 Tales of Robin Hood have been told for 700 years. Our fascination with this world famous outlaw continues into the 21st century.
The romantic image is of a medieval hooded figure in Lincoln green. Dispossessed by the greedy Normans, he is forced to hide away in the leafy depths of Sherwood, a royal hunting forest. From there he ambushed the rich and shared the spoils with the poor. This image has been continually encouraged and enlarged upon by literature and theatre, and more recently by films and television. Many famous actors have faced the challenge of playing this peoples' hero. Other films have taken a less serious look at the time-honoured tale, including a Walt Disney cartoon, and a gangster-style musical. But does the Robin of the silver screen and written page bear any resemblance to the real outlaw, if indeed, he ever existed? Is there any evidence that there was a real Robin Hood? Or is he just a figment of many film makers, writers and peoples' fertile imaginations? To find out, we must go back in time, to the first documents which recorded his name, and the original tellings of the age-old tale.
 Robin in Rhyme
Robyn hod in scherewod stod
Hodud and hathud and hosut and schod
Four and thuynti arrows
He bar in his hondns
Robin Hood in Sherwood stood
Hooded and hatted and hosed and shod
Four and twenty arrows
He bore in his hands
This is one of the earliest surviving poems which mentions Robin Hood, and it clearly associates the legendary outlaw with Sherwood Forest. The poem dates from around 1400, and the original document is now preserved in the library of Lincoln Cathedral.
But perhaps the best-known and earliest mention of Robin is in William Langland's The Vision of Piers the Plowman, which is thought to have been written in 1377, when a character named Sloth says: I kan noght parfitl y m y Paternoster as the preest it s yngeth,
But I kan ryrnes of Robyn hood and Randolf Erl of Chestre
I do not know my paternoster perfectly as the priest sings it
But I know rhymes of Robin Hood and Randolf Earl of Chester
It is now generally believed that the many tales of Robin Hood were spread by medieval minstrels and ballad singers. This would account for the national interest in Robin and Sherwood so long ago. These minstrels travelled from castle to manor house, singing the latest ballads, many of which featured tales of the outlaw.
The earliest of these ballads was A Lyttell Gest (poem) of Robyn Hode which is thought to have been hand written during the 14th century. In it, the characters of Robin, Little John, and Will Scarlok (Scarlet), are all introduced, along with the Sheriff of Nottingham. The now well known stories of the archery contest and the death of Robin are also included.
So most of what we know about the medieval legend of Robin Hood is derived from only five surviving manuscripts of ballads or poems, including the Gest, which runs to an amazing 456 four-line verses.
 Who was Robin Hood?
No one really knows if there was an original Robin Hood. Even so, his name appears in place names all over Britain, from the north of Scotland right down to Cornwall. Robin's name was used when people started to name unusual natural landmarks, or ancient manmade features, which they could not otherwise explain.
He was a rebel fighting an unjust society; a brave Saxon Earl standing up against the feudal Norman overlords. The balance of opinion seems to be that he was some kind of medieval 'superhero', in much the same way that King Arthur and St. George were, whose exploits were also broadcast by travelling minstrels.
Legend places the time of Robin Hood in the 1190's. This is during the reign of King Richard 1 'the Lionheart', who spent much of his reign overseas fighting the Crusades. He left his younger unpopular brother, John, to rule the country in his absence.
Another candidate was Robert Hod, later called Hobbehod, who was a tenant of Henry III's Archbishop of York and who was known to be an outlaw. He was summoned in 1225 and 1226 to appear before York Court Assizes but fled, and was described as a fugitive or outlaw.
But in 1852, Joseph Hunter claimed to have found the genuine Robin Hood in the shape of a Robert Hood, from the early 1300s, who was mentioned in Edward II's household accounts as a servant. Later he discovered the same name (although not necessarily the same man) in the Court Rolls of Wakefield, which included Barnsdale in South Yorkshire, one of the outlaw's traditional homes.
The fact is that Hood, Hod or Hode, was a common surname in England at the time, and Robert or Robin equally popular Christian names. The word 'Robinhood' actually became a nickname used in court records for an outlaw, and we know of at least eight people before 1300 who adopted or were given it. Interestingly, the word 'hood' is still used in the same context in America.
 Robin and Sherwood
Visitors to Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre are left in no doubt that this was the home of the outlaw. But what proof is there that Robin Hood ever lived here?
As we have seen, there are many mentions in the old tales of his presence here. The ancient oaks which still remain in the area known as Birklands include the famous hollow Major Oak, in which legend claims Robin hid from the Sheriff's men.
Sherwood was first recorded in 958 AD when it was called Sciryuda, a name which means 'the woodland belonging to the shire'. It became a royal hunting forest after the Norman invasion, and was popular with many Norman kings, particularly King John and Edward I.
In Robin's day, Sherwood covered about 100,000 acres, which was a fifth of Nottinghamshire. There were areas of thick birch and oak woodland, but these were separated by areas of open heath and grassland. The Great North Way (road), on which travellers were robbed, ran straight through Sherwood from London to York. Some of Robin's earliest stories place his exploits in Barnsdale Forest, now in South Yorkshire, but this was still only one good days horse ride from Nottingham.
According to the Gest, Robin and his men could live well off the forest, which served as both their refuge and larder.
Brede and wyne they had right ynough, and noumbles of the dere.
Swannes and fesauntes they hadfill gode, and fowles of the ryuere.
Bread and wine they had right enough, and entrails of the deer.
Swans and pheasants they had full good, and fowls of the river.
It seems then, that rhymes and stories about Robin Hood were in general circulation by the last quarter of the 14th century. There is equally good evidence, according to Robin's most distinguished chronicler, Professor James Holt, which suggests the legends were in common use over a century before - perhaps during the 13th century.
But the real outlaw called Robin Hood has, like his true origins, always tantalisingly eluded capture.
Visit Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest Country Park is situated just off the A616 Mansfield-Ollerton road, to the north of the village of Edinstowe and is open every day. For further information contact: Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre
Sherwood Forest Country Park
Edwinstowe, Mansfield
Nottinghamshire NG21 9HN
Telephone: 01623 823202 Or Visit the Sherwood Country Park website:
Notts County Council - Sherwood Country Park and National Nature Reserve
www.robinhood.co.uk Images: 1. Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, 1991
2. Robin Hood and Little John. Their deadly English longbows could easily pierce armour at a range of 200yards (183m)
2. Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938
3. Jonas Armstrong in the BBC series Robin Hood, 2006 Text © Nottinghamshire County Council |
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