further ado, they all settled down  
  to the feast of venison, bread, ale, and wine. 
  This was as fine as anything the King was 
  used to, and he felt quite at home with such a 
  dinner. Afterwards, Robin wanted to show the 
  ‘Abbot’ how they lived in the forest. Robin’s 
  men immediately began to string their bows, 
  making ready for an archery contest.
  Robin explained that if his men missed 
  their shots – at what the King thought was 
  an extraordinary distance – they would forfeit 
  their equipment for the day, and receive a 
  knock on the head. When the contest started, 
  Robin quickly proved the best shot, defeating 
  everyone, including Will Scarlett and Little 
  John. Then even Robin missed.
  One of the Merry Men, Gilbert, turned 
  to Robin and reminded him that he too 
  was subject to the rules of the contest. Robin agreed that he was not above the 
  rules and handed his arrows to the Abbot as a permission to deliver the blow. 
  The King demurred at first, but Robin insisted. So the King rolled up his sleeve 
  and punched Robin so hard that he nearly knocked the outlaw to the ground. 
  The blow stunned Robin, and he became suspicious, believing it was the strike 
  of a trained warrior. Robin and Sir Richard of the Lea examined their guest 
  more closely, then fell to their knees in belated recognition, and the Merry Men 
  followed suit.
  The King, realizing the potential danger he was in from an outlaw band 
  that outnumbered his party by more than 20 to one, asked for mercy. Robin 
  immediately countered that it was he who begged for mercy from the King. 
  The King, impressed by Robin’s fairness as a leader, agreed – but only on the 
  condition that Robin and his men left the forest and took service at the King’s 
  court. Robin said that he would serve the King, but even as he spoke, he 
  suspected he would soon be back to hunting the Royal deer through the woods.
  King Richard I visits Robin 
  Hood in disguise in this 
  drawing by the famed 
  illustrator H. J. Ford.
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  29
  Robin Hood at the King’s Court
  Immediately following Robin Hood’s acceptance 
  of the King’s offer to enter Royal service, the King 
  asked him if he had any green cloth to sell, since 
  he had had enough of the clerical robes of his 
  disguise. Robin, of course, had 33 yards of Lincoln 
  green that he was happy to part with, and the King 
  and his men were soon dressed in it and ready to 
  go back to Nottingham. Robin and the King also 
  competed in archery contests, with Robin again 
  impressing the King with his accuracy.
  As they approached Nottingham, all in 
  Lincoln green, however, people there began to 
  panic, fearing that Robin had killed the King 
  and had come to wreak his revenge. Hastily, the 
  King and his knights stepped forward to quell 
  the citizens’ fears. That night, once they were all 
  settled in at the castle there, the King pardoned 
  Sir Richard of the Lea, and gave him back his 
  lands. All appeared well at the King’s court.
  Robin stayed 15 months in the King’s service 
  and gained great renown for his upstanding conduct. His men began to drift 
  off and return to their own lives, however, until only Little John and Will 
  Scarlett remained. Robin grew sorrowful, lamenting the loss of his reputation 
  as the best archer in England. He knew that he could no longer stay in the 
  King’s service, and that he must return to Barnesdale.
  Robin asked the King for permission to take seven days’ leave in order to 
  visit the chapel of Mary Magdalene on a pilgrimage. The King granted Robin 
  his wish, and the grateful ex-outlaw left to travel north back to his forest. He 
  arrived to the sound of birdsong, and Robin realized he had been gone too 
  long. He also harboured a desire to shoot a deer, which he did before blowing 
  his horn to let the outlaws of the forest know that their leader was back.
  As the Merry Men celebrated Robin’s visit, and Robin enjoyed the sounds 
  and scents of the forest, he realized that he could not leave again, even to 
  return to the service of the King. For the next 22 years, Robin would live in 
  his forest, rarely leaving for fear of the King’s revenge.
  Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
  Robin Hood was troubled by nightmares. He had awoken in the middle of 
  the night from a dream in which two strong men had first bested him in a 
  fight, then bound him and stolen his bow. He described this dream to Little 
  John, saying that he felt he must seek out the two men. Little John dismissed 
  the dreams as being flighty and meaningless and not messages or portents, 
  A mid-19th century depiction 
  of Robin Hood, showing him 
  in dress more appropriate 
  to various continental 
  European settings. (Richard 
  Dadd/Getty Images)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  30
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  31
  but Robin would not be dissuaded. He mustered his men and told them that 
  he and Little John were going off into the forest. Then the pair donned their 
  green cloaks, picked up their bows, and walked off in search of the men from 
  Robin’s dream.
  After a few hours, Robin and Little John spied an oddly dressed man 
  leaning against a tree. The stranger wore a sword and dagger on his belt and 
  had a bow in his hand, but what made him so unusual was his horsehide 
  cloak, complete with head, tail, and mane. Little John suggested that Robin 
  should hide while he investigated, but Robin was insulted by the suggestion.
  ‘Do you think I’m afraid?’ he demanded, ‘or that I can’t take care of myself, 
  that you would belittle me so? All I’m afraid of,’ he added, ‘is that I’d break my 
  bow if I hit you with it – and that’s the only reason I won’t.’
  Astonished at this rebuke, Little John turned his back on Robin and 
  stormed off towards Barnesdale.
  Now alone, Robin approached the man leaning against the tree. By the 
  look of the bow in his hand, Robin judged him to be an accomplished archer. 
  The two exchanged greetings, and then Robin asked what brought the man 
  to the forest. The stranger replied that he had come in search of Robin Hood. 
  With a knowing grin, Robin suggested that the two have an archery contest, 
  because, as everyone knew, such contests were sure to attract the famous 
  outlaw. The stranger agreed and the targets were soon set.
  Robin offered his opponent the first shot, but the stranger demurred, so 
  Robin nocked his arrow and let fly. It was a bullseye, but then the stranger shot 
  his arrow into the bullseye too. Robin loosed again, for another bullseye, but the 
  stranger also did likewise again. Worse, this time the stranger’s arrow was in the 
  exact centre of the bullseye, to the exact hairsbreadth. There seemed to be no way 
  in which Robin could beat such a shot, but the outlaw, undeterred, shot again.
  This time, Robin’s third arrow split the stranger’s arrow right down the 
  centre. The stranger had proved no match for Robin and gave up in disgust.
  The stranger turned to this great archer who had beaten him, and asked his 
  name, but Robin refused to give it until the stranger revealed his.
  The Sheriff is captured (opposite)
  Later in the tale where Little John fights the cook, he 
  catches up with the Sheriff hunting in the greenwood. 
  Since the Sheriff has no knowledge of John’s theft of his 
  plate and still has confidence in him, it is a simple matter 
  for John to lure him into a trap where he encounters 
  Robin Hood and his band. He is treated to a feast in the 
  camp off his own silverware, cooked by his own ex-cook.
  Big old oaks in Sherwood grow huge horizontal 
  branches, and I’ve always liked the idea of a treeful of 
  outlaws. In the illustration, Little John takes a firm grip 
  of the Sheriff’s boar spear, and the Sheriff realises that 
  he’s been tricked.
  The Sheriff is captured many times in the tales and 
  killed more than once, too. He’s never named though, 
  so he may be more than one corrupt and wicked man.
  - Peter Dennis
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  32
  ‘Guy of Gisborne,’ the man replied, and he went on to say that, ‘I have 
  come into the forest to capture the outlaw, Robin Hood.’
  Robin then introduced himself and drew his sword. Guy of Gisborne did 
  likewise, and, sweating in the summer heat, the two men stood toe to toe, 
  slashing and thrusting at each other, with neither man giving any ground as 
  they circled each other, looking for an advantage. Suddenly, Robin tripped 
  over a tree root and tumbled to the ground. In a flash, Guy of Gisborne 
  lunged forward and pierced Robin on his left side as he desperately tried 
  to roll away. Bleeding heavily from the wound, Robin leapt to his feet and 
  delivered a backhanded slash that bit deep into Guy of Gisborne, who fell, 
  dead before his body hit the ground.
  Robin grabbed Gisborne by the hair and cut off his head, which he then 
  stuck on the end of his bow. He also slashed the dead man’s face to make him 
  unrecognizable. Finally, Robin exchanged his clothes, put on the horseshide 
  cloak, and picked up Guy’s bow and hunting horn.
  While Robin and Guy were fighting it out, Little John made his way 
  back to Barnesdale. When he arrived, however, he found two of the Merry 
  Men lying dead. Little John stopped to examine the bodies, but as he did 
  so a group of the Sheriff’s men attacked. A new Sheriff had been appointed, 
  Robin Hood battles Guy of 
  Gisborne. Artwork by Peter 
  Dennis.
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  33
  and Nottingham’s guards had not forgotten the crime committed by his 
  predecessor. Little John jumped up and began to run, pausing only to shoot 
  down one of his pursuers. There were too many of them, however, and their 
  horses were faster than a man on foot. Little John was quickly run down 
  and captured. The Sheriff’s men tied Little John to a tree, just as the new 
  Sheriff himself rode up. The Sheriff, delighted at the capture of Robin Hood’s 
  right-hand man, commanded that Little John be immediately taken away and 
  executed on a nearby high hill.
  Before the guards could move to drag Little John off to the gallows hill, a 
  horn sounded in the forest. The Sheriff smiled, recognizing the signal of Guy 
  of Gisborne, the man he had hired to hunt down his predecessor’s killer. A few 
  moments later, he saw the bounty hunter approaching, clad in his distinctive 
  horsehide cloak, and carrying a gruesomely-mutilated severed head on the 
  end of his bow. The Sheriff shouted out a greeting, and proclaimed that Guy 
  could have any reward he named. The man in the horsehide cloak laughed, 
  and asked only that now that he had taken the head of Robin Hood, that he 
  should be allowed to kill his lieutenant, Little John, as well.
  The Sheriff agreed, and waved his men to force Little John to his knees 
  before the bounty hunter. The Sheriff hurried towards the two men, keen to 
  see the outlaw die at the hand of his hired man, but instead of killing Little 
  John, the man in horsehide cut the big man’s ropes and handed him a bow. 
  On seeing this, the astonished Sheriff realized he’d been deceived. He was now 
  close enough to more clearly see the bounty hunter’s features and immediately 
  saw through Robin Hood’s disguise.
  As the outlaws loosed shafts into his guards, the Sheriff wheeled his horse 
  around, and started off into a gallop, but his bid to escape was in vain. Little 
  John drew a bead on the Sheriff and sent an arrow straight into his heart 
  through his back.
  The post of Sheriff of Nottingham was vacant once more.
  Robin Hood and the Monk
  It was a glorious Sunday morning and Little John was full of the joys of Spring. 
  Robin Hood, on the other hand, was feeling more troubled because he had 
  not been to Mass for over two weeks. Perhaps because he had certain sins to 
  confess, Robin decided that he must go into Nottingham to attend services. 
  Much the Miller’s Son suggested to Robin that he take a dozen well-armed 
  bodyguards along, but Robin would only allow Little John to accompany him.
  As they walked through the woods on their way to Nottingham, Robin 
  and Little John got into a heated argument over an old gambling debt. Little 
  John claimed to have won five shillings from Robin, which was still owed from 
  months earlier, but Robin said this had never happened. Unable to control 
  himself as Little John persisted in his claim, Robin struck Little John on the 
  head. John drew his sword and declared that if Robin were not his master and 
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  34
  his friend, he would have run him through for that. Robin refused to apologise, 
  let alone pay the gambling debt, and so the two men parted company. Little 
  John stormed off into the trees and Robin continued alone to Nottingham.
  When he reached Nottingham, Robin quickly made his way to St Mary’s 
  Church. As he knelt to pray, however, a nearby monk recognized the outlaw 
  as the man who had previously robbed him of 100 pounds of Church funds. 
  Sure that Robin hadn’t noticed him, the monk sprinted out of the church and 
  ran to find the Sheriff. When the Sheriff heard what the monk had to say, he 
  immediately mustered his men to arms and hurried to the church.
  The Sheriff’s men crashed through the doors of the church with drawn 
  swords. The commotion at the doors drew Robin from his prayers and turned 
  his brain and instincts to the imminent danger. Despite being massively 
  outnumbered, and since there were no other exits, Robin charged desperately 
  into the soldiers, cutting his way directly for the Sheriff. Twelve men fell to 
  Robin’s sword and many others were wounded, but the outlaw’s luck ran out 
  when his sword broke over the Sheriff’s helmet. Suddenly disarmed, Robin 
  was overwhelmed and taken prisoner.
  Word of the fight, and of Robin’s capture, spread like wildfire, and the 
  news soon reached the Merry Men. They quickly held a council of war, and 
  Little John, who had returned just before the shocking news, immediately 
  exclaimed that he would go into Nottingham and rescue Robin. The rest of the 
  This woodcut of Robin Hood 
  presents him in 16th century 
  dress. For reasons unknown, 
  he is wearing spurs. He is 
  firing an arrow at a strangely 
  shaped tower, which is 
  possibly meant to represent 
  a tower of Nottingham 
  Castle. (Mary Evans Picture 
  Library / Alamy)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  35
  Merry Men, however, backed away from him, suspicious and angry that he had 
  abandoned Robin and left him to the Sheriff’s mercies. In the end, only Much 
  the Miller’s Son stood forward and said he would go with Little John.
