Robin Hood Handbook: The Outlaw in History, Myth and Legend
160
Robin Hood Handbook: The Outlaw in History, Myth and Legend
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Overview
Robin Hood, whether riding through the glen, robbing the rich to pay the poor or giving the Sheriff of Nottingham his come-uppance, is one of the most captivating and controversial legendary figures. Was there a historical figure behind the legends? Did Robin and his Merry Men rampage through Sherwood Forest? Or did he spend most of his time in Barnsdale Wood in Yorkshire? And is the story of the freedom-loving Saxons refusing to be put under the Norman yoke, as portrayed in the Errol Flynn films, true?
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780752495606 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 09/11/1997 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 735 KB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Robin Hood Handbook
The Outlaw in History, Myth and Legend
By Mike Dixon-Kennedy
The History Press
Copyright © 2013 Mike Dixon-KennedyAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-9560-6
CHAPTER 1
PART ONE
The Legends of Robin Hood and his Merry Men
The legends of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, as presented here, are drawn from six major sources, as well as from a plethora of other literature, both ancient and modern. The six main sources are A Gest of Robyn Hode, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar, Robin and the Monk, Robin Hood and the Potter and The Death of Robin Hood. Though all of these works were written well after the traditional period ascribed to the hero of the tales, they contain the best-known elements of the legend. By taking the main themes that run through these works, and adding to them certain historical or legendary detail from other sources, the narrative that follows is, perhaps, the most complete version of the legendary life of Robin Hood.
The narrative is split into eleven sections, each covering a main area of the life and legends of Robin Hood, arranged in chronological order covering a time period that runs from the last years of the reign of King Henry II (say from c. 1185), through the reigns of Kings Richard I and John, and ends during the reign of King Henry III sometime after 1235. Popular legend makes the date of Robin's death 1247, which is not inconceivable. These are, of course, the traditional periods ascribed to Robin Hood, though some sources place different events in widely differing time periods. By arranging the material in chronological order and basing the text that follows on numerous sources, the confusion has been largely removed, and the legends run from the time when a young Robin Hood, aged around 25, was forced to become an outlaw, to his death, again as an outlaw, some fifty to sixty or more years later, aged about 85.
Obscure words have been left in situ as they better serve to give a flavour of the legends than would their modern counterparts. Explanations of these words may be found in Part Two of this book. At no point is dialogue included in the legends as this would detract from the legends themselves and, after all, how do we know what might have been said? These are legends that are woven around a quasi-historical background, and as such dialogue has no place in them.
The most obscure period of the life of Robin Hood follows the death of his beloved Marian when, having attained a royal pardon and adopted the life of a freeman of substance, Robin Hood once more returns to the forests to live out the remainder of his life beyond the law. During this period, which makes up the last section of the following narrative, many local legends sprang up about Robin Hood, but the majority of these stem from at least two hundred years after the core of the legends had been recorded and thus must be regarded as somewhat suspect. They can best be regarded as local endeavours to gain some connection to the famous outlaw whose name had already passed into our folklore by that time. As this is the case, only three events in the last fifteen years or so of Robin Hood's life have found their way into the following narrative; all three appear to have been current when the main core was being recorded.
The paragraph numbers added to the text are intended for use with Part Two, the cross-referenced guide to all the players and places within these legends.
1. The Outlawing of Robin Hood
1 Having been absent from home for longer than he would have liked, Robert of Locksley returned to Barnisdale Forest en route for his home at Outwoods, which lay just beyond the fringes of the forest. As he walked through the broad-leafed trees of the dense forest at noon in the height of summer, dragonflies hovering lazily above the infrequent damp areas, Robert became aware that there were very few animals to be seen in the vicinity. Quietly he took up a position behind a great oak tree and looked out across a small clearing, expecting to see some of the hated foresters who kept watch over the king's deer that roamed the forest.
2 Robert of Locksley was a young man of about 25, his face bronzed by long periods spent in his beloved greenwood. His eyes shone brightly in a face that was full of compassion, and yet had a steely quality that had and would put many in their place. His head was covered with a mass of brown curls that were partially hidden under a green velvet cap into which he had idly stuck a plover's feather. He was dressed in a tunic of rough green cloth which was open at the neck and gathered around his waist by a broad leather belt, which held a dagger on his right-hand side and three arrows on his left. His thighs were covered with breeches of supple leather while his lower legs were protected by green woollen hose. On his feet he wore shoes of stout pig's leather.
3 As he watched he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Slowly turning his head he saw the undergrowth move as three deer entered the glade on the opposite side. As he turned his head to watch the buck and two does an arrow flew across the glade out of the undergrowth and struck the first doe clean in the heart. The other two deer fled as the stricken doe fell to the ground. All remained quiet. Nothing stirred. The doe lay exactly where she had fallen, her killer waiting an appropriate time to make himself known for fear that the foresters might come running at any moment.
4 For a full five minutes Robert watched across the glade, every now and then looking to where he had seen the movement a little while before. His patience was rewarded when he saw a man creep out of the bushes, his knife drawn and held before him as he moved slowly, keeping low, across the open space to where his quarry lay. He was dressed in the rough garb of a villein, a rope around his waist holding together his homespun brown tunic, and his legs covered with tatty trousers of the same rough material. His feet were bare.
