Robin Hood: Origins

In this episode Richard and Dr. Jennifer Paxton of The Catholic University of America   search for a historical Robin Hood and explore the medieval and Tudor stories about the heroic outlaw and his band of merry men. This is the first of a two-part series.  The follow on episode will be on Robin Hood in movies and television.

Credits
The podcast's intro and exit music is composed by the talented and generous Alexander Nakarada (https://alexandernakarada.bandcamp.com/album/collection-celtic-medieval).
The opening to the folksong "Lord Randall, My Son" is by Ewan MacColl from his album, "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (Child Ballads)"  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0dRGi4rx0c)
The modern English translation of "A Geste of Robin Hood" is by Robin Landis Frank (https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ohlgren/gesttrans.html)

Listen on Podurama https://podurama.com

Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at richard.abels54@gmail.com

Transcript

richard abels: 0:05

Welcome to our podcast. Tis but a scratch, fact and fiction about the Middle Ages. I'm your host Professor Richard Abels. And today we're going to be talking about Robin Hood. My co host is a veteran of this podcast, Dr. Jennifer Paxton of the Catholic University of America. You might remember Jenny from our three episodes about King Arthur. Welcome back, Jenny.

Jennifer Paxton: 0:30

It's wonderful to be back. Richard.

richard abels: 0:32

Jenny is an especially appropriate co host with today's episode. Having discussed with her the historical origins and legend of the most famous medieval figure in the English speaking world King author, we are now turning to his close runner up. Robin Hood. Robin Hood first appears in the written record in the late 14th century in a throwaway line in William Langland's, Middle English allegorical poem,"Piers Plowman," Langland In the poem has Sloth declare to Repentance, "I kan noght parfitly my Paternoster as the preest it syngeth But I kan rymes of Robyn Hood and Randolf

Erl of Chestre," which means: 1:15

" I do not know my Paternoster as the priest sings, but I do know rhymes of Robin Hood. And Randolph, Earl of Chester." Although this is the first surviving written reference to Robin Hood. It's evidence that by the late 14th century, poems about Robin Hood, were so common, and so well known, that they can be used as a shorthand for the type of tales everyone would be expected to know.

Jennifer Paxton: 1:47

So Robin Hood we know but who was this Randolph, Earl of Chester? Good question.

richard abels: 1:53

And very medieval of us to ride off on a tangent. And the answer is we don't know. There are a number of Earl Reynolds of Chester. The two who are the most likely candidates for the ballots are run off the third also known as rent if the blood V. One of the great men of the realm during the reigns of King Richard the Lionheart, John and Henry the third and ran off the third's grandfather ran off the second to granade. rent of the second was the virtual ruler of a Palatine in northern England. He gained notoriety and maintain his control over his lands by shrewdly switching sides during the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. He died at the height of his power, and he lived in 53 when he and his Ben were poisoned while visiting William Peverel. Probably to avenge arenales Proceed treachery against King Stephen, whom William Peverel had supported fervently, the Anglo Scottish folks on Lord Randall my son, here's sung by you and McCall may draw upon popular memory of the poisoning although to stretch to see William Peverel as Earl rentals true love Oh

Jennifer Paxton: 3:05

Lord, He been Lord Dorando my son of lord he have been my Bonnie young man I've been dead wild wet mother mark my bed Sue forearm with a wet and Fein would lay do.

richard abels: 3:36

The main thing though, is that Reynolds was a historical figure. The question is whether Robin Hood was one as well.

Jennifer Paxton: 3:44

The same question we asked about whether there really was a King Arthur. It's ironic that the two most famous medieval people, at least for English speakers, King Arthur and Robin Hood, are of questionable existence.

richard abels: 3:57

I think we both agreed that King author probably is a fictional character, or at least that the evidence for historical Romano British chieftain author is scant, bordering on non existent. Historians have also debated the existence of Robin Hood as early as 1584 Reginald Scott associated Robin Hood with the Germanic kobold or Goblin, Harlequin, or as he was also called Robin Goodfellow. Shakespeare's Puck, the idea that Robin Hood originated as a wood spirit had some support in the 19th century. This was the view of Thomas Wright, a 19th century antiquarian, who helped found the Campden and Percy societies for the publication of medieval and early modern British texts. Right well gathering material for his own collection of medieval political ballots in Carol's which was published by the Percy society in 1841. came to the conclusion that Robin Hood was less a real person than the kings and heroes of outlaw romances, such as hair with the weight or uses the pirate, associating Robin Hood with the mythological elements of the bay Day celebrations. He identified him with similarly named wood spirits, the Teutonic Hodgkin and the British Robin Goodfellow, Hunter responded angrily. Quote, trusting to the plain sense of my countrymen. I dismiss these theorists, to that limbo of vanity, there to live with all those who make all remote history into fable, and quote, the most important collector of British folk ballads, FJ child's was convinced by rights arguments, and dismissive of Hector's. He concluded that Robin Hood was, quote, absolutely a creation of the Ballard Muse and quote, but unlike the case of King Arthur, the modern historical consensus is that the Robin Hood of the medieval ballots was based on a real if historically obscure, outlaw

