Robert Henshaw

INTRODUCTION

To clarify the legend of Robin Hood there are some fundamental questions that need to be answered, such as. When was he born? Where was he born? Who were his parents? Where was he to be found? What were the circumstances surrounding his life in the forest? Who were his main opponents? What was life was like for the ordinary English person?

First a thought about other theories, of which there are many, some people say Robin Hood went abroad and fought in the Crusades, but I always associate Robin Hood with the English Greenwood so that doesn't ring true for me. Then we need to ask ourselves, "Why did Robin and his men lay in wait for people and take their money, surely this amounts to highway robbery and I always thought better of Robin Hood than that. Then you have to ask yourself, "Why were there so many men in the forest? They could have been rogues and vagabonds, highwaymen or of course outlaws and there is a clear distinction, or was there another explanation. Also we need to remember that the Earldom of Huntingdon became extinct in 1237AD, and to my mind Robin Hood has always been associated with that Earldom, so perhaps we need to look for Robin Hood before the Earldom became extinct.

These are just some of the questions that need an explanation, and I believe if we look in the right place and at the right historical period we can find explanations for all these things, but first we will try to find out when Robin Hood lived.

WHEN WAS ROBIN HOOD BORN?

PART 1. THE EARLY WRITERS

The legend of Robin Hood was widespread by 1296 and the now discredited William Stukeley put Robins death a little earlier in 1274. Earlier than that Walter Bower in 1266 wrote "Then arose the most famous murderer, Robert Hood, as well as Little John, together with their accomplices from among the dispossessed and the banished, whom the foolish people (meaning the general population) are so inordinately fond of celebrating in tragedy and comedy." When he wrote that he was referring to an event, which for him was a historical event, so Robin must have lived long before 1266. Furthermore Robin Hood was associated with the Earldom of Huntingdon and that became extinct 7 June 1237. Earlier still, Martin Parker in his True Tales of Robin Hood states Robin died 4th December 1198 and was known as the Earl of Huntingdon.

Even earlier, John Major the Scottish historian writing in 1521 articulated the view that Robin Hood was a "noble outlaw." He believed Robin to have been alive during Richard I imprisonment in Germany during the early 1190's. He goes on to say Robin only assaulted the wealthy, he would allow no woman to suffer injustice, nor would he spoil the poor, but rather enriched them from the plunder taken from the abbots. Going back still further, William Langland wrote a play called "Piers Plowman," in which one of the characters called Sloth is made to say, "I do not know my Paternoster perfectly as the priest sings it. But I know the rhymes of Robin Hood and Ranulf Earl of Chester"(Paternoster is the Lord's Prayer when recited in Latin.)

The history books tell us that Ranulf Earl of Chester died 16 December 1153. The Sheriff of Nottingham who was William Peveril and enemy of Robin Hood attempted to poison Ranulf, Earl of Chester and there are indications that Ranulf outlived Robin Hood by a good many years taking us way back before 1153, but we can be more precise than that because Earl Waltheof who was the Earl of Huntingdon and some believe was Robin Hoods father was beheaded at 5pm on 31st May 1076. My understanding is that Robin Hood lived in the latter part of the eleventh centenary.

PART 2. THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM

To confirm Robin Hood lived in the latter part of the eleventh centenary, there is another line of investigation. As we know Robin Hood is linked to the Sheriff of Nottingham, and they seem to have been deadly enemies. The question is, which Sheriff of Nottingham was it, who gave Robin Hood so much grief? Immediately after the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror put his own men in positions of power as his agents and to enforce the King's command.

A favourite of Williams was his illegitimate son William Peveril. He was the Norman agent in the Derbyshire/South Yorkshire area and he had jurisdiction from Nottingham to the Kings Royal Forest of the Peak where he built Peveril Castle. He was the Sheriff of Nottingham and he was the Chief Steward of the High Peak. This is when the Sheriff and Robin Hood had their confrontations. Shortly after this the Royal Forest was divided into three wards, similar to shires and the Sheriff of Nottingham was responsible just for that place. The time when William Peveril was the Sheriff of Nottingham and Chief Steward of the Royal Forest of the High Peak is the only time in history when the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood would have come into contact in the Royal Forest in the way they did, i.e. during Peveril's period of office which was in the latter half of the eleventh centenary.