5 As he reached the doe he crouched down and deftly began to cut away the most tender portions of the carcass. Still watching, Robert made no effort to show himself, but instead wondered what had driven this man, a man he knew, to risk life and limb in such a reckless manner. Having cut away the meat he required the man wrapped his meal in a piece of rough sacking which he secreted beneath his tunic before making his way back across the glade, and from there on towards his home. Robert followed him at a discreet distance until he managed to pass him, and then stepped out in front of him, blocking the pathway.
6 As the man saw that his route was barred his hand went for his knife, but suddenly he recognised Robert and strode swiftly towards him to greet him warmly, though some of the warmth left his voice as Robert questioned his motives. The man, whom Robert had recognised as Will Scarlet, carefully explained that in 'Master Robin's' absence, for that was how he and many others referred to Robert of Locksley, his brother-in-law John a'Green had been taken ill and died, and his sister and her three children evicted by Sir Guy of Gisborne to fend for themselves.
7 The very mention of Guy of Gisborne reminded Robert of his own position. He and his ancestors held a house and 160 acres of land on a legal rent from the lords of the manor of Birkencar, and had done so since the time when the manor had first been given to the lords by King William. However, the last lord of the manor, Sir Guy of Wrothsley, had bequeathed the manor and all its lands to the White Monks of St Mary's Abbey, and they coveted the land that Robert held as it was the most fertile and productive of all their lands. Yet as long as Robert paid his dues on time, there was no way they could ever legally take possession. However, Robert knew of the evil Sir Guy of Gisborne, and was aware that, with the connivance of the monks, he had long sought a way to dispossess Robert, even if that meant having him accused of some false crime and thus proclaimed an outlaw – upon which all his possessions and lands would be forfeit. This was the reason for Robert's return to his home, for while he was away he had heard that Sir Guy of Gisborne and the abbot were plotting to seize his lands.
8 Robert was snapped back out of his own thoughts as Will Scarlet continued to describe all that had befallen his family. His sister had come to him with her three children, but she had died of starvation a short time afterwards, whereupon two of the children had been taken in by kindly neighbours, Will Scarlet keeping young Gilbert as his own charge. It was to feed the child that he had taken to stealing the king's meat from the forest, an undertaking he would continue while there were still deer to be had.
9 Robert listened despondently to the story, not interrupting once. However, when Will Scarlet fell silent Robert turned to him and softly told him that he should have gone to Outwoods, for there his steward Scadlock would have provided for him. Will Scarlet replied that he was well aware of that, but he had not wished to make Robert any further enemies – enemies that, he added, were at that very moment scheming against him. Will Scarlet was astonished to learn that the news of those plans were the very reason for Robert's return to Outwoods, for while he was in residence he was confident that the monks and the foul Sir Guy of Gisborne would not dare move against him.
10 As Will Scarlet wondered how Robert had heard about the plans while he was away, Robert took him by the shoulder and told him, in a quiet but commanding voice, to place the meat he had cut from the deer on the ground next to Robert's own bow and arrows. Will Scarlet immediately complied, though he was reluctant to put down the meat he had risked his life to obtain. However, just as he was about to question Robert, he heard the voices of two foresters coming down the path in the opposite direction.
11 A few moments later, with the meat and the bow and arrows safely hidden, Robert of Locksley and Will Scarlet were confronted by two burly foresters who barred their way, though one, less offensive than the other, moved aside when he recognised Robert. The other, who went by the name of Black Hugo, continued to bar the way, only moving aside as he saw the steely look in Robert's eyes, a look that chilled him to the bone. Robert and Will Scarlet passed the two foresters and continued on their way out of the forest. As they climbed a hill they saw Outwoods in the distance, and the village in the valley between them and Robert's home. As they walked down the incline towards the village Will Scarlet was amazed to see his meat, along with Robert's bow and arrows, lying in the grass. He rushed forward and picked them up before turning in amazement to his companion.
12 Robert of Locksley laughed as Will Scarlet questioned him as to the magic he had used to carry the items unseen out of the forest, even blaming the event on brownies or evil spirits. Robert chided him for his foolishness and bade him on his way. As Will Scarlet hurried down the hill Robert turned back into the forest and made for the road that wound its way through the forest from Barnisdale into Nottinghamshire. In his mind was the true reason for his return to the forest – his promise to protect the womn he loved as she travelled through the forest.
13 As Robert hurried through the dense undergrowth, his senses remained alert to danger at all times and he was aware that he was being accompanied by his forest friends, but soon his thoughts turned to the woman he had loved since they had played together in Locksley Chase. She was Maid Marian, the fair daughter of Sir Richard FitzWalter at Malaset. Though they came from differing stations, for she was the daughter of an earl and he was but a yeoman, they loved each other and had sworn that they would marry no other. That day Robert was to protect his love as she journeyed from her father's castle at Malaset to stay awhile with her uncle Sir Richard at Lee at Linden Lea, a short distance from Nottingham itself.