  The two outlaws first made their way to Much’s uncle’s house, which stood 
  alongside the highway to Nottingham, with a view to ambushing travellers in 
  order to secure their clothes as a disguise. No one suitable passed that day or 
  night, but, the following morning, Little John spied a familiar monk riding 
  along the road with his young page. He alerted Much and the two men stayed 
  hidden and silent until the monk came close enough to intercept. When he 
  did, the pair leapt out into the road to greet the startled monk.
  ‘Is it true that the outlaw Robin Hood has been captured?’ Little John 
  asked. ‘If so, it’s about time, as he robbed me of 20 Marks, and I should be 
  glad of that news.’
  ‘Yes,’ the monk replied. ‘I too had been robbed by him, and so recognized 
  him at once. If you were also his victims, you should thank me for being the 
  first to lay hands on the outlaw. Indeed, my page and I are just now riding to 
  tell the King of the news.’
  Little John thanked the monk, and then said, ‘Robin may be captured, 
  but the woods are still filled with his Merry Men. Why don’t my friend and 
  I accompany you on your journey, to deter any of those robbers that might 
  be lying in wait?’ The monk accepted gladly, seeing the sense in having two 
  tough-looking warriors with him.
  Little John strode off down the road, leading the monk’s horse by its bridle, 
  so that the monk couldn’t ride it away. Much, meanwhile, walked with the 
  monk’s page, to prevent any possible escape by the boy. They travelled just far 
  enough to be out of sight and sound of any possible travellers, and to lull the 
  monk into a false sense of security, when Little John suddenly grabbed the 
  monk by his hood, and threw him roughly to the ground. He shouted down 
  at the monk that Robin Hood was his master and his friend and that the 
  monk would not be delivering more messages to the King.
  Then Little John swiftly drew his sword and sliced off the monk’s head. 
  Before the page could so much as scream, Much cut off his head too. The outlaws 
  quickly stripped their victims, donned their cowls, and buried the bodies in 
  shallow graves. They then hurried off to deliver the news to the King themselves.
  Little John was taken to the King the moment he appeared at the Royal 
  court. He knelt and handed over the letters that he had taken from the dead 
  monk. The King was delighted with the news of Robin Hood’s capture, but 
  asked Little John about the whereabouts of the monk who was supposed to 
  deliver the letter. ‘He died on the road,’ Little John replied simply. Satisfied 
  with that answer, the King gave Little John and Much 20 pounds for their 
  trouble and made them yeomen of the Crown.
  More importantly, he also gave Little John his Royal Seal to take to the Sheriff 
  of Nottingham, along with an order to return to the court with Robin Hood.
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  36
  Much and Little John made their way 
  quickly back to Nottingham, but found the 
  gates closed and barred. They asked the porter 
  at the gatehouse why this was and received 
  the answer that, because Robin Hood was in 
  prison, revenge attacks by Little John, Much, 
  and Scarlett were killing men along the walls 
  every day.
  Little John didn’t betray any surprise that 
  he and Much were supposedly attacking 
  Nottingham when they were travelling with 
  the Royal Seal, but instead demanded to 
  see the Sheriff, explaining that he was on 
  an errand from the King. When he saw the 
  Royal Seal, the porter let John and Much in 
  through the gatehouse and led them to the 
  Sheriff. When the Sheriff saw the King’s seal, 
  he asked what had happened to the monk 
  who had taken the original message.
  ‘The King was so grateful for the news,’ 
  Little John told him with a straight face, ‘that 
  he made the monk Abbot of Westminster.’
  The delighted Sheriff threw a party with 
  wine and ale for all, and it was well into the small hours of the morning when 
  they all retired for the night. But Little John and Much only pretended to 
  sleep drunkenly. When they were certain everyone else was dead to the world, 
  they stole down to the prison and called for the jailer, shouting, ‘Robin Hood 
  is gone! The outlaw has escaped!’
  When the alarmed jailer came running to check on Robin and query his 
  visitors, Little John pinned him to the wall with his sword. The big man took 
  the keys from the body of the jailer and freed Robin without further incident.
  Hurrying quietly past the ale-befuddled guards, the three outlaws escaped 
  over the walls and fled into the night.
  Once they were safely away, Little John turned to Robin Hood and said he 
  was leaving the Merry Men. He had repaid any debt he might owe, he added. 
  Robin refused to hear this, though, and even offered Little John the leadership 
  of the Merry Men, if only he would stay. Little John had no desire to be a 
  leader, but Robin’s generous offer touched him, and he decided that he would 
  after all remain in Robin’s service.
  Friends once more, the two outlaws and Much continued through the 
  woods until they reached their stronghold. With the Merry Men once more 
  gathered all together as a united band of comrades, they celebrated the return 
  of their leader and his lieutenant long into the night with a huge feast.
  The first actor to portray 
  Robin Hood on television 
  was Patrick Troughton, in a 
  1953 BBC miniseries entitled 
  Robin Hood. Troughton is 
  now better remembered for 
  being the second actor to 
  portray Doctor Who. (© BBC/
  Corbis)
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  37
  The Myth of Robin 
  Hood
  In May 1515, King Henry VIII, his Queen, Catherine of Aragon, and their 
  court retinue of lords and ladies rode out to Shooter’s Hill in London. As they 
  approached their destination, a company of hooded yeomen dressed in green 
  and armed with bows and arrows intercepted the Royal entourage. Their 
  commander stepped forward and proclaimed that he was Robin Hood and 
  asked permission to demonstrate his men’s archery skills to the King. Henry 
  granted the request, as planned, and an entertaining afternoon was had by all, 
  followed by a sumptuous feast of deer and wine at Robin’s table in a nearby 
  green wood.
  The archers, of course, were men of the King’s bodyguard, but the 
  importance of the event was that the Robin Hood legend, far from its humble 
  beginnings, had met with Royal approval. Not coincidentally, it was around 
  this time that Robin Hood began to make his way into print and became a 
  character in the popular May Games.
  May Games festivals were part of the agricultural social calendar throughout 
  the Medieval period. They involved feasting and entertainments, dancing and 
  drinking and could easily descend into 
  chaos. The spirit of the games seems to 
  have been driven by a desire to break out 
  from the strict rhythms of medieval life, 
  if only for one day. It is hardly surprising, 
  therefore, that as his legend spread, Robin 
  Hood would make an appearance at the 
  May Games.
  By the end of the 15th century he was 
  a common sight, and thus Robin became 
  more widely known. The May Games 
  may also be the source of Maid Marian. 
  Although Marian doesn’t appear in the 
  original legends or even most of the 
  later Myths, she may have derived from 
  the position of May Queen, who was a 
  standard character in the celebrations.
  In May 1515, Kini g He
  H nry VI
  VIII, hihis Queen, Cathe
  h irine of Aragon, and d thheir
  court retinue of lords and ladies rode out to Shooter’s Hill in London. As they 
  approached their destination, a company of hooded yeomen dressed in green
  and armed with bows and arrows intercepted the Royal entourage. Their 
  commander stepped forward and proclaimed that he was Robin Hood and 
  asked permission to demonstrate his men’s archery skills to the King. Henry 
  granted the request, as planned, and an entertaining afternoon was had by all, 
  followed by a sumptuous feast of deer and wine at Robin’s table in a nearby 
  green wood.
  The archers, of course, were men of the King’s bodyguard, but the 
  importance of the event was that the Robin Hood legend, far from its humble
  beginnings, had met with Royal approval. Not coincidentally, it was around 
  this time that Robin Hood began to make his way into print and became a 
  character in the popular May Games.
  May Games festivals were part of the agricultural social calendar throughout 
  the Medieval period. They involved feasting and entertainments, dancing and
  drinking and could easily descend into
  chaos. The spirit of the games seems to 
  have been driven by a desire to break out 
  from the strict rhythms of medieval life, 
  if only for one day. It is hardly surprising, 
  therefore, that as his legend spread, Robin
  A woodcut illustration 
  depicting Robin, Maid 
  Marian, Friar Tuck and other 
  members of the Merry Men. 
  (Mary Evans Picture Library)
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  38
  The May Games also generated the first plays based on the Robin Hood 
  character. However, the reworking of the Robin Hood legend through plays 
  also led to a change in his public persona, and to the creation of the myth. 
  In the 16th and 17th centuries, Robin’s story was spread through single-sheet 
  ‘broadsides’, or small, cheap booklets. Their sales were helped by increased 
  literacy, which meant a widening audience. However, with so few original 
  stories to draw from, these latter day balladeers embellished them with new 
  characters and events.
  Moreover, with the changes in readership wrought by cultural developments, 
  Robin’s character had to literally change with the times. Thus, by 1820, Walter 
  Scott, in his novel Ivanhoe, had completely transformed Robin into a noble 
  exile pining for the return of Richard the Lionheart from the Crusades to 
  replace the evil usurper, King John. Scott drew from threads already forming 
  in the Robin Hood story, as seen in the collected works known as the Percy 
  Folio, but his immense popularity helped sew the tradition into a new fabric 
  that, with few changes, remains to this day.
  Robin Hood and Little John
  The days before Robin had first met Little 
  John had been a lean time for Robin Hood 
  and his band of Merry Men. They had gone 
  weeks without intercepting a suitable target 
  for robbery, and so it was up to their leader 
  to drum up some business. Robin gathered 
  his men in a grove to tell them his plans and 
  promised that if he got into too much difficulty 
  he would blow on his horn for help.
  With much shaking of hands and goodbyes, 
  Robin picked up his bow and walked away into 
  the forest, to find out why no suitable victims 
  had come this way in such a long time.
  Robin had not gone far into the woods 
  when he spotted a very large man, standing in 
  his path. The man stood on a narrow bridge 
  across a wide and deep stream, and he held a 
  quarterstaff in his hands. Robin politely asked 
  the man to stand aside and let him pass, but 
  the giant did not move. Robin stepped back 
  to draw an arrow from his quiver. Before the 
  arrow was even in Robin’s hand, however, the 
  large man growled a warning at him.
  ‘If that arrow so much as touches string,  
  I’ll give you a ducking.’
  Robin Hood and Little John 
  meet for the first time by 
  Howard Pyle.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  39
  Robin laughed at such effrontery. ‘Do you think you can 
  outpace an arrow? I could shoot you down before you ever got 
  close enough to use that staff.’
  The man gripped his staff tighter, and retorted, ‘Only a 
  coward threatens a man at the point of bow and arrow.’
  Robin flushed with anger, and declared, ‘No man calls me a 
  coward and lives.’
  With that, he put down his bow and walked over to a nearby 
  thicket of young oak trees to select a suitable branch to be his staff.
  The outlaw leader was soon ready to fight the big man. The 
  two closed and darted out quick blows at each other, which 
  were easily parried, before Robin dealt the first jarring blow 
  to the other man’s ribs. The shock of Robin’s successful attack 
  spurred the giant on to greater efforts, and he advanced anew. 
  The two combatants lashed out against each other with their 
  staves, both seeking the opening for the decisive hit.
  The big stranger struck home next, catching Robin across 
  the head and drawing blood. The dazed Robin, now thoroughly 
  enraged, flew into a blind frenzy of swings and lunges with his staff, and the 
  sparring grew ever more intense, until, finally, Robin’s anger led him to err, and 
  the furious stranger hit Robin across the back, knocking him clear off the bridge.
  The stranger drew back his staff and looked over the side of the bridge.  
  He broke into laughter.
  ‘Where have you gone?’ he called out. ‘Are you tired out already?’
  ‘Down here,’ Robin replied, ‘cooling my head in the water. I fear I have to 
  concede defeat.’
  He pulled himself out of the brook by grabbing hold of an overhanging 
  thorn bush, then blew a loud blast on his horn. The horn’s call brought the 
  Merry Men running through the woods to their leader.
  ‘Why are you soaked?’ one of them asked Robin.
  Robin replied that, ‘This fellow knocked me into the brook.’
  The Merry Men swarmed on to the bridge and grabbed the giant before 
  he could react.
  ‘He could use a wash himself,’ they cried, dragging the big man to the edge.
  Just as the outlaws were about to dunk the stranger into the brook, Robin 
  had a change of heart, and called out, ‘Stop!’ He told the stranger that, ‘No 
  one will hurt a man who won a bout fair and square.’
  Then, reminding his men that they could always use someone who was 
  so handy in a fight, Robin offered the man a place in his band, along with 
  everything he might need to live in the forest with the outlaws. The offer 
  included a bow and lessons on how to use it. The stranger immediately 
  accepted the olive branch and promised to obey Robin’s command. He then 
  introduced himself as John Little.
  Robin Hood statue outside 
  of Nottingham Castle. 