Jennifer Paxton: 6:01

understandably, as there is nothing really magical in the story is told about Robin Hood. The stories are rooted in socio economic tensions and grievances that gave rise to actual outlaws in medieval England. So who was the historical Robin Hood?

richard abels: 6:17

You're going to be really surprised to discover historians disagree, amazing. He has been amazing. The first difficulty is that Robin Hood is only mentioned in one late medieval Chronicle, and around 1440, a Scottish avid Walter Bauer while revising John Fordham's late 14th century chronicle called the Scottish Chronicon the chronicle of Scotland inserted a reference to Robin Hood under the year 1266. Bowers identified Robin Hood as an adherent of the cause of the rebel Baron Simon demand foot valet here seem to be identifying Robin Hood with another well known leader of a rubber band, the 13th century outlaw. Roger good Baird, a small landowner in Leicestershire, and sometimes a member of the garrison of Nottingham Castle, who was outlawed after the Battle of admission for having supported the rebel cause. The Scottish theologian and historian John Major also names Robin Hood, in his history of Great Britain, published in 1521, but places him in the 1190s for no apparent reason. He was followed in this by the Elizabethan historian Richard Grafton kings printer to Edward the fourth, who claimed to have quote, an old an ancient pamphlet and quote about the life of Robin Hood, and a record of the confiscation of his lands in the exchequer rolls. If Grafton had an old an ancient pamphlet. It hasn't survived, and scholars have found no reference to Robin Hood in the pipe rolls, John Leland Chaplin to King Henry the eighth, and the most distinguished of the two dams. Aquarians described Robin as a nobleman despite his status as a Yeoman in the early ballad. The playwright Anthony Monday, wrote two plays in 1598, in which Robin Hood appears as Robert Earl of Huntington. This identification entered into the canon, although it has no historical basis. In the late 20th and early 13th centuries, the URL dealing with Huntington was held by the Scottish royal family and anonymous 17th century pros life of Robin Hood preserved in the 18th century Sloane manuscript now in the British Library, provided Robin with a birthplace Loxley in southern Yorkshire. This text is based almost entirely upon the ballads. It's one contribution to the Robin Hood story is associating Robin with Locksley Thomas scale dean of York provided an epitaph allegedly inscribed on Robins grave slab, which provided a death date of 1247. In the 17th century, Kirklees Abbey had a single gravestone for three men, a Robin Hood, and two men who do not appear in any of the Robin Hood balance, William Goldberg and Thomas what was still lacking was a genealogy. If Robin had been a nobleman, an earl of Huntington, he must have had a noble genealogy in 1746, a ligature antiquarian, Dr. William Stokely, using a rather misusing and enhancing DuckTales peerage invented a fictitious family tree for a fictitious nobleman. The man who pulled all these threads together was Joseph Ritson in 1795 Ritson a lawyer, antiquarian, harsh, literary critic, and fervent supporter of the French Revolution, collected into a single volume, all the ballads of Robin Hood in the introduction, he included a quote unquote life of Robin Hood. This was based upon major the ballads and the speculations and inventions of the 17th century and Aquarians Ritson posited that Robin Hood was born at Locksley around the year irrelevant 60 was of noble birth perhaps the Earl of Huntington and was outlawed for debt and gathered a rubber band in Barnsdale forest in Yorkshire and I did Kirklees Abbey in 1247 Watson's great contribution was to have Robin not only Rob rich habits and sheriffs, but to give the loot to the poor, he answered would be critics who might challenge Robins actions in robbing the rich to give to the poor by stating, quote, that same power which authorizes kings to take it where it can be worst spirit, and give it where it is least wanted and quote, so Walter Scott was a great admirer of Britain's work, modern historians are less impressed. A more serious historical study was undertaken by Joseph Hunter in 1852. As Assistant keeper of the public records, Hunter had knowledge of an access to the extensive administrative records of the medieval English crown and as a Yorkshire man, he had an interest in the tales of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws in bond sale forest hunters starting point was what he believed to be the oldest ballad about Robin Hood, "A Geste of Robin Hood." Jenny, why don't you give a synopsis of that poem? For our listeners?