PART 3. THE DISPOSSESSED

For further confirmation of the time when Robin Hood was active there is a third line of investigation. As we know Robin Hood and his band of men lived in the forest, and we have to ask ourselves, why were their so many men living in the forest? The answer is simple. As a result of the Norman Conquest many of our nobility had been killed either at the battle of Hastings or two weeks earlier at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. After the Norman Conquest, those who still lived and had fought against the Conqueror were dispossessed. The Conqueror gave their homes and property to those who had come with him from Normandy. The dispossessed had no option but to live in the forest.

Many of these people were known as TILVATID. (Living in a tent) and not unnaturally they continued to fight against the Conqueror. For that the Normans branded them "Outlaws." Orderic Vitalis says in his description of the English risings of that MANY OF THE REBELS LIVED IN TENTS, disdaining to sleep in houses lest they should become soft, so that certain of them were called by the Norman's, SILVATICI (ONE THAT LIVES IN OR FREQUENTS THE WOODS. And that explains why there were so many men living in the forest. This only happened in the latter half of the eleventh centenary.

PART 4. THE HARROWING OF THE NORTH

For further confirmation of the time in which Robin Hood lived there is a fourth line of investigation. As we know, after the Conquest many men continued to oppose the Conqueror, including Waltheof who along with others took York. This was a stronghold of Williams and the result was that the Conqueror destroyed large parts of the North in his "Harrowing." The village of Loxley believed by many to be Robin Hoods birthplace, along with nearby Hallam where Waltheof had his Manor House was burnt to the ground in 1069, so if Robin Hood were born in Loxley it would have been before the Harrowing, or in other words Robin Hood would have lived in the latter half of the eleventh centenary.

SUMMARY

So, to summarise, and going back in time we have: -

1. Robin Hood would have been born before the Earldom of Huntingdon became extinct in 1237.

2. Some think Robin Hood was alive before or during the time of Ranulf Earl of Chester who died 1153.

3. The common connecting link between Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and the Steward of the High Peak was William Peveril who was alive at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

4. The account of Robin Hood and his "Merrie Men" fits in precisely with the activities of the "Silvatici" immediately after the Conquest.

5. Robin Hood would have been born at a time when the Earl of Huntingdon still had connections with Hallam and Loxley. This connection with Loxley ceased when Waltheof's Manor house was razed to the ground in 1069 and Waltheof was beheaded in 1076.

6. Robin Hood would have been born within the lifetime of Waltheof. (Died 1076)

7. Robin Hood would have been born before Loxley and Hallam were burnt to the ground by William the Conqueror in 1069.

8. Robin Hood would have been alive on the occasion of the Norman Conquest. (1066)

WHERE WAS ROBIN HOOD BORN?

The historian Dodsworth in 1620 wrote, "Robin Locksley, born in Bradfield parish of Hallamshire, wounded his stepfather to death at plough, fled into the woods and was relieved by his mother till he was discovered. Then he came to Clifton upon Calder, and became acquainted with Little John, that kept the kine. Which said John is buried at Hathersage in Derbyshire. Little John was Earl Huntley's son."

LITTLE HAGGAS CROFT

In September 1637 the surveyor John Harrison recorded the following entry: "Imprimis (to start with) Great Haggas Croft (pasture) near Robin Hood's Bower and is environed with Loxley Firth and contains 1 acre, 2 Roods, and 27 square perches.

Item, Little Haggas croft wherein is ye foundation of a house or cottage where Robin Hood was born; this piece is compassed about with Loxley Firth" and contains two Roods and 13 square perches.

(Translation of these measurements are: 1 acre = 4 roods = 4840 square yards 1 rood = 40 square perches 1 square perch = 30.1/4 square yards Firth = a wooded area)

Another historian noted how, at the beginning of the 19th century, the remains of Little Haggas Croft (croft being a small farm adjoining a dwelling) were still to be found upon the Loxley hillside, near Normandale House and Warren House. A photograph published in the "Sheffield Telegraph" in November 1937 purported to show an oak beam said to be part of the cottage described by Harrison as "where Robin Hood was born," and in 1887 it was said a forestry expert had declared it had been grown in the forest nearby and was a thousand years old. The gates for the rafters had been rudely fashioned by an unknown tool, and there were the remains of bracken with which the roof had been thatched.

About 1970 a new housing estate was been built on the site and the local Sheffield newspaper carried the following item. "Sheffield Council planning department is investigating the chopping down of trees in the legendary birthplace of Robin Hood. Residents of the new housing development, on Loxley Road, have chopped down trees near Normandale House, in which Robin of Loxley is said to have grown up. The development of executive houses and bungalows, some of which stand on the alleged birth spot, were built round the protected woodlands. Under a preservation and woodland order it is an offence to touch any trees without permission of the city council.