  Photographed by Mike Peel. 
  (www.mikepeel.net)
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  40
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  41
  Later, as the Merry Men were feasting in the forest with their new recruit, 
  Will Scarlett offered to act as John Little’s archery teacher. He added with 
  a touch of irony, that in respect of his size, they should call the new outlaw 
  ‘Little John’. Robin gave the newly christened Merry Man some new green 
  clothes and a huge bow. He then told Little John of the history of the Merry 
  Men and of their free-living lifestyle. The presentation concluded, the men 
  returned to their feast and celebrated well into the night.
  The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield
  Robin Hood, Will Scarlett, and Little John went on a visit to Wakefield.  
  As they approached the town gates, they heard the town pinder claim that 
  not even a knight or squire could enter the town without his permission. This 
  was a bold claim for a pinder, whose actual job was to round up stray animals, 
  though they sometimes took on the mantle of a local keeper of law and order.
  The pinder was sitting under a thorn-bush, and so was unaware of the 
  approach of three outlaws from the forest until Robin cleared his throat. The 
  pinder looked up in surprise at his visitors, but quickly composed himself and 
  told them to turn around, because they had come over the cornfields and thus 
  avoided the King’s highway and his toll. Robin Hood laughed, pointing out 
  that the pinder was outnumbered three to one, but the pinder was made of 
  sterner stuff than his oafish bragging might otherwise have suggested.
  Drawing his sword, the pinder stood with his back to the thorn-bush, and 
  set his foot on a large stone. The three outlaws needed no further invite; they 
  held tight their bucklers and drew their swords. They launched themselves 
  at the pinder, but the fight did not go according to Robin’s plan. The pinder 
  fought hard, parrying the outlaws’ attacks and giving as good as he got in 
  return. Because he had the thorn-bush at his back, they could not surround 
  or outflank him, and so their numerical advantage was somewhat neutralized.
  On and on the fight went, into the heat of the summer’s day, until Robin 
  finally called a halt.
  Robin and Little John on the Bridge (opposite)
  In this painting, the young Robin Hood set out 
  from the outlaw camp for a lone ramble through the 
  forest and encountered the hulking and combative John 
  Little on a log bridge. His first instinct was to draw his 
  bow, but John persuaded him to lay it aside and cut 
  himself a quarterstaff to make the contest equal. Robin, 
  as usual, is bested and gets a ducking, but this was just 
  the beginning of his stormy relationship with his most 
  trusted and most quarrelsome henchman.
  No set of Robin Hood illustrations could be 
  complete without a treatment of this famous encounter. 
  The simple bridge may have spanned the stream for 
  fifty years and become overgrown. Robin, always over-
  confident in sporting combats with the local hard-men, 
  quickly realises that he’s in hot water and will soon be in 
  the cold stuff.
  - Peter Dennis
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  42
  ‘This must be the toughest pinder in England,’ he exclaimed. He then 
  offered the official a place amongst the Merry Men.
  The pinder readily accepted the offer. ‘I have no love nor loyalty for  
  my current master,’ he told Robin, ‘but I must stay until after Michaelmas, 
  when I will receive my pay.’ Robin was agreeable to the pinder’s compromise. 
  The men shared some bread and ale at the gatehouse, and then Robin and his 
  companions said their goodbyes to the pinder, until they would meet again in 
  the forest.
  Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
  On a perfect day in the forest, Robin Hood’s Merry Men were in high spirits, 
  taking the time for sport as well as to practice their archery skills. Robin, 
  Much the Miller’s Son, Little John, and Will Scarlett decided to hunt deer, 
  but at the same time to show off their bowmanship to each other. They soon 
  began to stalk a likely herd of deer, and Will Scarlett lined up the first shot.
  Robin Hood and the Beggar. 
  Beggars frequently appear 
  in the stories of Robin Hood 
  and very often turn out to 
  be tougher than they look. 
  In the most famous tale, 
  Robin Hood beats a beggar 
  in a fight, then borrows his 
  clothes so he can try out the 
  lifestyle. Artwork by Peter 
  Dennis.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  43
  Scarlett brought down a buck with his first arrow, 
  then Much killed a doe with another. Little John 
  topped both of them, however, by piercing the heart of 
  a deer at a range of 500 feet. Robin was so impressed 
  by Little John’s shooting that he said he would ride 100 
  miles to see a shot as good as that one.
  Will Scarlett laughed. ‘No need to ride quite so 
  far,’ he said. ‘I know of a friar at Fountains Abbey who 
  could beat both of you and all the Merry Men.’
  ‘Prove it,’ Robin replied, and he swore that he would 
  neither eat nor drink until he had seen for himself what 
  the friar could do. Gathering 50 men from their camp, 
  Robin and the others set off for Fountains Abbey.
  As they approached the Abbey grounds, Robin 
  stationed his men in a stand of ferns, commanding 
  them to listen for the sound of his horn. He then 
  carried on alone, until he came to a fast flowing river 
  near the Abbey. Robin moved along the riverbank  
  until he found a convenient ford, and there he spotted 
  a friar. Robin asked for the friar’s help in crossing the river, because he was a 
  weary traveller.
  The charitable friar happily took Robin Hood onto his back and carried 
  him across. Once they reached the other side, however, the friar recognized 
  the outlaw. Drawing his sword, the friar ordered Robin to carry him back. 
  Robin had no choice but to obey and waded back through the water with the 
  friar on his back. When he put the friar down, Robin quickly drew his own 
  sword and demanded to be carried back across the river a second time.
  The friar pretended to fear the outlaw’s sword, and, with a mischievous 
  gleam in his eye, presented his back for Robin to climb on. This time, though, 
  when the friar reached the middle of the ford, he suddenly dumped Robin off 
  his back and into the deeper part of the river.
  ‘Now you have a choice of crossings: sink or swim.’
  Robin swam to the bank where he’d left his bow, while the friar walked back 
  to the same bank and grabbed his buckler. Robin loosed an arrow, which stuck 
  in the friar’s shield. The friar laughed and told Robin, ‘You can shoot all day if 
  you want, I can collect all your arrows.’ Robin drew another arrow and loosed, 
  then another, and another. The friar’s shield caught or deflected them all.
  Out of ammunition, Robin drew his sword and advanced upon the friar. 
  For six hours, the two men exchanged blows, splashing back and forth across 
  the riverbank until the exhausted Robin could take no more and fell to his 
  knees. Gasping for air, he begged a moment’s truce. The friar granted his 
  request, drawing back warily from his assailant. Robin quickly grabbed his 
  horn and blew three blasts on it.
  The first meeting between 
  Robin Hood and Friar Tuck is 
  reputed to have taken place 
  near Fountains Abbey in 
  North Yorkshire. (PD)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  44
  Almost immediately, the Merry Men appeared, 
  drawn by their leader’s signal, with their weapons drawn 
  and ready for action. The friar, who had expected the 
  outlaw to have no more than a couple of men with 
  him, realized that he had made a grave tactical error. 
  He asked Robin for permission to whistle for help of 
  his own. With so many of his men behind him, Robin 
  was not worried by any threats coming from the friar, 
  so he granted the request.
  The friar put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. 
  Soon, 50 fierce hunting-dogs bounded up to the 
  combatants, circling around the Merry Men.
  The friar turned to Robin, and said, ‘I have a dog for 
  each of your forest  wolves.’
  ‘I’d rather face three dogs or three wolves than spend 
  more hours fighting you,’ Robin replied, ‘but if you 
  hold your dogs at bay, I’d rather count you a friend 
  than shed either of our blood.’
  The friar whistled again and the dogs lay down. 
  Robin offered the friar a place amongst his Merry Men 
  for which he would pay a Noble and guarantee a change 
  of clothes on every holy day thereafter. The friar, whose 
  name was Tuck, accepted Robin’s generous offer and 
  left Fountains Abbey with him to join the outlaw band.
  Robin Hood and the Bishop
  The sun was shining bright in the forest on the day that Robin Hood 
  completely fooled a bishop and took the man for every penny he had. Robin 
  had begun the day with a walk through the woods, looking for a way to pass 
  the time. Through the trees, he saw a flash of metal and went to investigate. 
  Spying from the undergrowth near a road through the forest, he saw a bishop 
  in all his finery, accompanied by a large retinue of monks, grooms, pages, and 
  guards. Alone, and on the wrong side of this armed force from his Merry Men, 
  Robin decided that discretion was the better part of valour.
  Nearby was a small cottage where an old woman lived. Robin had once 
  given her shoes and warm clothes when the winter was cold. Robin ran to the 
  cottage to ask the woman for help. The old woman was naturally suspicious 
  of this stranger and asked who he was.
  ‘It’s Robin Hood,’ he said, and she recognized her benefactor’s voice at 
  once. With no time to lose, Robin told her that he needed her assistance 
  to get around the Bishop and his entourage. Robin and the woman quickly 
  changed clothes, so that Robin wore the woman’s grey cloak, and she wore his 
  customary Lincoln green.
  Friar Tuck and Richard the 
  Lionheart from a 19th century 
  edition of Walter Scott's 
  Ivanhoe. (PD_US)
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  45
  Disguised as the old woman, Robin was able to slip past the Bishop’s men 
  without arousing their suspicion. Once past them, he ran back to where his 
  Merry Men were camped.
  The Bishop’s men, meanwhile, had arrived at the old woman’s house, 
  where the Bishop caught sight of a figure in Lincoln green skulking around. 
  Thinking that he had spotted Robin Hood, he sent his men into the cabin 
  to seize the notorious outlaw. The guards rushed forward and burst into the 
  cabin, where they found a figure with a green hood drawn down over its 
  face. Thinking it was Robin, the Bishop’s men bound the old woman’s hands 
  behind her and bustled her out of the cabin.
  When they emerged from the cabin, dragging their still hooded captive 
  behind them, the Bishop was so delighted that he ordered his prisoner thrown 
  onto a white horse without checking to make sure it actually was who he 
  thought it was. Delighted at the reward they would be able to claim, the 
  Bishop’s men turned for home.
  As the Bishop and his retinue rode, they noticed an increasing rustling in the 
  woods all around, which made them nervous. Suddenly, 100 bowmen appeared 
  all around, some standing on the ground, others balancing in the branches of the 
  trees. The startled Bishop demanded to know the identity of these newcomers. 
  To his considerable surprise, the answer came from his captive.
  ‘I think you’ll find it might be Robin Hood and his Merry Men.’
  ‘But you’re Robin Hood,’ the Bishop exclaimed, pulling the hood from his 
  prisoner’s head. When he saw that the face under the hood was that of an old 
  woman, the Bishop, now thoroughly confused, asked his captive who she was.
  Robin Hood himself then stepped out in front of his men, saying, ‘Why, 
  it’s the old woman who lives in the cabin near the road, of course.’
  While the Merry Men helped the old woman down, Robin took control of 
  the Bishop’s horse and tied it to a tree. He then took the Bishop’s mantle and 
  laid it on the ground, before emptying the Bishop’s purses and saddlebags on 
  top of it. The total haul came to 500 pounds, which his men swiftly bore away. 
  His business done, Robin ordered the 
  Bishop released. Little John had a more 
  amusing idea, however, and suggested 
  that the Bishop be tied to the tree as 
  well, so that he could sing the Merry 
  Men a Mass. The bishop had no 
  choice and said Mass for the outlaws, 
  but one last indignity remained. 
  When the Mass was over, Robin sat 
  the bound Bishop backwards on his 
  horse and handed him the horse’s tail.
  Thus humiliated, the Bishop was 
  free to go.
  A woodcut of Robin and his 
  men robbing the Bishop. 
  (Mary Evans Picture Library 
  / Alamy)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  46
  The Outlaw Life
  Even though we do not know precisely when Robin 
  Hood lived, he certainly did so during violent times. 
  Indeed, outlaws like Robin and his Merry Men helped 
  generate a hostile environment that ebbed and flowed 
  throughout the Middle Ages. Moreover, people then, 
  as now, worried about rising crime rates, and differing 
  methods and processes were deployed to tighten up on 
  law and order. That was often easier said than done, 
  however, because of the periodic political disruptions 
  that led to civil unrest and sometimes open warfare. It is 
  instructive that two periods often associated with Robin 
  Hood, the 1260s and 1320s, witnessed open rebellions 
  against the Crown followed by a turbulent aftermath.
  A second factor in driving men to crime was the 
  state of the economy, and, in particular, the quality 
  of the harvest. Adding to the problem was the fact 
  that corruption amongst local officials could produce 
  more problems than those outside the law. In such 
  circumstances, outlaws became instruments of unofficial 
  justice and were lauded as heroes by the powerless and 
  downtrodden, of which there were many.
  Although ballads like those celebrating Robin Hood 
  often make the outlaw life seem glamorous, the truth 
  was that being an outlaw was an extremely precarious 
  existence. Only men could be declared outlaw, 
  presumably because only men had enough legal rights 
  to be deprived of them.