Jennifer Paxton: 11:20

"A Geste of Robin Hood" is the earliest surviving poem about Robin Hood, although it was published in the early 16th century. On the basis of its language, it seems to be mid 15th century. This is a long poem, some 1824 lines divided into eight cantos or fits. The story has Robin and his band, which includes Little John, <uch the Miller son and Will Scarlok.

richard abels: 11:48

Whom becomes Will Scarlett

Jennifer Paxton: 11:50

Will Scarlett, right, in their outlaws camp in Barnsdale forest in southwestern Yorkshire. Robin refuses to dine until his men can find and bring a stranger to be their guest. They find a sad and night, quote, There never was a sorry or man to ride on a summer's day. As the poet puts it, he is happy to accept their invitation to what turns out to be a lavish feast. But when Robin asks him to pay for it, the night is ashamed to admit that quote, I have nothing in my coffers. So the night which I may offer you for shame. Robin tells Little John to look in the night's baggage and finds a mere 10 shillings. The night explains that he had to mortgage his lands to the abbot of St. Mary's to raise 400 pounds to go bail for his son was being held for a homicide. The deadline for repaying his debt to the abbot is drawing near, after which he will permanently forfeit his property. Robin generously offers to lend the night the money, who pledges in the name of the Virgin Mary to repay the outlaw. The abbot and his accomplice the high justice of England when the abbot bribed to give judgment against the boy happily await the Knights default, and are pleased to see him approach and ragged clothing. The knight begs the abbot to accept his service in lieu of cash, and the abbot refuses, demanding his money all the while keeping the knight kneeling beforehand. Finally, the night throws off the ruse and plunks down a bag with the 400 pounds and gold and silver and reproves the abbot for his greed. The abbot is forced to restore to the knight his lands, and the high justice refuses to return the bribe. So the abbot loses all around the night returns home raises the money and repays Robin.

richard abels: 13:42

That's a happy story, but it's not the end, right? It's

Jennifer Paxton: 13:44

not. The fourth fifth completes the story of the greedy Abbot of St. Mary's, Robin again seeks a dinner guest. This time, Robbins men find an unwilling guest, a monk who was brought by force to the Outlaws Den. The monk turns out to be the seller of St. Mary's Abbey. Robin assumes that he is carrying with him the 400 pounds paid to the abbot by the night. The seller denies it. But when his baggage is opened, the outlaws discover 800 pounds. Robin thanks the Virgin Mary for paying his loan to fold. And Robin not only returns to the night is 400 pounds, but gives him the additional 400 pounds as well.

richard abels: 14:25

So we now have the second fit, the first two fits, and the fourth fit, but there is something in between the third fifth,

Jennifer Paxton: 14:33

the third fit seems to be a tangent, which is not unusual for medieval literature. In fact, not at all unusual in it Little John wins an archery tournament observed by the much hated Sheriff of Nottingham. The sheriff is so impressed he invites John into his service. John seeing this as an opportunity to rob the sheriff accepts under the alias Raynald. Greenleaf could name right John quarrels with the sheriff's cook the to fight. And John is so impressed with the cooks fighting ability that he invites him to join the rubber band. And the cook accepts

richard abels: 15:10

that sort of like a motif you see in the movies where Robin challenges people like Little John and Friar Tuck, and he's so impressed that after he's defeated, you asked him to join him.

Jennifer Paxton: 15:22

It's the origin story of the various Merry Men. Yes. So they both then rob the sheriff. Little John then promising the sheriff good hunting leads him into the hands of Robin who entertains the sheriff on his own stolen plates. Insult to injury, right. Robin releases the sheriff after he promises to be the best friends that you have ever had, and swears on Robins sword that he will never harm Robin or his men.

richard abels: 15:50

I don't trust that sheriff. I

Jennifer Paxton: 15:52

don't either. The rest of the poem tells how the Sheriff of Nottingham proves false to his oath. He lures Robin to Nottingham for an archery contest the prize being a golden silver arrow. By the way, later on, it's sometimes gold. It's sometimes silver that was gold and silver right? When Robin wins the sheriff raises the hue and cry against him. The Outlaws escape. Although Little John is wounded. They take refuge with the night Sir Richard at the Lee, who's castle with Stan's a siege by the sheriff. The sheriff appeals to the king. When the sheriff is unable to discover Robin Hood's camp. He takes the night prisoner robbing learning of this new treachery from the Knights wife rescues him and kills the sheriff.

richard abels: 16:35

It's at this point that the poet gives us one of the few clues of when all of this is happening. The king we learned is named Edward Robin having killed the sheriff now turns to Sir Richard A handsome bow and says, Thou shalt with me to Greenwood through Meyer most and Fen they'll shout with me to Greenwood without any lazing till that I have got us grace of Edward are commonly King. We are not told whoever whether calmly Edward is Edward the first, Edward the second, or Edward the third.