Residents face fines of up to �1,000 per tree or twice the value of the tree, whichever is the greater, for chopping protected trees, even when they are in their own back garden. Loxley Valley Conservation Group is to contact all residents on the new estate warning them of the dangers. The Planning department believes eight protected trees have been chopped down so far and are carrying out investigations."

William the Conqueror in his "Harrying of the North" destroyed little Haggas Croft and it was common practice to use stone from derelict buildings, so the stone Little Haggas Croft was built from, and recorded by John Harrison, were removed in 1884 to build Warren House which is there today.

Unfortunately, there are no remains to be seen of Little Haggas Croft but obviously it was near Warren House, so at least we know fairly precisely where Robin of Loxley was born and grew up. (The area around is known as Normandale, i.e. "Dale of the Normans." Some Sheffield people say the nearby Normandale House was the site of Little Haggas Croft.)

WHO WERE ROBIN HOODS PARENTS?

Tradition has it that inscribed on Robin Hood's grave is the following inscription:

Robert Earl of Huntingdon 
Lies under this little stone.
No archer was like him so good;
His wildness named him ROBIN HOOD.
For thirteen years, and something more,
These northern parts he vexed sore.
Such outlaws as he and his men
May England never know again.

THE HUNTINGDON, WALTHEOF, AND LOXLEY CONNECTION

The Earldom of Huntingdon goes back to Saxon times, Harold II held the honour of Huntingdon in 1051, Earl Siward (Waltheof's father) held it immediately after and he died 1055. Waltheof was too young so the Earldom went to Tostig, the brother of the king who held it till he was banished Oct. 1065. Harold II held it again, and when he was killed at the battle of Hastings in 1066 the Earldom passed through Judith-de-Lens the niece of William the Conqueror to Waltheof, then through Matilda who was Waltheof's eldest daughter, to David, who became King of Scots.

Waltheof's family on his mother's side was Earl Uhtred who had been the Earl of Northumbria earlier. They cleared a site at Hallam Head near Sheffield on the old Roman Road to Brough and built a Manor House there, for they were the Lords of the Manor of Hallam. Waltheof was born into this high-ranking family and he would have known Hallam near Sheffield from childhood.

WALTHEOF SOWS WILD OATS

Living in Ughill Hall, which is still there, was another Saxon Lord called Aldene who looked after Waltheof's interests while he was away. While they were growing up they would have known other people in the area, and perhaps they played with the girl who lived just across the Loxley valley in Little Haggas Croft, which could be seen from the manor house where Waltheof spent some of his childhood. As they grew up their relationship may have become stronger and young people being what they are, the young lady and Waltheof may have fallen in love. Then all it needed was for nature to take its course and in due process of time the young lady in Little Haggas Croft was delivered of a son who we call Robert of Loxley. Little Haggas Croft is where Robin Hood grew up and where he lived with his mother and stepfather.

ROBIN HOOD TERRITORY

The Robin Hood ballads that can be ascribed to the medieval period like the Geste, Robin Hood and the Monk, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin Hood and the Potter, indicate that the action took place chiefly in South Yorkshire, not in Nottinghamshire. This is not just my view for it is echoed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the case for Robin Hood being a Yorkshire-man is made all the stronger when one considers that Nottingham was in Mercia while Yorkshire and Barnsdale Forest were in Northumbria, Barnsdale Forest being where the King's Royal Forest was. Little John was from the Scottish Borders, and there is mention that when Robin was outlawed he went to the Calder Valley where he met Little John, and it is my belief that Robin Hood's Nottingham connection is through the sheriff of that fair city.

HUNTING IN THE ROYAL FOREST

The boundary of Barnsdale Forest starts at the River Don in the south, which is the approximate Northumbrian Boundary and continues to the River Aire in the north, i.e. from Sheffield to Leeds. A quick look at a map of England will show that Loxley lies in the foothills of the Pennines and the whole of central England was covered in forest. Loxley was in the centre of this massive forested region where the hunting was at its best and the roads were at their most dangerous.

We know that Robin Hood is linked with forest life and the Sheriff of Nottingham at that time had jurisdiction over this central wooded area where Loxley was situated. Here was some of the best hunting anywhere in the country. Back in the time of Robin Hood, Loxley, Bradfield, Stannington, and parts of Sheffield were in the manor of Hallam, its boundaries extending to Conisborough and Penistone. In modern estate agent language Hallam and Loxley were location, location, and location. Here lay Rivelin Firth and Fulwood, which is now a modern housing estate. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon "Ful-Wudu," meaning a wet, marshy woodland and the many streams, for example the River Rivelin, River Loxley, Porter Brook, Wyming Brook, River Don provided support for many different species, Hallam Moor is ideal for grouse and the whole area was a mixture of forest, open moors, and peat bogs.