14 Having travelled quickly through the forest for upwards of 5 miles, Robert came to a road which led him down to a crossroads. Immediately he re-entered the thick undergrowth and quickly made his way to a small glade where the soil was sandy. There on the ground was a group of sticks. To the untrained eye they looked as if they had simply fallen from a tree, but Robert sank to his knees and inspected the twigs carefully, for they had been left there as a message to him by one of his woodland friends.
15 The twigs told him that one knight on horseback and eight knaves on foot were stationed not far from where he was, though he could not determine why. Thus he carefully made his way towards their position, his approach being made on hands and knees. As he carefully parted the bushes he scanned the knight and his meinie in an attempt to discover from their heraldry which lord they served, but this was useless as the men on foot were dressed in plain jerkins and the knight carried a simple, kite-shaped shield. As he mused over the identity of the knight and his men the horse shied and the knight commanded it to be still. Immediately Robert recognised the voice of Sir Roger de Longchamp; he had long coveted the Maid Marian, and had now obviously come to take her by foul means, as fair had failed, Sir Richard FitzWalter repeatedly refusing to give her hand to that treacherous knight, the brother of the proud Bishop of Fécamp, and the favourite of Duke Richard.
16 As Robert watched the knight astride his horse his thoughts turned to his own lineage, the one obstacle that prevented him from marrying his beloved Marian. He thought about the stories he had heard from Stephen of Gamwell, and wondered whether those stories were indeed true and that his family had once been the lords of Huntingdon. He knew that the earldom and lands of Huntingdon had been given to David, son of the Scottish king, and pondered on how his situation might have been different had not his forebears, according to Stephen of Gamwell, risen against the Normans, only to be driven from their home, lands and title.
17 His reverie was brought to an abrupt halt as a man raced into the clearing and told Sir Roger de Longchamp that Marian was approaching with one other on horseback and the remainder of her party on foot. Immediately Sir Roger barked out a series of orders, and as he listened Robert slipped an arrow out of his belt and moistened the flight so that it would fly straight and true. As he did so, Maid Marian rode into view, with Walter, her father's steward at Malaset, riding beside her. As Robert watched he saw the knight charge into the clearing accompanied by his men.
18 Immediately Walter rode in front of his mistress to protect her and fought off the first blow from Sir Roger de Longchamp's sword with his stout staff, the sword carving a great splinter of wood out of it. Sir Roger again raised his sword to strike at Walter, but Walter was too quick for him and with a swift swipe of his staff knocked the weapon from Sir Roger's hand so that it dangled from the piece of cord looped around the knight's wrist. As Sir Roger struggled to regain his sword, his hand caught hold of the reins of Marian's horse. He raised his sword once more to strike at Walter, a blow that would doubtless have killed him, but as he did so Walter was tumbled from his horse by one of Sir Roger's men and the sword swept aimlessly through the air. As Walter lay unconscious on the ground Sir Roger de Longchamp began to drag Marian's horse towards him – but suddenly he fell headlong to the ground, the shaft of an arrow jutting out of his right eye through the narrow slit in his helmet.
19 As Sir Roger de Longchamp fell heavily to the forest floor the fighting stopped. One of his men went over to the body of the knight and drew the crudely tipped arrow out of his eye, at the same time keeping a wary eye out for the archer who had moments before killed his master. Quickly he signalled that there was but one attacker and sent his men to the left to see if they could find him, but as they set off a small black arrow streaked through the air and struck him in the heart. As this arrow had come from the opposite side of the track the men quickly assumed that there was more than one archer and they turned and fled, a second small black arrow striking one of the fleeing men in the shoulder. This time it simply wounded the man who plucked out the shaft and carried on his way.
20 As the last of the men disappeared Robert came out of the woods and made himself known to Marian, who offered him her hand and thanked her 'Sweet Robin', for that was always how she referred to him, for saving her from the clutches of Sir Roger de Longchamp, though she feared that the knight's death would not fare her beloved well as Sir Roger's powerful and evil friends would seek to avenge him. Robert assured her that had he been King Henry himself he would have protected Marian in the same way.
21 Quickly, for fear that Sir Roger de Longchamp had friends close at hand, Robert helped Walter back into his saddle, and then bade the rest of the party to dust themselves down and follow him, as he would lead them to safety. As the party prepared to move, Robert dragged the fallen knight off the track and laid him out with his sword on his chest and his arms folded, before saying a short prayer over him for the forgiveness of his sins. He then did likewise for the knight's fallen comrade, before slashing Sir Roger's horse across its flank with an arrowhead to make it bolt; he hoped it would be found far away from where its master had fallen, thus throwing any pursuers off the trail.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Robin Hood Handbook by Mike Dixon-Kennedy. Copyright © 2013 Mike Dixon-Kennedy. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Preface,Acknowledgements,
PART ONE The Legends of Robin Hood and his Merry Men,
PART TWO An A–Z of People and Places,
PART THREE Source Texts,
PART FOUR Conclusions,
APPENDICES,
One Maps,
Two A Rough Chronology of the Life and Times of Robin Hood and his Merry Men,
Three Films about Robin Hood,
Bibliography,