  The punishment was also much worse than it 
  sounds because outlaws had no rights at all. The word 
  ‘outlaw’ itself meant that a man had been placed outside 
  of the protection of the law, meaning he could receive 
  no help from anyone, as helping an outlaw was illegal, 
  and that anyone could kill him with impunity. There 
  was no punishment for killing an outlaw. There were, 
  moreover, bounties for capturing outlaws, who would 
  then more often than not face the hangman’s noose. 
  However, local officials could not be too free with the 
  rope for fear of stirring civil unrest; thus, it was often 
  in their best interests to pardon an outlaw or accept 
  payment of a fine. Also, of course, men hanging at 
  the end of ropes could not line the pockets of corrupt 
  officials out to enrich themselves.
  Outlaws banded together for protection as well as 
  to carry out more crimes, and they did so as far away as 
  possible from the civil society that had rejected them. 
  A forest as large and wild as Sherwood was an ideal 
  defensible refuge for an outlaw gang such as the Merry 
  Men. This was particularly true for outlaws who had 
  been refused a pardon or who could not afford to pay a 
  fine or a bribe.
  Organized gangs could create serious headaches for 
  local authorities. In the 1320s, the Folville and Coterel 
  gangs terrorized the North Midlands during the chaotic 
  collapse of Edward II’s reign and in the wake of the 
  failed rebellion of Thomas of Lancaster. Both gangs 
  A 1920 illustration of Robin Hood and his men poaching a 
  dear from the King’s Forest. (Ivy Close Images / Alamy)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  47
  Robin Hood and Allan-a-Dale
  One day, on his way to the meeting tree in the forest, Robin Hood noticed 
  an excited young man in the distance, approaching through some fields.  
  The stranger was dressed entirely in red, and was singing to himself as he 
  skipped and danced his way across the fields and, eventually, out of sight.
  Robin saw the stranger again the next morning, but this time the bright 
  scarlet clothes, and the dancing, were gone, and the man trudged along, sighing 
  and complaining to himself about some misfortune. Overcome by curiosity, 
  Robin sent Little John and Much the Miller’s Son after the man to investigate.
  The stranger was wary at the approach of these two outlaws. He carried 
  a bow, so he nocked an arrow in readiness, and asked the two newcomers to 
  identify themselves.
  They would not give their names, but said, ‘We mean you no harm.  
  Our master sent us to bring you to meet him.’
  With little choice but to accept the pair’s demand, the stranger accompanied 
  them into the woods, where he came before Robin.
  ‘Do you have any money to spare for we poor men of the forest?’ the 
  outlaw leader asked courteously. ‘Only five shillings,’ the stranger replied, 
  ‘and the ring that I have kept these seven years, for my wedding day.’ Robin 
  wondered when that date was to be, and the man replied, ‘Yesterday was to 
  have been the day when I married my lovely maid.’ This explained the singing 
  and dancing of the previous day, Robin realized. So why was the man too sad 
  today? ‘She has been taken from me by the Bishop,’ he said, ‘and promised 
  caused mayhem for the usual reasons of greed and local 
  power, but, on at least one occasion, the Coterels acted 
  on behalf of their local cathedral chapter at Lichfield.
  Clerical involvement in crime was relatively common 
  in the Medieval period. Robin Hood’s confrontations 
  with clerics and bishops would have been welcomed by 
  many in a time when the Church was given so many 
  privileges, and its officials could sidestep the law so 
  easily. Abuse of power and patronage was rife amongst 
  senior clergy, and many employed violent methods to 
  further their temporal ambitions.
  Ultimately, there were many men in the 13th and 
  14th centuries like Robin Hood, and perhaps one 
  who originally operated under that name managed 
  to spark a legend. It was an era when it was relatively 
  easy to fall foul of the law and therefore be outlawed, 
  especially when many local law enforcement officials 
  were as corrupt as the sheriffs of Nottingham in the 
  legend and myth. Once outlawed, Robin’s life was all 
  but forfeit, and he took to the forest where he met men 
  in similar desperate situations. He became their leader, 
  and his gang, the Merry Men, lived off the land through 
  poaching and acquired wealth by deploying violence and 
  robbery against the Sheriff and corrupt Church officials.
  However, as the legend tells us, Robin Hood enforced 
  stringent rules about who was a legitimate target and who 
  should be left unmolested. That he did not take from 
  the rich to give to the poor, as is claimed in the myth, 
  misses the point that Robin had standards and scruples; 
  that he did not exploit the already overburdened lower 
  classes. Honest men and women, first in England and 
  now around the world, have understood, respected, and, 
  in the end, venerated the great outlaw’s struggle ever 
  since in their ballads, stories, plays, and most recently in 
  movies and television series.
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  48
  to an old knight instead.’ Robin asked the 
  name of the broken-hearted young man, 
  to which he answered, ‘Allan-a-Dale.’
  Robin thought for a moment before 
  asking, ‘What would Allan-a-Dale give to 
  get his true love back?’
  ‘I have no money to give, but I promise 
  to be Robin Hood’s true servant if he will 
  help me.’
  Robin asked him how far it was to the 
  church, and when Allan-a-Dale replied 
  that it was five miles away, Robin knew 
  he would have to act quickly. He was 
  determined to save Allan-a-Dale’s bride 
  from her fate and gain a new member of 
  the Merry Men in the bargain. Snatching 
  up his weapons, Robin bolted from the 
  meeting place and ran full-tilt, sprinting 
  across the fields and stopping for nothing 
  and no one.
  When Robin Hood burst into the 
  church, the Bishop, who was getting ready to officiate the wedding, demanded 
  to know who he was to interrupt the Bishop’s work. Robin replied that he was 
  the best harpist in the whole of the North Country and had come to play  
  at the wedding. That pleased the Bishop greatly, but Robin said he could  
  not possibly begin to play until he saw the bride and bridegroom on their 
  happy day.
  Just then, the doors opened and in walked a wealthy old knight. Behind 
  him followed a beautiful young woman with hair that shone like gold. Robin 
  looked the couple up and down, and then made his pronouncement.
  ‘This couple could scarcely be called a fit match. The bride should make 
  her own choice for a husband.’ Robin darted to the door, took out his horn, 
  and blew three blasts. This brought to him two-dozen bowmen at the run, 
  with Allan-a-Dale at their head. They had followed Robin’s course across the 
  fields.
  While the bowmen held the Bishop’s retinue and the knight’s retinue at 
  arrow-point, Robin pointed to the bride.
  ‘This maid chose Allan-a-Dale for her husband, and they will be married 
  before anyone departs this church.’
  ‘The woman and Allan-a-Dale have not gone through the proper process 
  to be married,’ the Bishop protested. ‘Church law says they were supposed to  
  ask three times in church if anyone has any objections to their matrimony.  
  They have not done so.’
  Robin Hood interrupts a 
  wedding in order to help 
  Allan-a-Dale in this drawing 
  by Howard Pyle.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  49
  Unimpressed with the cleric’s officiousness, 
  Robin Hood pulled off the Bishop’s cloak and 
  placed it around Little John’s shoulders.
  ‘What has our new Bishop to say to that?’  
  he asked.
  The big man then marched round the 
  church and asked seven times for objections, 
  much to the amusement of the congregation. 
  Little John then asked who would give away the 
  maid to be married. Robin stepped forward to 
  announce that he would, and added that any 
  man who tried to take her from Allan-a-Dale 
  would answer to him.
  The wedding was a joyous affair for all concerned, with the exceptions 
  of the humiliated Bishop and the jilted old knight. When the ceremony 
  had concluded, the unusual wedding party disappeared into the forest, for a 
  woodland honeymoon.
  Robin Hood’s Golden Prize
  Robin Hood’s legendary trickery was in full force on the day he dressed as 
  a friar and set off into the forest to have some fun with the clergy. Leaving 
  nothing about his disguise to chance, Robin dressed in a full clerical gown, 
  complete with hood, prayer beads and crucifix.
  After strolling for a couple of miles, Robin saw two priests approaching 
  and decided to greet them as a fellow man of the cloth. When he hailed the 
  unsuspecting priests, he told them that he had been wandering all day but 
  could not find anything to eat or even get a drink.
  ‘Could my fellow brothers in the cloth spare me a silver groat,’ he asked, 
  ‘in the name of the Virgin Mary?’
  The two priests claimed hurriedly that they had no money, because the 
  notorious outlaw Robin Hood had robbed them that very morning.
  The notorious outlaw, who had certainly not yet robbed anyone this day, 
  now revealed himself to the astonished priests and called them liars. The two 
  clerics immediately turned and ran, but Robin was quickly on their heels and 
  soon caught up to them. Grabbing them by their hoods, he dragged them to 
  the ground. The two priests cowered from his wrath, and begged Robin to 
  spare them.
  ‘You did just tell me you had no money with which to buy my favour,’ the 
  outlaw reminded them. ‘The best thing you can do would be to pray for some 
  to turn up, and soon.’
  The priests immediately knelt and prayed loudly to God to send them 
  some money.
  According to local folklore, 
  the massive, Major Oak in 
  the heart of Sherwood Forest 
  was the site of Robin Hood 
  and the Merry Men’s main 
  encampment. (PD)
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  51
  Robin sang little songs to himself while he watched the men praying, but 
  after an hour he ended the charade, having grown bored with it.
  ‘Shall we see what money God has sent in answer to your prayers?’ he suggested.
  He ordered the priests to search through their clothes and place down on 
  the ground anything they found.
  ‘We shall share fairly anything that God had sent,’ Robin promised. The priests 
  did as they were instructed and searched themselves, but produced no money. 
  Annoyed at their continued dissembling, Robin roughly searched both priests.  
  He found coin after coin until 500 gold pieces lay on the grass at their feet.
  Robin was delighted.
  ‘Thanks to your most excellent prayers,’ he said, ‘God has provided, and 
  so you may each take one share of the gold.’ Robin gave both of them 50 
  pounds, but the priests could only sigh at their overall misfortune. The two 
  chastened clerics backed away and turned to leave, but Robin was not quite 
  finished with them. He made them swear three oaths before he allowed them 
  to go on their way. The first oath was that they would never tell lies again; the 
  second was that they would never tempt young women to sin, and nor would 
  they cheat on husbands with their wives; finally, they were to take an oath to 
  be charitable to the poor, and that they were to tell anyone who asked that 
  they met with a true holy friar.
  Having administered his lesson to the priests, Robin let them go about 
  their business, while he returned into the forest, having taken care of his.
  Robin Hood and Queen Catherine
  Queen Catherine and the King were sitting in their garden one afternoon, 
  when he asked if there was any entertainment she would like for him to 
  Robin and Friar Tuck (opposite)
  Robin sets out with a few companions to seek out the 
  curtal Friar – one who wears his robes tucked into 
  his belt – perhaps his name refers to this. Robin goes 
  forward alone to meet him at ‘Fountains Abbey’ which 
  Howard Pyle explains isn’t the big one in Yorkshire, but 
  a much smaller one in Sherwood Forest. There is indeed 
  still an area in Sherwood that the locals call Fountain 
  Dale, although how Pyle could have known this in his 
  home of Wilmington, Delaware is just another part of 
  his mystique.
  The jovial episode of Robin and Tuck carrying each 
  other across the stream is often illustrated in treatments 
  for children, but the tale takes a darker turn when, 
  during the sword-fight that ensues, the Friar whistles 
  up his pack of hunting dogs. Pyle has him do this in 
  response to Robin calling his companions with his horn, 
  but earlier tales make them seem more like the fighting 
  dogs of yore. They are, in any case, a part of Tuck’s 
  armoury and Robin, as usual, has to beat a hasty retreat.
  Tuck, one of the very few clerical characters in the 
  tales who is not grasping and corrupt, famously joins 
  the outlaw band, presumably dogs and all. They seem to 
  have been dropped from later filmic treatments where 
  Tuck loses his fierce edge and often becomes the comedy 
  relief of the Merry Men.
  - Peter Dennis
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  52
  arrange. The Queen asked for an archery competition the likes of which had 
  never been seen and suggested that they should make a bet on the outcome. 
  The King, amused, said he would go easy on her and would stake 300 barrels 
  of wine, 300 barrels of beer, and 300 of his best deer that his chosen archer 
  would win.
  The Queen readily accepted this wager, because she had a plan up her 
  sleeve. She went straight to her chambers and called for her page, Partington.
  ‘Make ready to travel with all speed to Nottingham,’ she told him, ‘where 
  you shall scour the countryside to find Robin Hood. When you have found 
  him, give this ring to the outlaw, and tell him that it is safe to come to London.’
  She explained the bet she had made with the King and she wanted Robin 
  Hood to represent her. Partington was soon on his way north.
  Partington’s first port of call in Nottingham was at an inn, where he 
  ordered a glass of wine and offered a toast to the Queen. A yeoman sidled up 
  and asked him his business this far north.
  ‘I have come in search of Robin Hood,’ he replied.
  ‘Robin Hood?’ the yeoman echoed. ‘Come by tomorrow morning, and I’ll 
  see that you’re taken to meet him.’