Nearby was Rivelin Firth, which was a vast pasturage forest, abounding with trees of fine growth and some of the finest timber in England was to be found there. It is said that a squirrel could travel from tree to tree for seven miles in a straight line without going to ground. The trees were so large that on one occasion two men on horseback on either side of a felled tree could not see the top hat of the other man, the trunk was so huge. The spread of one mighty oak provided shade for two hundred and fifty one cattle, quite a gift for the ship builders. The hunting in the area was excellent and as the seasons came round the Lord of the Manor would invite his many high-ranking friends both English and Scots, to join him for the hunting and hawking.

At this time Hallam Head would be thronged with men of rank who came to enjoy the sport with their host and his neighbouring squires. The consequence of this was that the village of Hallam grew and spread and the farming provided employment for many people. In those days there was both red and black grouse, partridges, herons, curlews, hares, red deer, fallow deer, roe, the wild boar, the wolf, the fox, the badger and perhaps the otter. There were bears, wild bulls, as well as wild duck, pheasants, and partridges. In the nearby Royal Forest of the Peak, there were so many deer that in 1184 on one occasion when they charged, men and dogs were trampled to death. This is what home was like for Robin Hood.

All these animals and birds would be hunted with horse, hound, falcon, and hawk, which was the most ancient of sports in which kings, princes, nobles, squires, yeomen, and retainers were permitted to join. The manor of Hallam, had a strong appeal to the sporting instincts of the Saxon noble, who was devoted to the pleasures of the chase, and it is unlikely that in any other part of his vast estates in England, could the Lord of the manor get such variety of accessible sport, where all he could wish for as a sportsman surrounded the village in which his Manor House stood. It is probable that in Saxon times there were few manors south of Hallam that could boast a grouse-moor of similar size except perhaps on the Welsh border extending into Milbank Forest and also in Devon.

PEVERIL CASTLE

Peveril Castle was built partly to protect the hunting which was so good in this area of England that William the Conqueror created for himself the "Royal Forest of the Peak" which covered 180 square miles from Longdale to the Wye Valley and included Bakewell, Tideswell, Buxton, Chapel-En-Le-Frith, Castleton, Brough, Hope, Hayfield, Glossop, and north over the Dark Peak and literally the whole of Barnsdale Forest with Edale Cross (near Winn Hill) being at its centre. This cross also marks the boundary of the land given to the Abbey of Basingwerke near Holywell, Flintshire, in 1157.

When William the Conqueror was in the south of England he hunted in the New Forest and when in the northern part of his Kingdom he hunted in the Royal Forest of the Peak. The hunting was so sought after in the Peak Forest that by King John's time large studs of horses were maintained specifically for the hunting and also large numbers of cattle were kept.

William Peveril the Sheriff of Nottingham was the man who carried out such brutal sentences as castration, or amputation of limbs within the castle walls for poaching, and the saying "caught red handed" was considered proof of poaching. There are stories of bones being found walled up, near a spiral staircase and suggestions that the steward unfairly impounded livestock. In 1173-4 Henry had the stone keep built at a cost of �135. It was one of the earliest stone keeps in Britain. Even in it's ruined state it measures 60 feet high and 40 feet square, with the walls eight feet thick at the base. The castle was popular with the nobility because of the rich hunting offered by the Royal Forest of the Peak. The kings used it as a hunting base and it's a likely they enjoyed themselves there, for in Henry II time it was recorded that the cost of provisioning the castle for twenty knights for twenty days was �20.00. This would have provided them with sufficient provisions for some serious revelry and the castle has been referred to as the "Butlins of the Peak District." They used to hold jousting tournaments in the grounds of the Castle, and one particular time a knight called Guarine de Meez defeated both the King of Scotland and the Baron of Burgoyne to win the favours of Mellett Peveril the daughter of William Peveril.