Jennifer Paxton: 17:13

King now travels to Nottingham to deal with the robbers use anger to find his forests depleted of deer. Unable to find the robbers he decides to let them find him enters the forest with a small retinue all disguised as monks. This is another motif we're going to see if we will indeed, they are, of course captured by Robin Hood. When the king drops his disguise, the outlaws submit. They all receive pardon and Robin is taken into the king service. After a year however, he grows bored and finds his wealth depleted by the luxuries of the court. He returns to the forest and his outlaw ways where he lives for the next 22 years. The poem ends with the death of an ailing Robin Hood at the hands of his relative. The priors of Kirklees and her lover

richard abels: 18:01

Hunter began by asking which of the three King Edwards had made a royal visit Nottingham? The answer was Edward the second after his victory in 1322. Over the supporters of his rebel cousin, Thomas, Duke of Lancaster, and with the second undertook a royal progress through the north, he traveled across Lancashire and Yorkshire between August and November in the year 1323 and stayed at Nottingham, from the ninth to the 23rd of November. Now that Hunter had a king and a date, he scoured the administrative records for individuals named Robert Hood. Robin is a diminutive of Robert, who would fit this chronology and locale, he found to a Robin Hood drawing wages as a porter of the King's Chamber beginning on March 24 1324, and a Robin Hood in the court rolls of the matter of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1316, and 1317. Wakefield significantly, is about 10 miles from Barnsdale forest. Putting all of this together. Hunter posited that the Robin Hood of Wakefield was the same man as the Robin Hood of the Royal chamber. The former Hunter speculated had been outlawed because of his support for the rebellion of Thomas of Lancaster, but was pardoned and taken into royal service by King Edward the second. During his stay in Nottingham, Hunter concluded that he identified the historical Robin Hood.

Jennifer Paxton: 19:33

Is there any record of either of these Robert hoods having been outlawed?

richard abels: 19:38

No. Nor is there any evidence that the Robin Hood of Wakefield was a supporter of Thomas of Lancaster, or that he was the same man as the Robin Hood of the world chamber. Hunter's carefully constructed chronology of events was undermined when it was subsequently discovered that a Robin Hood of the chamber was on the payroll in June of 1323. Three months before the output suppose it submission to the king in Nottingham. Hunter's entire thesis rests on the assumption that the mid 15th century justice Robinhood accurately recounts events that occurred more than a century earlier. But it seems to me as likely that the "Geste" is just a good story I would agree with you, perhaps most damaging to Hunter's thesis is that there is a lot of evidence that the story of Robin Hood was already circulating well before 1324 Robin Hood was used as a family surname. Before the end of the 13th century, a Gilbert Robinhood is named as a tenant of the liberty of Leicester in the toll rolls of the county of Sussex for 1296. The earliest known Legal Records mentioning a person called Robin Hood, Robin Hood, a 13th century candidate was offered by LVD Owen in 1936, in July of 1225, Royal justices of King Henry the third held as sizes of justice at York, the pre rolls for these as sizes have not survived, but the judgments and fines were recorded in the pipe rolls of the Yorkshire Exchequer for 1226. There we find a notice that the chattels of Robert hood fugitive had been confiscated to the ground, the value of these chattels was placed at a bodice 32 shillings and sixpence. When this fine was repeated in the pipe roll for the following year. The name of the outflow is given in a more colloquial form, as hob hood. This Robert or hop hood is named in the Yorkshire pipe rolls for nine successive years. The only thing we know about him is that the money was owed from the liberty of St. Peter's York, which means that Robin Hood must have been a tenant of the Archbishopric of York, the Archbishop held no lands in the matter of Wakefield, and there is nothing to associate this Robin Hood with the 14th century Robin Hood of Wakefield. In fact, the only thing we can really say about the Robin Hood of the Yorkshire pipe rolls is that he was attendant of the Archbishop of York who for unknown reasons, was outlawed, and was at large in the late 2020s and early 2030s. Professor JC hold, whose 1982 Robin Hood remains the most important historical study of the man in the legend, I agree with you there opted for Owens candidate and a 13th century origin for the story of Robin Hood. I think that Hulk was right. But as he was well aware, the case he made is hardly conclusive. All that Holt really offers is the existence of an early 13th century Robin Hood in Yorkshire who was an outlaw, and the observation that by the end of that century, Robin Hood, had been adopted as a surname or a nickname by a family that held the Lancastrian tenancy in Sussex in 1984. Two years after the publication of vaults book, another historian David crook, strengthened the case for the York Robinhood fugitive crook discovered in the memoranda rolls for 1262. memoranda rolls are the record of debts owed to the crown, maintained by the exchequer crook found in the memorandum rolls for 1262, a boxer outlaw called William Rob blood. Unlike Gilbert Robin Hood of Sussex, this was not a family name, as the same fugitive has identified in the previous years roles as William, son of Robert LeFevre. I think this is very strong evidence that tales about Robin Hood were circulating before the 14th century, and that by the middle of the 13th century, his fame had reached well beyond Yorkshire in New Hampshire. The mystery though, is why the problem is that we know virtually nothing we know nothing about this Yorkshire Robinhood. Fugitive we don't we don't know why he was outlawed. And we know nothing about what he did after he was outlawed. In fact, we don't even know that he was the head of an outlawed ban. All it says is that his chattels were confiscated, and that he was a fugitive from justice. And that's it. So at the very hot the very kernel of our story is decipher