  Partington was up bright and early the next day and, as promised, the 
  yeoman led him into the forest. It did not take long before they came to the 
  outlaw stronghold, and when he was introduced to Robin Hood, Partington 
  fell immediately to his knees. He offered the Queen’s greetings and gave the 
  outlaw leader her ring. He then asked Robin if he 
  would travel to London to represent the Queen in the 
  archery contest.
  In reply, Robin gave the page his cloak of Lincoln 
  green.
  ‘Take this to the Queen as my token of acceptance.’
  He then added that if he lost the contest, he would 
  pay the Queen’s losses himself.
  Robin Hood next had to decide which of his 
  Merry Men would accompany him to London for 
  the contest and who would stay behind. Little John 
  was Robin’s first choice, of course, and then Much the 
  Miller’s Son, and Will Scarlett. Soon, Robin and his 
  small entourage left for London, suitably attired for 
  their Royal duty. Robin had dressed himself in scarlet, 
  and his party of men in Lincoln green. All of them 
  wore black hats with white feathers and carried yew 
  bows with silk strings and engraved arrows.
  When Robin and his band reached London, the 
  Queen personally welcomed him to the city, with the 
  words ‘Greetings to my Lord of Loxley,’ in order to 
  A painting by N.C. Wyeth of 
  the first meeting between 
  Robin Hood and Maid Marian. 
  In later versions of the stories, 
  Marian often takes the place 
  of the Queen at the archery 
  tournament. (PARIS PIERCE / 
  Alamy)
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  53
  keep his true identity a secret. The Queen then went to speak to the King in 
  his private chambers. She confessed to him that she had been unable to find 
  a single archer in her Royal court that would accept the challenge to shoot 
  against the King’s men.
  The King nodded, acknowledging that, ‘My archers are the best in England. 
  Only Robin Hood could even hope to compete with them.’
  The Queen, enjoying his unknowing irony, promptly doubled her bet 
  against the over-confident King.
  The Royal party then made their way to Finsbury, where the competition 
  would be held.
  When they arrived at Finsbury, the King called over a man named Tempest.
  ‘This shall be my champion archer,’ he told the Queen. ‘There is no finer 
  archer in the service of England, Spain, or France,’ he boasted.
  The Queen responded by presenting her champion.
  ‘This is Loxley.’
  She tapped her archer three times on the head, and warned, ‘Pay heed because 
  this man is just as good as your champion.’
  Tensions between the competitors rose immediately when the King 
  ordered Tempest to measure out the distance at which he wanted to shoot.
  At this point, Robin stepped boldly forward to claim that, ‘No measures 
  will be necessary, your Grace, because we will shoot at the sun and the moon.’  
  At that, Little John broke into the bragging to suggest a distance of 300 yards. 
  That was agreeable to all and the archers prepared for the competition.
  In the first round, Robin Hood, Little John, and Much all let fly at their 
  targets, but the King’s archers beat them on every shot, immediately taking a 
  three to nil lead. The ladies-in-waiting cried to their Queen that the contest 
  was lost, but the Queen remained remarkably confident. She asked the King 
  if two of his privy councillors might want to lay a bet for her team. The King 
  looked round for two volunteers, granting permission for them to bet with his 
  Queen. The Queen called upon Sir Richard of the Lea who she knew to be a 
  good knight and descended from the knights of Arthur’s Round Table. He, of 
  course, was also a good friend to Robin Hood, though he hadn’t recognized 
  the outlaw in his disguise as Loxley.
  The Queen also called for the Bishop of Hereford to bet on her side, but 
  he would have none of it.
  The Bishop scoffed, and said, ‘I would not bet a single penny on a bunch 
  of unknown archers from the north against the King’s finest.’
  Overhearing this, Robin approached the Bishop, whom he recognized as 
  the man that he had tied to a tree and forced to say Mass for his men.
  He asked, ‘If you won’t bet on me, then what would you bet against me?’
  ‘I will stake the entire contents of my purse,’ the Bishop replied.  
  When Robin inquired just how much the Bishop carried, the cleric laid out 
  300 Nobles, which came to 100 pounds. Robin took the bet.
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  54
  The arrows flew once more, and, after the second round, the score was tied 
  at three apiece. ‘Your champions’ fortunes have changed,’ the King remarked to 
  the Queen, ‘but there are still three points to play for, and Tempest is up next.’
  Indeed, Tempest loosed next, a perfect shot that placed in the exact dead-
  centre of the target. The King was delighted, and no one could see how that 
  shot could possibly be beaten. Determined not to let the Queen down, Robin 
  stepped up to the mark, drew the bowstring to his ear, took aim down the 
  length of the clothyard shaft, and loosed.
  The speeding arrow struck in the exact same spot as Tempest’s arrow, 
  splitting the shaft of that arrow into three pieces to get to it. After the second 
  of the King’s archers had his final shot, Little John took his, and he also split 
  his opponent’s arrow. Will Scarlett strode forward, bowed to the Queen, and 
  then let fly – his arrow struck dead-centre in the bullseye. When the shock of 
  defeat hit Tempest, he rushed to the King.
  ‘Your Grace, only men trained by the outlaw Robin Hood himself could 
  have out-shot my men and I,’ he complained. It was now time for the Queen 
  to reveal her surprise.
  Robin and Marian by James 
  Edwin McConnell. Maid 
  Marian is one of the later 
  additions to the story of 
  Robin Hood and thus does 
  not appear in the early 
  legends or myths. When 
  she does finally appear, she 
  is originally treated equally 
  with the other Merry Men. It 
  is only later, in the late 19th 
  and 20th centuries that she 
  is softened and more often 
  presented as a damsel in 
  distress. (Look and Learn / 
  The Bridgeman Art Library)
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  55
  Before the Queen told the King the truth, she asked for his forgiveness 
  in advance to be extended to any of her archers. Curious, he promised her 
  that if they had done anything wrong, they would have 40 days to make 
  their getaway, and then another 80 days of freedom before any attempt would 
  be made to arrest them. Satisfied with her husband’s answer, the Queen 
  introduced her champion and his men.
  ‘May I present Robin Hood, of Sherwood Forest, his Lieutenant, John 
  Little, Much, and Will Scarlett.’
  The Bishop of Hereford was especially stunned by this revelation, because 
  he had not recognized the outlaw who had captured him, bound him to a tree, 
  and made him sing a Mass.
  ‘Had I known you,’ the Bishop spluttered, ‘I would have raised the alarm, 
  not made a bet.’
  ‘I was very pleased with your Mass,’ Robin said. ‘So pleased, in fact, you 
  may have half my winnings from you as compensation.’
  Little John intervened, telling Robin Hood that they would be better 
  served giving the money to the King’s officers.
  Having won the contest for the Queen, and been granted safe conduct 
  and a period of grace by the King, the outlaws left to return to their northern 
  forest home.
  The Death of Robin Hood
  For 22 years, Robin Hood lived in his beloved forest, rarely leaving for fear 
  of the King’s revenge for leaving his sworn service. It would not be the King, 
  however, but Robin’s cousin that would bring him down in the end.
  Robin Hood and Little John were 
  hunting in the woods one morning, 
  when Robin complained of feeling weak. 
  The solution, he decided, was to ask his 
  cousin, who lived at nearby Kirklees 
  Abbey, to bleed him, because that was 
  the best way to release the evil humours 
  from his body. When they returned to 
  the Merry Men, and told them of Robin’s 
  decision, Will Scarlett shook his head.
  ‘If you truly must go to Kirklees, then 
  you should take at least 50 of our bowmen 
  with you. Roger of Doncaster lives in that 
  area, and he bears you ill will.’
  Robin would not hear of it. ‘I have no 
  fear of Red Roger,’ he insisted, and told 
  Scarlett that he was only going to take 
  Little John with him to carry his bow.
  The last arrow of Robin Hood 
  as drawn by Howard Pyle.
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  56
  ‘I’ll go with you,’ the big man agreed, ‘but you can carry your own bow! I 
  shall carry mine, and we will have a shooting contest.’
  Robin agreed, cheered by the thought, and the two men left alone.
  They had walked most of the day, and dusk was falling, when Little John 
  and Robin came to a dark stream, bridged by a wooden plank. An old woman 
  was kneeling on the plank, lamenting the fate of Robin Hood.
  Robin asked, ‘What fate is there to lament of Robin Hood? Have you 
  heard ominous reports of him?’
  ‘I weep because Robin is to be bled this day, and I fear for him.’
  Robin Hood arrives at 
  Kirklees Abbey where he is 
  greeted by a nun. In the early 
  tales of Robin, there is no 
  motivation given for why the 
  nun, who is Robin’s cousin, 
  ends up killing the outlaw. 
  (Look and Learn / The 
  Bridgeman Art Library)
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  57
  Robin was perplexed but reassured the old woman. ‘I am Robin Hood, 
  and the Prioress of the Abbey is my cousin, and she would do me no harm.’
  He and Little John were soon on their way again.
  When they reached the Abbey, Robin asked Little John to wait outside in 
  the grounds, then knocked on the door. The Prioress herself came to the door, 
  invited Robin in, and told him to make himself comfortable.
  The outlaw gave her 20 pounds, promised her more if she should need 
  it, and then explained that he was feeling weak and needed to be bled. The 
  Prioress left to fetch her bleeding-knives, but was soon back and making Robin 
  ready by rolling up his sleeve. She began the bleeding, and Robin’s blood soon 
  poured into a dish placed beneath his arm. The bleeding continued until Robin 
  realized too late that he had bled too much. Realizing his danger, he knocked 
  the dish away and tried to climb out through the window, but he was too weak. 
  Then Robin reached for his horn and blew on it three times to call for help.
  Little John heard Robin’s horn-blasts, but the lack of strength in the notes 
  worried him greatly. He ran to the Abbey’s entrance and crashed through 
  the locked doors in a shower of splintered wood. He found Robin in distress 
  at being tricked by his cousin. Robin told Little John of the danger he was 
  in, and, grabbing his sword, he again tried to leave by climbing out of the 
  window. Before he could get there, however, Red Roger burst into the room 
  and stabbed Robin in the side. Robin was not yet finished, though; he side-
  stepped Red Roger’s next cut, before slashing a gaping wound into his neck.
  The Prioress shrieked as Roger of Doncaster fell, and dropped to her knees 
  to hold him in her arms as he expired.
  ‘My love,’ she cried, and now Robin understood why she had tricked him.
  Looking down at the fatally wounded man, Robin told him, ‘The dogs will 
  have you for their supper. We might both be bled to death, but at least I will 
  receive the last rites.’
  Knowing that he was dying, Robin turned to Little John and asked the big 
  outlaw to administer the last rites to him.
  ‘Let me burn down the Abbey instead,’ John replied. Robin shook his head.
  ‘I have never done harm to women, and God would not forgive me if we 
  did so now.’ Instead, Robin asked Little John to pass him his bow, so that he 
  could shoot an arrow through the window.
  ‘Wherever in the grounds this arrow lands,’ he said, ‘should be my grave. 
  A proper grave, so that people will always remember where Robin Hood is 
  buried, here in this Abbey.’
  Finally he added, ‘And bury my bow beside me.’
  Little John agreed, and, with that, Robin nocked an arrow and let it fly through 
  the open window before slumping down, succumbing to the loss of blood from 
  both the Prioress’s bleeding, and the wound that Red Roger had given him.
  Little John honoured his friend’s last wish and Robin Hood lies there still 
  in the grounds of Kirklees Abbey.
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  Robin Hood’s 
  World
  Who was Robin Hood?
  If we believe there was a historical Robin Hood, who was he? Reading the 
  legend, it would seem that an outlaw of such fame would be easy to identify 
  in the records. The ravages of time, however, have worn holes in the historical 
  records, particularly those that might refer to a man of lower than noble status. 
  Moreover, both ‘Robin,’ ‘Hood,’ and their close variants were common names 
  in the Middle Ages, and our failure to pin down the exact dates for the outlaw 
  increases considerably the pool of candidates. Historians have therefore found 
  BELOW
  An illustration of Hereward 
  the Wake from Charles 
  Kingsley's book about the 
  hero.
  OPPOSITE
  A mid-19th century retelling 
  of the death of Robin Hood. 
  (Mary Evans Picture Library/
  Mark Furness)
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  60
  claimants for the original Robin Hood in the reigns of kings from John, who 
  took the throne in 1199, to Edward III, who died in 1377.
  Nevertheless, a few top contenders stand out from the rest.
  Hereward the Wake
  The earliest, and arguably most famous, candidate for the original Robin 
  Hood was Hereward the Wake. Hereward dates back to the years immediately 
  following the Norman invasion of 1066, when he led a pocket of resistance 
  from his base on the Isle of Ely, in modern-day Cambridgeshire. His most 
  famous exploit was the pillaging of Peterborough Abbey in 1071. That event, 
  at least, is historical, but much of what was written about Hereward’s exploits, 
  including his disguise as a potter to fool the Normans, is probably apocryphal.