Moving on from that, Peveril Castle wasn't just there for the hunting; it was an administrative centre as well and in 1158 Henry II went there to receive the submission of King Malcolm IV of Scotland who had laid claim to various parts of northern England. On his journey to Peak Castle, Malcolm (the Maiden) may have travelled along the ancient way from York to Castleton, which passes close to the hamlet of Loxley, where tradition says there was a man named Robert Loxley, better known as "Robin Hood." And on the final leg his journey to Peveril Castle about ten miles away Malcolm would pass the site where his great grandfather's Manor House had been at Hallam, his grandmother being Maud/Matilda the daughter of Waltheof who many regard as being the father of Robin Hood

PEVERIL'S PROPERTY

Near Peveril castle is "Hazlebadge Hall" which belonged to William Peveril. It is still there and is a working farm. It is a lot smaller today because most of it was demolished and now it looks just like any other farmhouse. It was part of the Peveril estates until about 1154 when the Peveril family were dispossessed and exiled for the attempted poisoning of Ranulf, the Earl of Chester. Then the ownership passed to the Strelley family, and then to the Vernon family in 1421. Sir Richard Vernon was Chief Steward of the Royal Forest, a similar position to William Peveril, but he only had jurisdiction in the Peak Forest not in Nottingham as William Peveril had done several years earlier. Sir Richard Vernon held courts in Hazlebadge Hall and records say that he imposed severe penalties for the most trivial offences. The coat of arms of the Vernon's together with that of the Swynnertons can be seen carved on the gable of the hall.

Near the mill at Brough was a bridge, which led to Hazlebadge Hall. This bridge was given to the Strelley family for their services in providing horses for King Edward III whenever he came to the Peak. If a Strelley horse died during one of these visits, the king would replace it and also give the family two robes as compensation.

This is where Robin Hood and his men would have spent much of their time, in this prime hunting country in South Yorkshire near Loxley. Hathersage, and Castleton were near to where his fathers Manor House had stood at Hallam, and it is through this dangerous forest where people travelling along Wattling Street needed to pass.

ROBIN HOOD'S ENEMIES

THE BRUTALITY OF WILLIAM

The Norman invasion destroyed normal English life forever. The New Forest is a good example of how life changed for the average English/Saxon after the Norman Conquest, and it also illustrates the mentality of William the Conqueror. He created the "New Forest" for his own pleasure of hunting and he deliberately destroyed the homes of the people by burning them to the ground so that he could roam freely over "his" forest. If anyone was caught poaching, which they had to do to live, they were punished very harshly for example by castration, amputation or blinding in one eye and were branded "outlaws". And it is understandable that there was great resistance towards the invading army.

THE HARROWING OF THE NORTH

We have already heard that the Conqueror retaliated by destroying large areas of the north, paying special attention to Bradfield, Loxley and Hallam in the "Harrowing." The cattle, crops, farming implements, and property all went in the punitive expedition of 1069-70 when William with grim determination set about extinguishing all human and animal life for a distance of one hundred miles along the east coast and sixty miles inland. The Conqueror pursued his favourite scorched earth policy and reduced all the houses to ash; the cattle were seized and driven away. Agricultural implements were destroyed, as were the crops, and the whole population had to flee or perish either by the sword or by famine.

Many people died of starvation and it is reckoned that at least a hundred thousand people were sacrificed to this barbarous policy. The Evesham chronicler records great crowds who came to Abbot Aethelwig for succour. Those that avoided violent death fled, the wealthy to the north of the Earldom or Scotland, the rest to the Camp of Refuge at the Isle of Ely, where Hereward the Wake was challenging the Norman's. Few made it through the winter weather dying from exposure or starvation and their unburied corpses littered the countryside. People near to death from hunger had no option but to turn to cannibalism. The bloodletting did not prevent William from celebrating Christmas at York complete with a feast served on silver platter specially brought up from Winchester. Christmas over, William continued his offensive and hunted the men of Tees around the Cleveland hills.

It is estimated that between half to three quarters of the male Anglo-Saxon aristocracy died as a result of the Conquest and many of their widows and daughters fled to nunneries to avoid being forced into "marital relationships" with William's soldiers and other women were taken to Normandy as slaves or worse. Ordinary people too suffered as many lost their houses due to the demolition of whole wards in towns like Winchester, Wallingford, Exeter, and Cambridge. In Norwich, the Doomsday commissioners justified non-payment of customs at the borders, on the grounds of poverty caused by this very reason.

William, on his deathbed, referring to the harrowing of the North said: "I have persecuted the natives of England beyond all reason. Whether gentle or simple I have cruelly oppressed them; many I unjustly disinherited, innumerable multitudes perished through me or by my sword. I fell on the English of the northern shires like a ravening lion. I commanded their houses and corn, with all their implements and chattels, to be burnt without distinction, and great herds of cattle and beasts of burden to be butchered wherever they are found. In this way I took revenge on multitudes of both sexes by subjecting them to the calamity of a cruel famine, and so became the barbarous murderer of many thousands, both young and old, of that fine race of people. Having gained the throne of that kingdom by so many crimes I dare not leave it to anyone but God."

