Robin Hood

Having immersed myself in all things Robin Hood for a few months now, I'm at that particularly dangerous stage where I think I'm educated on the topic.  I'm probably not, and so what follows is likely speculative conjecture.* 

Today's post is a quick summary of who Robin Hood may have been.  Let's face reality up-front: he probably didn't exist at all.  Many people named Robin Hood (or something similar) have existed, certainly.  But the Robin Hood- the "rob from the rich and give to the poor" Robin Hood- is likely a creation of man, based on a grain of truth, but so enlarged and exaggerated that he's essentially straight out of the imagination of generations of minstrels.  But still, just for fun, let's consider the possibility that the Prince of Thieves did exist, in something close to the form we know today.  Where did he roam, when did he live, and post importantly, who was he?

Before proceeding- if you want a more informed opinion, see the history of Robin Hood site here.  It has a number of good resources on it.   If you're happy with my "learn in 2 minutes" approach, read on.

Where did he roam?

The main areas proposed are:
- Sherwood Forest/Nottingham area
Where most of the tales place our hero.   Almost all of the modern stories do so, and many of the older ballads, too.

- Barnsdale (in present-day South Yorkshire)
Some of the earliest surviving ballads mention Barnsdale, not Sherwood, as Robin's haunt.  Barnsdale is north/northwest of Doncaster; about 50 miles north of Sherwood Forest.  In Medieval times, however, the forest may have encompassed the entire region.  There are many minor links to Robin in the Barnsdale area today; here is a good overview. 

- The Welsh Marches 
This location is proposed by Stephen Lawhead, in his historical fiction trilogy on Robin.  Lawhead believes Robin originated here for several reasons, but geographically because the Marches of Wales was primeval forest, "while the forests of England had long since become well-managed business property."  Basically, Robin could actually live hidden in the fearsome Welsh wilderness; England's had become more like preserves for game.  An interesting thought.

Sherwood, Nottingham, and the Marches are shown below.  Keep in mind that Sherwood, today, is a much smaller chunk of land than it would have been during Robin's day.  So, though it's (currently) insignificant, it wasn't always.  As an aside, a day out in Sherwood Forest- preferably in summer- is quite enjoyable.

There are a few sites that have Robin Hood claims.  Kirklees Priory, south of Bradford, is privately owned, but on it is a grave that claims to be Robin Hood's.  Little John's grave is supposedly here, in Hathersage, Derbyshire.  Fountains Abbey, the well-known tourist destination, is mentioned in many Robin Hood tales.  All, you'll note, are closer to Barnsdale than Sherwood. 

When did he live?

Historians have suggested Robin was active in one of the following times:

- 1090s
Stephen Lawhead puts this forth, claiming Robin was a Welsh (Briton) fighting off the Normans, who invaded England in the 1060s.  The Normans made short work of England, but it took hundreds of years to conquer Wales.  Lawhead cites the 1095 Welsh Chronicle, which states that the Britons harassed the Ffreinc (Normans) to the point that the latter "dared not go into the woods or the wild places . . ." as evidence for what may have started the Robin Hood legend.

- 1190s-1220s
Most of the stories take place during the reign of Richard the Lion-hearted (1189-1199) and John (1199-1216).  Richard fought in the Third Crusade, and spent very little time in England.  Frankly, I don't think he even liked England, using it mostly as a revenue stream, while he fought and lived in his holdings in France.  Odd, then, that many tales hold him up as loving the land.  After Richard, John ruled for about 15 years, and many stories mention him as well (though always in conjunction with Richard, not after Richard).  J.C. Holt, largely considered the authoritative Robin Hood expert, points out that in 1225, a "Robert Hod" was outlawed in York.  Additionally, he says the name "robynhode" starts becoming really popular as early as 1261, implying that the fame of the name had spread in the years/decades preceding.

- 1300s
Some early Robin Hood ballads mention "Edward, our comely king."  England has seen many Edwards take the throne; the originals, though, were Edward I (1272-1307), II (1307-1327), and III (1327-1377).  Over a hundred years of Edward . . . how do we narrow that down?  We do have one clue, from Michael Dacre's A Little Book of Robin Hood:

Between April and November 1323, Edward II made a royal progress through Yorkshire and Lancashire, ending up at Nottingham.

It's possible Robin was active during this time, as many ballads mention the king meeting Robin (and, in fact, Robin joins his court for a length of time).  It's equally possible that Edward was inserted into the ballads to flatter him.

Who was he?

Ooh, this is the hardest one.  First, let's tackle the generic.

- Basic Yeoman
Most early ballads call him a yeoman- a commoner, essentially, little better than a peasant.  In this regard, Robin is held up as a hero for the common people.

- Simple Thief
Robin may have been just your average outlaw, robbing like many others during the time. 

- Disinherited Noblemen
Later tales make him a wrongly-disinherited noblemen.  Often a Saxon, as well, which would make sense, as after the Norman invasion, the Norman lords dispossessed many Anglo-Saxon nobles of their lands.  Some claim, though, that nobility was added to Robin's past only for the upper crust's increased enjoyment of the tale.

- Knight Templar
In his book The Unknown Templar, John Paul Davis claims that Robin was a former Knights Templar.  The Knights Templar were disbanded and decried as heretics in 1312.  Davis argues that a band of them, to avoid death, could have fled to the woods and made their living as outlaws.  He further contends that their well-published hatred of corruption and helping of the poor points to them being deeply religious, as the Templars were.  An interesting theory.

- Welsh Freedom Fighter
As a final generic note, Lawhead points out that Robin is traditionally a fantastic archer- and the Briton experience with the warbow (longbow) predated that of the English, lending credence to his belief that Robin was a Welsh freedom fighter.  Even the generic is difficult to nail down, as can be seen.

Okay, now let's look at specific names.  Many variations of the name "Robin Hood" have appeared through the centuries.  Here are just a few of the most likely candidates:
- According to J.C. Holt, as mentioned above:
   - in 1225, Robert Hod was outlawed in York
- According to Dacre,
   - in 1317, a Robert Hood was on the court rolls in Wakefield (near Barnsdale)
   - in 1323-4, a Robyn Hode was in the royal service as a porter, employed as such for at least one year.

Conclusion

Nobody knows where he lived, when he lived, or who Robin Hood was.  Deal with it.

*that's probably always true of my posts