Jennifer Paxton: 24:34

the amazing thing, I think, is that perhaps from this rather on promising beginning, this incredible complex of stories and characters possibly emerged, much like King author, I think very, very similar.

richard abels: 24:50

So let's talk a little bit about how this legend developed. Sure,

Jennifer Paxton: 24:55

there are four other poems about Robin Hood, all of which survive and texts from the 16th century, both printed and in manuscript. And these all have a credible claim to being of medieval provenance. And that's because of the language. And yeah, we can tell that these are a little bit older than the time when they're present. So these are Robin Hood and his death, which expands upon the ending of adjust of Robin Hood. There's Robin Hood in the monk, which tells how little John freeze Robin from the sheriff's jail despite Robin having unjustly struck him after a quarrel about an archery contest. And by the way, I'll just throw in that the relationship between Robin Hood and Little John is one of the most interesting sort of bromances it is in in the history of literature, I think because Little John is pretty loyal to Robin despite the fact that Robin is kind of a bastard some of the time. There's also Robin Hood and ghee of his bore, which has Robin hunted by a nasty Yeoman intent on reward,

richard abels: 25:58

and an ST. yovan. Who then becomes a staple for the later stories about

Jennifer Paxton: 26:04

Robin Hood, where he actually gets a social promotion.

richard abels: 26:07

Yeah, and he goes from being gi to guy. Yes, he does.

Jennifer Paxton: 26:11

They meet and fight. Robin after having been wounded kills, give gets born. And having heard that the sheriff had captured Little John, he comes up with a plan to rescue him. He cuts off keys head and mutilates the face beyond recognition. And we're told that this is with an Irish knife, right, which is like, whoa, that's really bad. He was really kidding. Not kidding.

richard abels: 26:31

If this were an American story who would have made a bowie knife, it would have been but then again, none of our cinematic Robin Hoods would ever have mutilated a corpse.

Jennifer Paxton: 26:40

Then putting on these cloak he brings the suppose that head of the outlaw to the sheriff, the sheriff is overjoyed and offer some money, but he's surprised when he says that the only reward he will accept is having killed the master. He now wants to kill the Navy who served him. The sheriff is more than pleased to accept but of course Robin instead, cots John's bonds hands him a bow and the to escape the clutches of the sheriff.

richard abels: 27:08

There is also an early 16th century comic tale, Robin Hood in the potter and a late 15th century play Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, only a fragment of which survives.

Jennifer Paxton: 27:21

And those are really the raw ingredients for the stories that will later become the Robin Hood legend.

richard abels: 27:27

So to take stock by the end of the 15th century, we have in place the following elements of the Robin Hood story. First, we have an outlawed named Robin Hood, who will though of human status acts with the courtesy appropriate to one of noble rank. Robin is a leader of a rubber band that operates primarily in Barnsdale forests in Yorkshire, but is also sometimes found in nearby Sherwood Forest in Nottingham. Sure. This Mary rubber band includes a little John who is Robins friend, sometimes rival and second in command, much the Miller son and will Skalak or Scarlett under Robins leadership. They rob undeserving and corrupt rich Abbott's and royal officials. Although in none of the medieval balance, do we find them robbing the rich to give to the poor, and at least"A Geste of Robin Hood," Robin Hood just men practice generosity where it is due. In that tail. Robin not only loans money to an honest night in need, but forgives that loan and doubles the amount as a reward for the night chivalry and honesty. But there are still some important elements of the familiar Robinhood legend missing. We don't have however, some of the big

Jennifer Paxton: 28:44

players do we know we're missing some pretty important ones. Yep,

richard abels: 28:47

we're missing made married. And good King Richard, and bad Prince John.