  The Normans captured Hereward’s stronghold by treachery, and he 
  subsequently disappears from the record; although a Hereward does appear 
  in the Doomsday Book of 1087, suggesting some form of reconciliation or 
  Royal pardon. It might be that, while Hereward is an unlikely candidate for 
  Robin Hood himself, his exploits, as told in his biography De Gestis Herewardi 
  Saxonis, became part of the tales attributed to the outlaw of legend.
  Fulk fitzWarin
  Another outlaw whose exploits undoubtedly taint the Robin Hood legend was 
  Fulk fitzWarin. He was a Shropshire baron outlawed in 1200 for murdering 
  a rival claimant in a property dispute. For the next three years, fitzWarin ran 
  a bandit operation along the Welsh marches against the forces of King John. 
  The King pardoned him in 1203, but in 1215 fitzWarin joined the Baronial 
  Rebellion. Pardoned once more in 1217, fitzWarin lived out the rest of his life 
  peaceably. Like Robin Hood, fitzWarin became a subject of ballads, and many 
  of his alleged adventures became intertwined with those of the more famous 
  outlaw.
  William of Keynsham
  The First Baron’s War, fought between 1215 and 1217, casts up another 
  candidate for Robin Hood. On that occasion, the barons were in dire straits 
  and called on a French prince to displace King John and assume the throne. 
  The French promptly invaded and established control over a wide area of 
  England. They struggled in the Forest of Dean, however, because of the 
  remarkable resistance led by one William of Keynsham.
  William led nearly a thousand men in defying the French, killing 
  thousands of the invaders, cutting their supply lines, and launching surprise 
  attacks on their garrisons. William was lavishly rewarded by the King when 
  the French were finally defeated in 1217, receiving land and money for his 
  services. Thus, William became a heroic outlaw in charge of a band of archers, 
  fighting against tyranny. William of Keynsham’s candidacy might also help 
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  61
  explain the concentration of records relating to the surname Hood in South 
  East England, which is where William was most active.
  Roger Godberd
  The pivotal event that brings Robert Godberd to our attention as a suspect 
  was the Battle of Evesham in 1265. He fought for the rebellious upstart Earl 
  of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, against the forces of Henry III in the Second 
  Barons’ War. Godberd’s side lost disastrously, and de Montfort died in the 
  battle. That left men like Godberd without a leader, so he took to Sherwood 
  Forest with up to 100 men, to continue a guerrilla war for the lost cause.
  He led the local authorities a merry dance for four years before being caught 
  and jailed in Nottingham Castle. He escaped with the help of a knight named 
  A hand-coloured 19th century 
  woodcut depicting Robin 
  Hood and Little John. It is 
  unusual in its depiction of 
  Little John as a fully armoured 
  soldier. (North Wind Picture 
  Archives / Alamy)
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  62
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  63
  Richard Foliot. The knight would pay for aiding the outlaw by losing his 
  castle. Godberd went back to his outlaw ways but was recaptured and moved 
  around to various prisons while awaiting trial. When Edward I ascended the 
  throne, however, he pardoned Godberd, who apparently went on to live out 
  the rest of his life as a law-abiding citizen.
  Robert Hode of Wakefield
  Robert Hode of Wakefield appears a century after William of Keynsham.  
  He became a leading suspect when his name was uncovered in relation to the 
  northern progress of Edward II in 1323. Like Roger Godberd, Robert Hode took 
  up the outlaw life after being on the wrong side of a rebellion, and subsequent 
  military defeat, this time at Boroughbridge in 1322. This was a time of considerable 
  banditry in the north, and other candidates of that time have emerged to make 
  their case as being the origin of the Robin Hood legend.
  What makes Robert Hode different is that he appears in the records as a servant 
  of the King in 1324, and earlier, in 1316, when he was summoned to fight for the 
  Royal army under Earl Thomas of Lancaster, who led the 1322 rebellion. Thus it 
  is claimed that Edward II must have pardoned Robert Hode, for him to enter the 
  King’s service. If the records alluded to the same man then that would fit neatly 
  with the legend and make Robert Hode a strong candidate.
  The Best of the Rest
  Other candidates for the original Robin Hood abound, but, as befits men of the 
  forest, we catch only glimpses of them in the records.
  Alexander Robehood was a wanted man in Essex in 1272, while in that 
  same year John Rabunhood fled from a murder charge in Hampshire. Robert 
  The shooting match (opposite)
  For the agricultural medieval Englishman, the main 
  audience for the Robin Hood plays and ballads, archery 
  was an important part of life. More than just a sporting 
  pastime, it was his legal duty to spend time at the butts, 
  shooting with his pals from the village. He might have 
  preferred to play football, but quite often that was 
  banned by statute as a useless distraction. When the 
  local troops were called up, he had to be able to report in 
  with his bow and the skill to use it.
  Shooting matches, many of which feature in the 
  tales, were a festival of marksmanship, probably with all 
  the fun of the fair thrown in, and would draw archers 
  from a good distance around to try for the prize.
  Robin was often bested in hand-to-hand combat but 
  never in archery, and here he is disguised, according to 
  Pyle, as a one-eyed man in ragged scarlet.
  The contest is down to two men now. His opponent 
  has nailed his shaft to the very centre of the mark, but 
  Robin’s broadhead will split it from nock to pile to the 
  amazement of the gathering. The man in red will win 
  the silver arrow.
  Somehow, despite their frequent meetings, the 
  Sheriff fails to see through Robin’s disguise and hands 
  over the prize to the mysterious stranger.
  - Peter Dennis
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  64
  Robehood was another Hampshire criminal of the late 13th century. Thirty years 
  earlier a William Robehod plied his outlaw trade in Berkshire, though that was 
  not his real name. Potential Robin Hoods are found even earlier in the 1200s, at 
  Cirencester, and in County Durham.
  The Sheriff of York hunted a Robert of Wetherby in 1225, but he, like the rest 
  of our suspects, remains elusive when it comes to finding that actual evidence to 
  mark him as the Robin Hood of legend and myth.
  When was Robin Hood?
  One of the reasons why the Robin Hood legend endures so well is the lack of 
  specific references as to when he lived. It is timeless.
  There are no records of a real Robin Hood that match the description of the 
  famous outlaw, nor do we know of a Little John, Will Scarlett, Much the Miller’s 
  Son, or any of the Merry Men. Even the Sheriff of Nottingham is known only by 
  his title. In fact, there is not a single person in any of the ballads constituting the 
  original legends that historians can place with anything approaching certainty.
  We are left, then, with an exciting medieval fable, but the suspicion remains 
  that there was a real outlaw behind the legend, and that it might be easier to 
  trace his identity if only we knew for sure when he existed.
  The first definite reference we have for Robin Hood is a throwaway remark 
  in William Langland’s Piers Plowman, written in 1377. It is fair to surmise that 
  St. Mary's Church in 
  Edwinstow. According to later 
  myth, this is the site of the 
  marriage of Robin and Marian. 
  (Robin Weaver / Alamy)
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  65
  the legend of Robin Hood was widely enough circulated by then to make the 
  reference meaningful. The earliest surviving ballads, however, originate from the 
  15th century; therefore contamination of the oral record had had plenty of time 
  to seep into the text. As time passed, more ballads surfaced, with new details, 
  but tracing them back to the origins of the Robin Hood story becomes ever 
  more difficult. Placing Robin Hood into a specific chronology is, therefore, 
  extraordinarily difficult.
  The first attempts to fix Robin in history came in the early 15th century, 
  with two Scottish writers who placed him between 1266 and 1285. A little 
  later the first reference was posited to the reign of Richard the Lionheart, with 
  whom Robin is popularly associated.
  In the 17th century, antiquarians used a seemingly still-extant grave slab 
  at Kirklees Priory (Thought to be the Kirklees Abbey of the stories) to date 
  Robin’s death as either 1247, or 1198, but the slab is now lost, and modern 
  historians frown upon such things as lack of evidence. Writing in 1852, Joseph 
  Hunter calculated – on the basis of a single Royal progress, and recorded 
  names in Court Rolls – that Robin was active in the 1320s. Hunter’s date has 
  proved popular, but there is again no evidence to connect the names he found 
  to an outlaw of a similar name, and coincidence is not enough to convict.
  A century after Hunter, historian J. W. Walker promoted the 1320s 
  connection by determining that the Robert Hood of Wakefield found in 
  contemporary army rolls was the famous outlaw, but 
  Walker, too, relied on coincidence and stretching 
  the evidence to cover obvious gaps in the 
  record. The 14th century connection is 
  bolstered by the mention in one ballad 
  of King Edward, putting the outlaw 
  firmly in the period of the three 
  kings of that name, somewhere 
  between 1272 and 1377. The 
  King’s name may be a later 
  addition, however, and there 
  is evidence to show that the 
  legend was already known in 
  1261. That has led one modern 
  historian, Sean McGlynn, to 
  place the ‘inspiration’ for Robin 
  Hood in the early 13th century, 
  in the guise of an English freedom 
  fighter against a French invasion.
  Another historian, Rupert Matthews, 
  argues that Robin was quite possibly an 
  actual outlaw operating sometime in the middle 
  Plaque marking the 
  supposed site of the burial of 
  Robin Hood. (David Speight 
  / Alamy)
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  66
  of the 13th century. What the latter two attempts to pin the tail on the 
  donkey demonstrate is that the Robin Hood legend obviously eludes easy 
  chronological dating, and that the approach to identifying the original Robin 
  Hood is essentially blocked off by the lack of historically measurable detail.
  Where was Robin Hood?
  Robin Hood is most commonly associated with Sherwood Forest, particularly 
  near the town of Nottingham in north-central England. On the face of it, that 
  territory makes sense because it is, after all, the Sheriff of Nottingham who 
  attempts – and fails – so often to capture the outlaw, so it’s logical Robin must 
  fall within his jurisdiction. In addition, many place names in and around 
  Sherwood Forest are associated with the legend. A careful reading of the 
  Robin Hood ballads shows, however, that his connection to Nottinghamshire 
  is not quite as secure as it might seem.
  Much of the speculation on where Robin Hood conducted his outlaw 
  activities depends upon which camp the analyst falls within with regard to 
  discussing his identity. As we have seen, that consideration casts a wide net. 
  Nevertheless, certain places reoccur in the Robin Hood ballads that firmly 
  locate him in a broad triangle with its corners at Nottingham, Warrington, and 
  Wakefield. Barnesdale, for example, mentioned in more than one ballad, lies just 
  Robin Hood's Bay, North 
  Yorkshire in the late 19th 
  century. According to an 
  old legend, French pirates 
  attacked the village and 
  made off with all of its 
  treasure. Later, Robin Hood 
  captured the pirates and 
  returned the stolen wealth. 
  The village changed its name 
  in a show of thanks. (Library 
  of Congress)
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  67
  to the east of the Nottingham–Wakefield road, in the environs of Doncaster. 
  Kirklees Priory, where Robin Hood met his end, sits north-west of Wakefield.
  The most common place directly associated with Robin Hood’s name is 
  Loxley, or Locksley – as in Robin of Loxley – which is commonly associated 
  with an ancient plot of land in the Sheffield area, directly along the 
  Nottingham–Wakefield road. Moreover, the Sheriff’s jurisdiction was not just 
  in Nottingham, but spread over towards the nearby town of Derby, and up 
  into South Yorkshire.
  Maybe, then, when looking for Robin Hood, we might bump into him 
  disguised as a potter or monk in a small town or village, avoiding the Sheriff 
  of Nottingham, or we might catch glimpses of him flitting amongst the trees 
  in Sherwood Forest, but we should also not be surprised if we are waylaid 
  by a familiar looking outlaw almost anywhere along the highways or byways 
  leading north or west out of Nottingham.
  The Merry Men
  The endurance of the Robin Hood myth 
  relies not just on the exploits of the legendary 
  outlaw himself, but also on the remarkable 
  cast of characters that formed his band. Fully 
  assembled, the Merry Men formed an illustrious 
  company, worthy of any great adventure;  
  the strong man, the bard, the trickster, the 
  youthful acolyte, and the romantic love-interest. 
  Yet the Robin Hood of legend might have been 
  quite surprised at some of the people with whom 
  he later became associated.
  Little John
  The ironically named Little John was Robin Hood’s 
  most trusted companion. Where he came from, we 
  do not know, but he appears in the earliest stories 
  of Robin Hood and is with him at his death.  
  They meet in the myth when Little John stops 
  Robin from crossing a stream in the forest. Robin 
  loses the subsequent fight, but Little John agrees to 
  join Robin’s band anyway. When he is introduced 
  to the rest of Robin’s Merry Men, one of them 
  changes the name of the hulking seven-foot tall 
  man from John Little into Little John. However, 
  there is no origin story for how the two men met 
  in the original legend.
  According to local legend, 
  Little John was born and 
  died in the village of 
  Hathersage in Derbyshire. 
