Was there a Robin Hood? Part.III

      Despite the effort historians have spent searching for the first historical Robin Hood, most agree that the legend has evolved so dramatically over the centuries that its original inspiration might very well be unrecognizable, even if discovered. Maid Marian, the story’s love interest, did not appear until the 16^th century, nor did the earliest versions of the tale feature the portly Friar Tuck. In other versions of the story, Robin Hood is actually motivated less by righting injustices than by national pride, fighting for the Saxon people against the conquering Normans. Some scholars have even contended, with much controversy, that Robin Hood and his “merrie men” was actually member of a gay community forced to live outside the city, beyond the reach of the law and the Church.

What is not disputed is that the story of Robin Hood, the archetypal outlaw hero, took on the characteristics and details of many outlaw ballads, becoming a sort of literary stew of local lore and contemporary events. In fact, the story was so susceptible to adaptation and interpolation that in 1773, the lexicographer Samuel Johnson claimed that he could fabricated a Robin Hood legend that readers would swear they had known their entire life. Those who enjoyed the Robin Hood legend with its colorful cast of characters in pursuit of justice for the common man, didn’t mind if it had evolved through the centuries; they expected no less, for so powerful is the love of justice that heroes who champion it necessarily become larger, greater, and more entertaining than anything history could produce.

     Many other rebels, outlaws, and miscellaneous out casts have been suggested as the historical Robin Hood. Among them are Sir Robert Thwing, who lead a movement where he and devotees raided monasteries, stealing rain and distributing it to the poor; and Robert Fitzhooth, Claimant to earlof Huntington, who was born about 1160 and died in 1247. Fitzhooth is a more likely candidate, as some historical documents actually cite these particular dates for Robin Hood’s birth and death. But critics point out that more recent records do not mention a defiant nobleman bearing the Fitzhooth name.

Was there a Robin Hood? Part.II

     One of the greatest difficulties in dating the hero is the contradictory historical references within the legends; various suggestions within the ballads place him in the reign of four separate English Kings, from Richard the Lion heart to Edward II. The monarch with the strongest link to Robin Hood is Richard, who ruled in the late 12^th century and was opposed by his brother and eventual successor King John. But Robin has also been linked to a 1265 revolt against King Henry III, led by his brother-in- law Simon de Montfort. According to the early historian Walter Bower, after the rebellion against Henry, “the famous robber Robin Hood…rose to prominence among those who had been disinherited and banished on account of the revolt.”   However, modern historians have pointed out that the longbow, which features so prominently in many of the Robin Hood legends, was not in general use at the time of King Henry III, casting doubt on Bower’s claim.

      The candidate with the most plausible claim to Robin’s identity is a tenant of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in the early 14^th century, who was probably involved in an uprising against the Earl if Lancaster in 1322. The 1320 Manor Rolls of the town list a Robert Hood who had been charged with breaking “forest laws,” resisting the lord of the manor, and negligence in fighting against the Scots. There is also some indication that Hood’s home was confiscated because of this dereliction of duty, which might account for his move to the forest. The Wakefield Robin would place the story in the reign of King Edward Ii, and indeed, there is a record of the king taking into his service one “Robert Hood” as a court valet.

Was there a Robin Hood? Part.I

     Robert Hood was actually a quiet common one at the time, making the census evidence inconclusive. “Robyn was a proud out law” sang balladeers of the intrepid woodsman. But did Robin Hood even exist? And why has hid legend persisted? It seems almost an injustice to question the Robin Hood legend; such is our innate appreciation for the celebrated champion of the underdog and the common man. Scholars who seek to debunk parts of the legend are practically accomplices to the evil Sheriff of Nottingham; and yet it is the historian’s duty to examine the past, however entertaining the legend handed down to us. In the 19^th century, scholars who had grown up with the beloved chivalric tales of Sir Walter Scott reexamined the Robin Hood stories and found them wanting him historical foundations. In his 1882 English and Scottish popular ballads, scholar Francis James child declared Robin Hood a fiction, “absolutely a creation of the ballad genre” but in the later years, more research has suggested there may be some truth to the legend.-

     The first known, extended version of the Robin Hood story is the 15^th century ballad collection Lyttle Geste of Robyn Hode. It contains the familiar cast of characters: the sheriff of Nottingham, Robin, little john, and the rest of his “merry men” who steal from the rich and give to the poor in their forest lair. In many of the early versions of the tale, the sylvan locale is Barnesdale forest, in Yorkshire. But  references to robin hood appear in stories and ballads from as early as the mid 14^th century, so historian speculate that if there was a historical “ Prince of thieves,” he lived some time before then. In the manorial rolls and similar local records from 1228 and 1230, the name Robert Hood appears, and he is described as a fugitive from justice, who stole “for the benefit of the many.” But the name Robert Hood was actually a quite common one at the time, making the census evidence inconclusive.