Jennifer Paxton: 28:53

We're also missing Friar Tuck.

richard abels: 28:54

And when missing Friar Tuck, we're missing some of the biggies. So do you want to tell our listeners where they come in

Jennifer Paxton: 29:01

work? Yeah, Mary Maid Marian really comes from a separate tradition. So she comes from the French pastoral tradition. These are stories that would have come into England via the sort of cross channel interest in French culture as you have this bilingual ruling class. And so these stories would have circulated in French they would have been translated. And so made Marian in these stories, is the lover of a rather ineffectual guy named Robin, who is not really the Robin Hood of the stories we've been talking about. He's just another guy named Robin. But her story seems to have been a lot of a part of the main main tradition. So the festivities around May Day, which was the beginning of the summer. And what seems to have happened is the stories about Robin and Marian get grafted onto Robin Hood, because there's a coincidence between the names of the two and also the Robin Hood stories really As an important female protagonist, you've got to have that

richard abels: 30:03

which seems to be part of the process of ennobling Robin Hood and turning the legend into a show barbaric romance.

Jennifer Paxton: 30:10

Indeed. And so her story gets added on and Friar Tuck seems to have had a pre existing life as well and he shows up around the same time.

richard abels: 30:18

He does, he does, like Maid Marian Friar Tuck became associated with the main rebels. These festivities included cosplay pageantry is not unlike modern renaissance fairs. By the beginning of the 16th century, the Robin Hood story became a favorite theme, with Friar Tuck, now firmly established as one of his merry men. But again, like Maid Marian Friar Tuck the Outler fryer was not originally associated with Robin Hood. He does not appear in any of the medieval Robin Hood ballads. In fact, the first time we encountered the name, Friar Tuck is in to Royal rich, issued in 1417. These rich ordered the apprehension of a man calling himself Ferreira talk. The charge was that for a talk, and his band of armed robbers, quote, threatened the peaceful existence the men of Sussex and Surrey, and had entered the Warrington chases of the two counties to hunt without license burning the lodges of the foresters, and Warren nerds, and so Metis them in life and limb that they can no longer carry on the Kings business and quote, The Robber gang was still at large and 1429 when a royal letter unmasked this Friar Tuck as Robert Stafford chaplain of Linfield in Sussex. It's not surprising that some medieval clerics and monks turned to crime given how many of them had entered the church, not out of religious conviction, but for familial, economic and social advantage. The most famous pirate captain of the 13th century was Eustace the monk who abandoned the monastic profession, upon the death of his noble father became Senegal, to the count of Boulogne quarreled with the count and spent the rest of his career as a pirate captain, or perhaps more accurately a privateer, first serving King John, and then serving John's enemy, King Louie the eighth of France. Use just like Robin Hood, became the hero of ballads. The activities of the historical Friar Tuck, were also not unusual. Robber gangs, often led by men of substance who were the livery, that is the colors of even greater men, proliferated during the 13th 14th and 15th centuries, whenever royal authority was weak, and the political order unstable in England. Many of these bands were outgrowths of political unrest and discontent among the nobility, just as Robin Hood in his receive legend, fights the tyranny of bad Prince John, to maintain the kingdom for good King Richard the historical bandleader Roger God dared whose gang haunted Robins own Sherwood Forest in the late 1260s and early 1270s, and whose career may have influenced the development of the Robin Hood legend, had been a supporter of Simon DeMontfort during the baronial rebellion against the quote unquote, tyranny of King Henry the third. Similarly, the reign of Edward the second was mocked by the activities of rubber bands led by men of substance, the best known of which was the full dual gang, as in the stories of Robin Hood, and the historical fair atop the targets of these bands were often corrupt royal officials, especially those charged with enforcing the hated forest laws. When I first learned about the historical Friar Tuck, I thought that Robert Stafford had simply adopted as a nom de validate for his five minutes activities the name of legendary outdoor monk, but this does not seem to be the case. There are no surviving medieval ballads or even references to a Friar Tuck. Even more telling, is that the royal clerks who drafted the rich of 1417 Assume that Friar Tuck was an alias, because it was so quote, an unusual name in common parlance, and quote,