  His gravestone can be seen 
  in the yard of St. Michael’s 
  church. (© Alan Copson/JAI/
  Corbis)
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  68
  After the fight, Robin and Little John share in many adventures, though 
  their relationship sometimes becomes very strained, and it is the big man who 
  often comes to Robin’s rescue. Indeed, on one occasion, Robin offers Little John 
  the leadership of the outlaw band, but the loyal lieutenant refuses.
  When Robin is tricked at Kirklees Abbey and lies dying, it is Little John who 
  is the only Merry Man present, and who administers the last rites.
  Little John is still an essential character in modern versions of the story, 
  but his pivotal role in the legend has diminished as other Merry Men have 
  come increasingly to the fore and been given more prominent places in 
  the myth. Perennial sidekick Alan Hale played Little John three times in 
  movies, from 1922 to 1950, and his portrayal established the character as 
  Robin’s loyal lieutenant. More modern versions, however, have been a bit 
  more ambivalent, giving Little John more of his own personality than that 
  assumed by Hale.
  Historically, the name John Little associated with relevant outlaw activity 
  has proven extraordinarily difficult to find. However, his burial site is allegedly 
  in Hathersage in Derbyshire.
  Will Scarlett
  Will Scarlett also appears in the earliest Robin Hood ballads, though he is 
  sometimes given the surname Scathelocke or Scarlock. Will is further down the 
  leadership ladder in the Merry Men, but still takes on an advisory role, as well 
  as actively engaging in their outlaw activities. He is instrumental in capturing 
  Richard of the Lea, for example, and advises Robin to take more men than Little 
  John to his fateful rendezvous at Kirklees Abbey.
  When Robin enters the King’s service, Will stays with him, along with Little 
  John, though the rest of their group have already left to go back to their outlaw 
  ways. As with his introduction to Little John, Robin meets Will in the forest, 
  and they end up fighting before becoming friends. We also learn from their first 
  encounter that Will is a fugitive from a murder charge and so is compelled to 
  live the outlaw life.
  The Death of Robin Hood (opposite)
  There are many versions of how Robin came to die in 
  Kirklees Abbey. All blame the treachery of the Prioress 
  who, despite being Robin’s cousin, in the guise of 
  helping the fevered outlaw, hastens his end.
  One of the tales has her bleed him into a specially 
  prepared dish, which in turn drains into a larger vessel, 
  thus disguising how much blood has been taken. In 
  others she poisons him. Pyle has her exclude Little John 
  from the abbey while she bleeds him almost to death. 
  Robin manages to alert his trusty companion by feebly 
  blowing his horn. John breaks down the abbey door and 
  joins him for the scene depicted here. Robin summons 
  his last reserves of strength to shoot an arrow out of the 
  window and makes John promise to bury him where the 
  arrow falls.
  - Peter Dennis
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  69
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  70
  While Will Scarlett emerges from the background less often in the legend, 
  he is a much more developed character in the modern myth and rivals Little 
  John as the Merry Men’s surrogate leader.
  A William Schirelock appears in the historical record for 1286–87, which 
  would be around the right time and place but, as always, the links in the record 
  have proved too elusive to firmly attach this man to the legendary outlaw.
  Much the Miller’s Son
  Much the Miller’s Son is the third identifiable outlaw from the legend stories. 
  Much is small in stature but a skilled and ruthless fighter, who accompanies 
  Little John on his various missions for Robin Hood. He is also one of Robin’s 
  hand-picked archers for the famous archery contest. When Robin is captured, 
  Much volunteers to go with Little John to rescue their leader. Along the way, 
  he commits one of the most violent acts of the legend when he decapitates the 
  Monk’s pageboy. After killing some of the Sheriff’s men, Much and Little John 
  daringly release Robin from his jail cell.
  Although Much is Robin’s best friend in the movie Robin Hood: Prince 
  of Thieves, and is almost always involved in Robin’s legendary adventures, 
  his character has taken something of a back seat in the modern renditions. 
  That might be because of his youth and his connection to the brutality 
  of the decapitation of the page. However, Much’s central role in Adam 
  Thorpe’s 2009 novel Hodd may yet move Much back to centre stage in 
  future mythmaking.
  Friar Tuck
  The legend often speaks of Robin Hood as dutiful when it comes to religion, 
  even while he punished corrupt clergymen. For Robin to have as a member 
  of his band a man who was expelled from his religious order might, therefore, 
  make sense. Yet the legend makes no mention of Friar Tuck.
  It is quite likely that Friar Tuck entered the myth through the May Games 
  that became associated with the Robin Hood legend. The corpulent and good-
  humoured friar has provided comic relief to offset the darker side of the Robin 
  Hood adventures ever since, most notably when played by Eugene Pallette in 
  The Adventures of Robin Hood. Pallette set the tone for future portrayals, so that 
  in the 1950s Porky Pig became a recognizable animated substitute for the friar, 
  though Walt Disney’s use of a badger in the 1973 animated film seems a little 
  more questionable.
  Tuck enters the modern story by various means. He is a confessor to Maid 
  Marian in some versions, echoing his connection to her in the historical May 
  Games, while in one adaptation he is a seller of phoney relics, and in another 
  saves Robin’s life.
  The earliest printed version of the story relating Robin’s encounter with 
  Friar Tuck at the river crossing dates to the 17th century. If we accept a friar as 
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  71
  one of Robin Hood’s retinue, though, then the outlaw cannot be dated before 
  1224, when friars first landed in England.
  That would rule out any of the associations between Robin Hood, King 
  John, and Richard the Lionheart that have appeared in the myth almost 
  ubiquitously since the 19th century. Some historians have noted a renegade 
  monk of the early 15th century who bears a similar name to Friar Tuck, but he 
  is clearly too late to have direct involvement with an original Robin Hood – 
  though at the right time to have his name added to the tales.
  Allan-a-Dale
  Joining Friar Tuck as a latecomer to Robin Hood mythology, Allan-a-Dale 
  complements the friar’s comedy with music. A ballad dating to the 17th century 
  has Robin meet Allan-a-Dale in the forest. The outlaw listens to the man’s tale 
  of woe and then helps rescue his fiancée from the clutches of a bishop who is 
  about to marry her off to an old knight. Allan is so grateful that he agrees to join 
  Robin’s Merry Men.
  Allan-a-Dale reappears in Howard Pyle’s 1883 illustrated novel of the Robin 
  Hood legend, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Pyle gives him an origin 
  story and connects him inextricably to Friar Tuck, who is the only clergyman 
  who will defy the Bishop by marrying Allan-a-Dale to his sweetheart.
  The cast of Robin of 
  Sherwood which ran from 
  1984-86 on British television. 
  The show brought a large 
  dose of fantasy to the 
  Robin Hood tales as well as 
  being the first to introduce 
  a Saracen to the Merry 
  Men. The show featured 
  Ray Winstone in the role of 
  Will Scarlet. (Ronald Grant 
  Archive / Mary Evans)
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  72
  The young musician has become something of a staple Merry Man character 
  in the television and film era. He is portrayed by legendary crooner Bing Crosby 
  in the curious modernized 1964 version of the Robin Hood story set in gangster-
  era Chicago, Robin and the 7 Hoods, and is the rooster-narrator for Disney’s 
  1973 animated rendition. The marriage story is retold in Robin of Sherwood, but 
  when the BBC made its new version in 2006, Allan-a-Dale was portrayed as a 
  treacherous petty thief with no musical ability. His good character, however, and 
  some of his talent, is restored in Ridley Scott’s 2010 movie Robin Hood.
  Maid Marian
  Of all the characters associated with Robin Hood none was less likely to be 
  in his entourage than Maid Marian. Indeed, no women affiliated with Robin 
  Hood’s outlaw activities appear in the legend stories at all.
  Like Friar Tuck, Marian likely enters the myth through the May Games 
  festivals that became increasingly popular from the 15th century onwards. She 
  was also probably an import from French tradition. Marian was connected 
  directly with Robin Hood only in the 16th century, but is best remembered 
  from the 17th century ballad bearing her name. In that story, she is a fighter 
  capable of holding her own against Robin, but by the Victorian era, when 
  women were expected to play more passive roles, Marian becomes more 
  innocent and in need of Robin Hood’s protection. That attitude was revived 
  in Hollywood movies, particularly in the wake of the acceptance of the Hays 
  Code in 1930, which locked the movie industry into a moral straitjacket. 
  Marian’s new virtuous womanhood, as displayed by Olivia de Havilland in 
  The Adventures of Robin Hood, again sets the tone for future representations.
  In the new millennium, Marian has been given more dynamic capabilities, 
  befitting more enlightened attitudes, but her noble class status remains intact.
  The Saracen
  The introduction of a Saracen into the myth is an entirely modern phenomenon. 
  He first appeared as Nasir in the television series Robin of Sherwood, which ran 
  from 1984 to 1986. The Saracen character also plays a role in Robin Hood: Prince 
  of Thieves, and the BBC series Robin Hood. When Ridley Scott came to make his 
  version of the myth in 2010, however, the Saracen character was not included.
  Robin Hood’s Enemies
  Despite being a notorious outlaw whose criminal career lasted over two 
  decades, Robin Hood had surprisingly few enemies, although those he did 
  have hated him very much. Moreover, while we have a name for one of Robin’s 
  enemies, and titles for two more, positive historical identification remains 
  elusive, and the historian is left wondering if they are merely archetypes for 
  various medieval institutions in which corruption was rife, i.e. local authorities 
  and the Church.
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  73
  The Sheriff of Nottingham
  Robin Hood’s main adversary is the Sheriff of Nottingham. 
  The Sheriff was tasked with upholding the King’s law in 
  Sherwood Forest and that included arresting any outlaws 
  disturbing the peace, molesting travellers, or poaching. It 
  is difficult to fault the Sheriff for lack of effort when he 
  is seemingly in endless pursuit of Robin or formulating 
  new schemes to trap him.
  On one occasion, he does capture the outlaw, but 
  his security measures for his captive fail, 
  and Robin escapes. Also, while Robin 
  regularly makes a fool of the Sheriff, 
  he never stands up to the Sheriff and 
  his men in a fair fight, although there 
  is no reason other than the demands 
  of honour as to why he should. 
  Ultimately, the Sheriff is just doing his 
  job and will stop at nothing to end Robin’s 
  reign in Sherwood Forest, even resorting to 
  sending a bounty hunter to kill the outlaw.
  The Sheriff of Nottingham has been portrayed 
  in various ways – as coward, fool, schemer, sociopath, 
  opportunist, cynic, and even a literal wolf – but he is always 
  corrupt. Walt Disney’s animal stereotype for the Sheriff was a buffoonish and 
  fat wolf, while, at the other end of the scale, Robert Shaw’s 1976 depiction 
  in Robin and Marian is a more sympathetic portrait of a strong-willed, 
  ambitious official, undertaking a difficult task. Ambition also features heavily 
  in Alan Rickman’s venal Sheriff in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, who covets 
  the throne of England.
  Most modern depictions of the Sheriff, however, stick to exploiting their 
  own jurisdiction in and around Nottingham – including Sherwood Forest 
  – and the characterisation focuses more on their corrupt methods than any 
  broader schemes they intend to hatch.
  Historians have tried to pin down the original Sheriff in their attempt 
  to ‘capture’ Robin Hood. The first problem is that he is never named in the 
  legend or myth, and therefore the field of candidates is almost wide open. In 
  addition, the first true Sheriff of Nottingham did not exist before the creation 
  of the office in the mid-15th century, which is obviously long after the legend 
  was born.
  Moreover, Robin kills one Sheriff in the legend and Little John another, 
  so history requires at least three sheriffs. Nevertheless, historians have found 
  a few candidates that might fit the bill, though that is hardly surprising given 
  the corruption in local politics, and the major political upheavals of the  
  iff of Nottingham. 
  g the King’s law in 
  resting any outlaws 
  ers, or poaching. It 
  of effort when he 
  in or formulating 
  e the outlaw, but 
  e fail,
  in 
  ff,
  is 
  n’s 
  ing to
  law.
  n portrayed 
  i
  h
  In many modern myths, 
  Robin Hood is turned into 
  a freedom fighter against 
  Norman oppression. In 
  these stories, it is common 
  for King (or Prince) John to 
  either take the place of, or 
  to oversee, the Sheriff of 
  Nottingham. (PD)
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  74
  13th and 14th centuries. Another option of course is that, like Robin Hood 
  himself, the Sheriff of Nottingham may be a composite character derived 
  from many stories about many sheriffs.
  Guy of Gisborne
  The bounty hunter the Sheriff hires is Guy of Gisborne. In the ballad bearing 
  his name, Gisborne waits for Robin in the woods while wearing a grotesque 
  horsehide. He is also well armed and almost a match for Robin when they 
  engage in a protracted swordfight. Robin kills Gisborne and uses the bounty 
  hunter’s head to fool the Sheriff and free his comrade Little John.