Frutolf of Michelsberg in Bamberg condemned William the Conqueror for having sent almost all the bishops of the kingdom into exile and the nobles to their death. He forced the middle-rank soldiers into servitude and the wives of the Anglo-Saxons into marriage with the newcomers. Even William's ally, Pope Gregory VII reminded him in a letter of 1080 of the great moral anguish both had faced in 1066. He writes:

"With what zeal I laboured to advance you to your royal state. So much so that I had to bear from certain of my brethren the almost infamous charge of having lent my aid in bringing about so great a sacrifice of human life. In consequence so serious a scarcity was felt in England and so terrible a famine fell upon the humble and defenceless populace that more than 100,000 Christian folk of both sexes young and old alike perished of hunger. My narrative has frequently had occasion to praise William, but for this act, which condemned the innocent and guilty alike to die by slow starvation I cannot commend him. I am so moved to pity that I would rather lament the grief's and sufferings of the wretched people than make a vain attempt to flatter the perpetrator of such infamy." Orderic Vitalis.

THE PROFITEERS

Later, the Normans put their own men in the monasteries, either because they were of noble birth, or doughty warriors, or could keep the countryside in order. Some were cruel and brutal, and a whole swarm of adventurers came over from Normandy to pounce upon the abbacies and other ecclesiastical offices in England using them as administrative centres where they could subjugate the people and raise taxes. Many became infamous for their wicked lives and gluttony; one of the worst was Thurstan who came over in 1083 and was appointed Abbott of Glastonbury.

The first thing Thurstan did was to cut the monks rations, then he insisted in introducing novelties in singing which was repugnant to the monks who went on singing their usual Gregorian chants. Then he told them to alter other ancient customs, which they refused to do, so Thurstan in a rage went out of the chapter house and almost immediately returned with a company of armed men. The terrified monks fled to the church and took refuge in the choir stalls, fastening the gate after them. The soldiers began shooting arrows at the monks, some of whom were hit, other arrows went into the crucifix, and then the soldiers charged the monks with swords and lances. The monks defended themselves as best they could with wooden benches and candelabra, and even wounded some of the soldiers, but in the end several monks were killed and at least eighteen wounded. A chronicler tells us that he could mention many occurrences throughout the land such as this, were the subject not too painful to pursue.

ROBIN HOOD MAN OF JUSTICE

The above example of Williams harshness has been included to illustrate why there were so many men in the forest fighting guerrilla warfare against the Normans, and now it becomes clear why men should lay in wait for the passing clergy, or nobleman carrying money which no doubt had been taken from the impoverished English people. There were many men who fought against the Conqueror, one such man was Hereward the Wake, another was Eadric the Wild, and it is on this same battlefront in the Northern Shires where we can find Robin Hood and his men challenging the authority of those who sought to rule over them. Any Norman was fair game be they Bishop, Abbot, Knight, or Sheriff. These were the enemy and Robin Hood endeavoured to get even with them by whatever means was most suitable.

The impression gained from reading the early rhymes and plays was that Robin Hood was quick witted and able to think on his feet. He opposed brutality with brain, humour, and cunning, and woe betide those who sought to outwit him. Here was a man who could put fear into the heart of any Norman. Robin Hood's skill with bow and arrow was legendary and he may have been accomplished in other disciplines too. Perhaps he had been well taught by his father and perhaps he had learnt from those knights who went to Loxley and Barnsdale for the hunting. I can imagine the jousting tournaments and archery contests going on into the evening while ever the light lasted. I can also imagine Robin Hood taking part in the archery contests in Peveril Castle under the eye of the Sheriff of Nottingham, with Robin's band of men standing by.

Robin Hood's men were not rogues, vagabonds, or people who had been outlawed for wrongdoing. They were what remained of the English Nobility. They held Robin Hood in high regard and were happy to have him for their leader. The respect they had for him in those hard times would not have come easily, and Robin would have earned their respect by his leadership and fighting skills, for Robin Hood was a man of his time, for his time. I am sure Robin Hood was head and shoulders above all others, commanding respect from those around him. Robin Hood was a man in a million and his reputation for good and fair play has spread across the world. Let us hold his memory high, with that same love and respect which he commanded from those people who knew him best

My hero and I hope yours too, Graham Kirkby.