Jennifer Paxton: 34:23

well, if you think about it, from the time of the peasants revolt in 1381, some of the major leaders of the peasants revolt were using aliases also. So I think this was this was a thing that people that people did, it was a recognized practice.

richard abels: 34:35

JC hold may well be right, that Robert Stafford was the original Friar Tuck. Friar Tuck seems to have been drawn into the Robin Hood orbit in the late 15th century. He's named in a play written in 1475 Robin Hood in the night, which survives only in a fragment. His prominent role in the Robin Hood canon is due to William Copland, a London based printer Who in 1560 published a play that he called "A Merry "Geste of Robin Hood and of his life with a new play for to be played in May game very pleasant and full of pastime." This was actually two plays. The first is taken from the ballad Robin Hood in the potter, the second which may be drawn from another ballad, Robin Hood and the curdle fryer. Though that ballad survives only in the 17th century manuscript tells us a familiar story about how Robin Hood encountered a corpulent fryer, and as a prank, forced him to carry him on his back across the stream. They end up fighting and the firefight so well, that Robin asked him to act as chaplain for his rubber band. This is one of the more famous scenes in the 1938 Robin Hood, with Errol Flynn and Eugene pallet playing the role of Friar Tuck. It's not a coincidence that Robert Copeland wrote "A Merry Geste of Robin Hood", to be, quote, played in May games very pleasant and full of pastime, and quote, by the late 15th century, plays about Robin Hood had become a staple of the May games and May Day celebrations. Alan Wright points out that by 1600, there were more than 130 references to performances of plays involving Robinhood more references than any other kinds of British folk drama, echoing late medieval roundtable tournaments. During these festivals, people dressed up like Robin Hood and his Merrie Men. As Jenny explained. This was the time that Maid Marian entered the Robin Hood story, because she already independently served as Queen of May in these festivals. Once her Robin became identified with Robin Hood, he became king of the May, a courteous leader of a rubber band was the perfect Lord of Misrule to preside over annual rebels of disorder.

Jennifer Paxton: 36:59

Henry the Eighth even plays the role of Robin Hood. Yeah, he

richard abels: 37:02

really did. There's a wonderful story told by the contemporary chronicler, Edward Hall how a young Henry the Eighth and 12 nobleman dressed and armed as Robin Hood and his Merrie Men burst into the chamber of Queen Catherine of Aragon, just as she and her ladies were rising, weary of road Hall, quote, The Queen, the ladies and all other there were abashed as well for the strange sight as also for their sudden coming. And after certain dances, and pastime made, they departed. I'm sure she was totally confused by all of this. I know that Catherine had bonded with her original intended husband, Henry's older brother, author, over their common love of stories about King author, but the Spanish Princess probably had never heard of Robin Hood. I can imagine that she had her ladies were truly abashed to have a dozen on BET in disguise suddenly burst into her chamber. But I suspect that given how much Henry loved the stories of Robin Hood, that Katherine quickly came up to speed. Five years after this, in May of 1515, Henry staged a different type of Robin Hood encounter. In this one, Henry now played the role of an honored guest of the courteous outlaw. As Henry Catherine, and their attendance were riding along the forest edge, they were suddenly stopped by a man who introduced himself as Robin Hood, along with him with 200, Yeoman archers, clothed all in green with green hoods. After entertaining the royal potty with a display of archery. Robin invited them to feast with him. Robin skirted the potty into the forest, where in elaborate robbers den had been constructed. And the royal court joined the pretended Merry Men in a feast that featured venison.

Jennifer Paxton: 38:58

Well, I mean, it's it's it's an amazing thing to sort of get a window on to a whole tradition that was in the end, relentlessly stomped out at the time of the Reformation. So this these are widespread. Everyone does this. We have the first written record from it in the early 15th century, but it lasts way until Elizabeth's reign and then it's it's absolutely stamped out by by the the Protestant reformers,