  Despite his small cameo in the legend, Gisborne is given a prominent role 
  in later versions of the story. Like the Sheriff of Nottingham and the Bishop 
  of Hereford, so little information is given in the original legend, and so little 
  is known about any historical Guy of Gisborne, that Gisborne’s character 
  is open to wide interpretation. Indeed, it is Gisborne, not the Sheriff, who 
  becomes the arch-villain in some modern screen mythmaking, as so brilliantly 
  demonstrated by Basil Rathbone in The Adventures of Robin Hood.
  Some elements of Gisborne’s character are standard, such as his cruelty 
  and brutality, and he presents a formidable foe for Robin Hood when they 
  inevitably duel.
  The Bishop of Hereford
  In both the legend and myth, Robin Hood displays nothing but contempt 
  for corrupt clergymen. He has no problem robbing passing monks, and 
  the higher-ranked bishops present few obstacles to the clever outlaw. This 
  antipathy is mutual, as seen in the various ballads in which Robin encounters 
  a bishop and in particular the Bishop of Hereford. The latter is given his own 
  ballad, dating from the 17th century, but that may have been built on previous 
  ballads where the Bishop is unidentified even though the plot is similar.
  In modern interpretations, only in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 
  is the Bishop of Hereford a named character. That may be because he is simply 
  the representative of a corrupt Church, and therefore any Bishop will do to 
  drive the story. Moreover, Robin Hood’s other adversaries, the Sheriff of 
  Nottingham and Guy of Gisborne, are more readily identifiable to modern 
  audiences than a corrupt Church official, whose malfeasance might be more 
  difficult to explain.
  Historically, like the Sheriff of Nottingham, it is unclear who the character 
  of the Bishop is based upon.
  Other Enemies
  In the end, it would not be the Sheriff of Nottingham, Guy of Gisborne, or 
  the Bishop of Hereford who would kill Robin Hood, but a woman he trusts, 
  the Prioress of Kirklees. She is Robin’s cousin and bleeds him to death when 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  75
  he goes to her for treatment. By then, Robin has been a career criminal for 
  over 20 years, and his instinct for preservation may finally have diminished.
  The Prioress is aided by Red Roger, or Roger of Doncaster, about whom we 
  know nothing other than those names and who appears nowhere else in either 
  the legend or myth – though Robin’s villainous cousin Roger de Courtenay in 
  the Hammer film version, A Challenge for Robin Hood, may derive from this 
  tale. The other ecclesiastical enemy of Robin Hood is the Abbot of St Mary’s, 
  whose plot to steal Sir Richard at the Lee’s land is foiled by the intervention 
  of Robin. However, the Abbot is more of a victim of Robin’s rather than an 
  active enemy, for we hear of no retaliatory measures taken by him.
  Modern mythmaking has stuck mostly to the characters contained 
  between the legend and the myth, and therefore Robin’s enemies are those we 
  have already met. With the introduction of fantasy elements, however, and 
  the greater liberties taken with the story in the latest versions, new antagonists 
  have begun to emerge for Robin to overcome. In the groundbreaking Robin 
  of Sherwood, the Baron Simon de Belleme uses the dark arts to control Little 
  John, until Robin kills the sorcerous Baron. He is followed by Lord Owen of 
  Clune, a pagan sorcerer who continues Belleme’s fight.
  In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, it is the witch Mortianna that adds the 
  fantasy element, while in the BBC’s 2006 version of Robin Hood, Guy of 
  Gisborne is given a sister, Isabella, who becomes a foe of Robin and his Merry 
  Men. Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood introduced Sir Godfrey, a knight with 
  dynastic ambitions loosely based on the character of Guy of Gisborne.
  Robin Hood and the Merry 
  Men as painted by the 
  famous American illustrator 
  N.C. Wyeth. Wyeth was a 
  pupil of Howard Pyle.  
  (Look and Learn / The 
  Bridgeman Art Library)
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  76
  Robin Hood: The 
  Modern Myth
  The legend and myth of Robin Hood continues to play well with audiences 
  in the age of mass entertainment. Indeed, his story was one of the first told 
  by the embryonic film industry before World War I, with the release of two 
  silent movie versions. The third silent version in 1922, starring major film star 
  Douglas Fairbanks, brought Robin Hood’s story to mass prominence, but it was 
  the colourful blockbuster The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring the pre-eminent 
  swashbuckler, Errol Flynn, that sealed the worldwide popularity of Robin Hood 
  that endures to this day.
  After World War II, Robin’s story continued to be told on the big screen, 
  most notably in Disney’s 1952 movie The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie 
  Men, before making the leap to television in 1953 through a short-lived BBC 
  series starring Patrick Troughton as the famous outlaw. That was followed by a 
  longer-running series in Britain from 1955 to 1960. 
  The Robin Hood myth spread by the medium of 
  film to Germany and Italy in the 1960s and then on 
  to Japan and the Soviet Union in later incarnations.
  In 1967, Robin Hood became a space myth in 
  Rocket Robin Hood, and six years later Walt Disney 
  transformed him into a wily cartoon fox. The 1970s 
  also saw the first comedic Robin Hoods, in Up the 
  Chastity Belt and When Things Were Rotten, but 
  the adventure also turned much darker in Robin 
  and Marian, starring Sean Connery and Audrey 
  Hepburn as an aging version of the mythical couple.
  The growing popularity of the fantasy genre 
  breathed new life into the Robin Hood myth in the 
  1980s. The standard-bearer for this new approach 
  was the television series Robin of Sherwood, which 
  ran on British TV from 1984 to 1986. This version 
  began with an origin story for Robin of Loxley, 
  who is persuaded by a mystic huntsman to fight  
  the Normans from his base in Sherwood Forest. The 
  main antagonist is still the Sheriff of Nottingham, 
  Douglas Fairbanks as Robin 
  Hood and Enid Bennett as 
  Maid Marian from the 1922 
  silent film Robin Hood.
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  77
  but the bounty hunter Guy of Gisborne is now the Sheriff’s deputy. In an 
  innovative twist, Robin of Loxley is killed halfway through the series, and a 
  young nobleman, Robert of Huntingdon, joins the fight, thereby reconciling a 
  contradiction contained in the legend and myth over the social class background 
  of Robin Hood.
  Robin of Sherwood also introduces a completely new character in the form of 
  a Saracen, Nasir, who is a prisoner brought back from the Crusade and released 
  by Robin Hood. Magic and allusions to pre-Christian mysticism abound 
  throughout the series aided by the haunting soundtrack composed by Clannad.
  Many of these elements of Robin of Sherwood found their way into Kevin 
  Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991. Of particular note is Morgan 
  Freeman’s portrayal of the Saracen, now named Azeem. He returns with Robin 
  Hood from Jerusalem, where Robin had been held prisoner. In this version, 
  Marian is the sister of Robin’s friend who died while escaping the prison with 
  Robin. On his arrival home, Robin finds his pre-Crusade life in tatters and takes 
  to the forest with Azeem to fight against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, who 
  runs the country in the King’s absence. Guy of Gisborne is now the Sheriff’s 
  cousin, and the corrupt Bishop of Hereford plays a larger role than in other 
  versions of the myth. The fantasy element from 
  the stories is furthered by the introduction of 
  a witch, Mortianna, who comes close to killing 
  Robin but is foiled by Azeem. Of the Merry 
  Men, Will Scarlett is given a greater role than in 
  the traditional stories and, in fact, is revealed as 
  Robin’s half-brother. Also, Friar Tuck joins the 
  Merry Men after his capture by Robin, though 
  his control over 50 hunting dogs as in the 
  original Friar Tuck myth is forgotten. In the end, 
  after a series of adventures as befits the myth, 
  Robin marries Marian, and the King, played by 
  Sean Connery, returns to pardon Robin.
  The popularity of Robin Hood: Prince of 
  Thieves did not lead to a flourishing of the 
  Robin Hood myth, and it would be over 
  another decade before another major attempt 
  was made to regenerate the legend. In 2006, 
  however, the British Broadcasting Corporation 
  produced a new series titled simply, Robin 
  Hood. In this complicated retelling of the myth, 
  Robin, played by Jonas Armstrong, has returned 
  from five years of service in the Third Crusade. 
  When he gets home to Nottingham, he finds 
  the town under the despotic rule of the Sheriff. 
  Kevin Costner as Robin 
  Hood in Robin Hood: Prince 
  of Thieves. Despite a mixed 
  critical reception, the film 
  was a hit at the box office 
  and became the most 
  popular interpretation of the 
  character for a generation. 
  (Mary Evans)
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  78
  Robin is soon outlawed, and that acts as the gateway to a wide-ranging series of 
  adventures until, in the end, Robin is poisoned and killed. Much is Robin’s best 
  friend in this version, while Little John joins the Merry Men after working with 
  a rival outlaw gang. Will Scarlett and Allan-a-Dale are rescued from hanging 
  by Robin, and the by-now-customary Saracen, this time named Djaq, is a girl 
  disguised as her brother. Guy of Gisborne returns to his status as deputy to the 
  Sheriff of Nottingham but he now has a ruthlessly ambitious sister who in turn 
  befriends Robin, then betrays him, in order to become the Sheriff. That leads 
  to Gisborne reconciling with Robin, and then dying with the outlaw in the 
  climactic final episode. Before then, however, Guy kills the Lady Marian, and 
  Will Scarlett returns to the Holy Land with the Saracen.
  In addition to taking wide-ranging liberties with the Robin Hood legend, the 
  BBC allows its characters to wear anachronistic clothes and brandish orientalized 
  weapons in a story of rural English outlaws, but that is also a symptom of  
  how the essential story of Robin Hood resonates so strongly that it can contain 
  Sean Connery and Audrey 
  Hepburn in the 1976 film, 
  Robin and Marian. In this dark 
  retelling of the end of Robin 
  Hood’s life, Maid Marian, who 
  has become an abbess, feeds 
  Robin poison under the 
  guise of tending his wounds. 
  She then takes the poison 
  herself, supposedly out of 
  mercy for them both. (© 
  Douglas Kirkland/Corbis)
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  79
  so many differences in how it is brought to new and appreciative audiences.  
  That would also prove true in 2010 when Robin Hood would once more receive 
  the Hollywood blockbuster treatment.
  New Zealand star Russell Crowe took on the role of Robin Hood in Ridley 
  Scott’s movie named after the legendary outlaw leader. However, rather than 
  attempt to retell the legend, Scott opted for an imaginative prequel. The movie is 
  set at the turn of the 12th century and once more the action takes place amongst 
  soldiers returning from the Third Crusade. Crowe plays Robin Longstride who, 
  along with his friends Allan-a-Dale, Will Scarlett, and Little John, encounters the 
  dying Robert of Loxley and agrees to carry the man’s sword home to his father in 
  Nottingham. Robin assumes the dying man’s identity and continues on his way.
  Once in England, Robin is persuaded to maintain his disguise by the dead 
  Loxley’s father, and his widow, Marian. In the meantime, Robin is being hunted 
  by the evil Sir Godfrey, who is also rampaging across the north of England in 
  pursuit of taxes for King John and stirring up trouble to create a baronial revolt 
  that would result in French intervention. It is the French who are Godfrey’s 
  true paymasters.
  The movie ends with the French landing near Dover but opposed by an 
  English army in which Robin is the hero. Robin kills Godfrey in the midst 
  of the fighting but King John is instantly envious of Robin’s popularity and 
  orders him outlawed. Robin takes refuge in Sherwood Forest with his band of 
  Merry Men and, of course, the Lady Marian. Thus, as the movie concludes, 
  the legend begins.
  As with the other modern renditions of the Robin Hood story, Scott’s movie 
  combines history, anachronisms, legend, myth, and modern political protest to 
  take the outlaw’s story in a new direction. Moreover, the popularity of Scott’s 
  movie demonstrates that the Robin Hood myth shows no signs of retreating back 
  into the mists of time as new productions take place for new generations.
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  80
  Bibliography
  Appleby, J. C., and Dalton, P., Outlaws in Medieval and Early Modern 
  England, Ashgate, 2009
  Baldwin, D., Robin Hood: The English Outlaw Unmasked, Amberley 
  Publishing, 2011
  Bradbury, J., Robin Hood, Amberley Publishing, 2010
  Cawthorne, N., A Brief History of Robin Hood, Robinson Publishing, 2010
  Child, F. J., The English and Scottish Popular Ballads: vII, Forgotten Books, 
  2007
  Holt, J. C., Robin Hood, Thames & Hudson, 1989
  Knight, S., Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography, Cornell University Press, 2009
  Matthews, R., On the Trail of the Real Robin Hood, Bretwalda Books, 2012
  Mortimer, I., The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England, Vintage, 2009
  Pollard, A. J., Imagining Robin Hood, Routledge, 2004
  Prestwich, M., Plantagenet England, Oxford University Press, 2007
  Rennison, N., Robin Hood: Myth, History, and Culture, Old Castle Books, 
  2012
  Thorpe, A., Hodd: A Novel of Robin Hood, Vintage Books, 2010
  Whittock, M., A Brief History of Life in the Middle Ages, Running Press, 
  2009
  McGlynn, S., History Today Magazine (March 2013) for William of 
  Keynsham
   
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
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