richard abels: 39:27

just as appeared in stamped out 12 Night Christmas rebels and festivities, which really was the historical war at Christmas. The Puritans just didn't like rebels. The period and Bishop Latimer of Western railed and sermons against Robinhood plays in pageants as an invitation to write and sin, much as early clerics had denounced tournaments. In 1555. The Scottish Parliament made it a criminal offence to hold celebrations in which Robin Hood Little John The advent of unreason and the queen of May were impersonated. I suspect that what Latimer and the Puritans really objected to was the public drunkenness and what they perceived as lewd dancing. But although anthropologists assure us that rebels in which the social and political order is inverted, actually reinforce the existing social order. Robin Hood made a cosplay could add did occasionally take violent turns, charges of riotous assembly was brought against a Staffordshire man, Roger Marshall in 1498, in defiance of the order of the local justice of the peace Marshal, calling himself Robin Hood, had led a troop of 100 men to the fear at Willard hill there according to the accusation, they made riotous assembly course money from the merchants, and threatened personal violence. Roger Marshalls defense was that he and his troop were merely following in old tradition, that men from the locale would come to the fear led by either Robin Hood or by the abbot of bam, to gather money with their Desportes, which they would then donate to local churches. He and the others he maintained, quote, made as good cheer unto them, as they should do to their loving neighbors, and denies that they became riotously and quote, whether Roger Marshall was honest in his defense is unknown. But the practice of the king of the May usually someone dressed as Robin Hood, would gather followers and lead them to a neighboring town to demand money for the church was a common practice. JC Holt, in fact, speculates that this money was then distributed to the poor, which might be the origin of Robin Hood's robbing the rich to give to the poor, and although it's equally likely that it was a product of Joseph Britain's Jacob in sympathies coloring his reading of the ballads, the popularity of Robin Hood with King Henry the eighth in his court, seems counterintuitive. After all, we're talking about stories in which a Yeoman outlaw robs corrupt Abbott's and royal officials. This would even be otter if the audience for the Robin Hood stories were peasants, as suggested by the British historians Rodney Hilton, and we'll reskin the Marx's Hilton and non Marxist keen both concluded that medieval English outdoor tales were expressions of the discontent of peasants arising from their economic exploitation by church and crown. They found the origin of the Robin Hood ballads in the communal storytelling of country people, with keen imagining them composed to accompany song and dance at rustic festivals. This argument appeals to common sense. Unfortunately, it's not borne out when when carefully studies the medieval evidence, as JC Holt pointed out, the grievances expressed in the medieval Robin Hood ballads with those of the gentry, not the peasantry, the victim of the Abbott's high justices and Sheriff of Nottingham's greed, in "A Geste of Robin Hood" was not an oppressed peasant, but an honest and honorable night. The medieval robbing may not have been an absolute URL or noble as he was to become in the 18th century. But he also wasn't a peasant. The term Yeoman in the 13th century meant a servant a retainer of the king was some other great noble. By the 14th century, it comes to mean a small landowner, somewhat below the gentry, but superior to the peasantry. Just as crucially, the Robin Hood of the ballads does not act like a simple country, man or peasant. His manners and values are those official Bower nobleman. He is loyal and generous to those deserving of generosity. Brave and pious, holds criticism of Cain and Hilton carry the day, so much so that when Dorset press released Boris Keynes 1961 outlaws a medieval legend in 1987. The only change was a new introduction, which begins with a plaintiff Mia culpa. Since the book first came out keen notes, there had been a great deal of research on the subject of medieval outlaws, and the Robin Hood legends, quote, my book in the views that I have expressed in it have been the subject of criticism, some of it harsh and much of it, as I now recognize fully justified. King then goes on to explain why the book that presumably the reader had just purchased is completely wrong. To understand how an outlook could become celebrated by local Gentry. One has to understand the historical context of the medieval Robin Hood stories. As I mentioned earlier, the late Middle Ages was a period of English history that is rife with outlaw bans, many of them like the full Ville gang, led by members of the local elite. Robin Hood in these tales is a robber. But he only robs the unworthy, rich churchmen and royal officials who have misused their office to exploit not the peasants or merchants but the local Drake Gentry. Men like Sir Richard at the Lee in the"Geste,"

Unknown: 45:32

know that the medieval legends really don't describe a dynamic of Robin Hood as a kind of a social protester. No, he's really not that figure. He's more if anything, he's more a a transgressor, a Lord of Misrule. Someone who, who can defy the social order when he chooses to, but he's also part of it in other ways.

richard abels: 45:54

He's, he's an exemplar of chivalry. In the in the "Geste of Robin Hood," he invites people to be his guest at feasts, those lavish feasts. He's a gift giver, as well as being a robber. He has generosity. He has loyalty. He is chivalry,

Unknown: 46:17

I think in certain way he is. He is a reproach to a noble audience reading these stories or experiencing these stories, because he's basically showing them what they shouldn't be.

richard abels: 46:28

Yes, he's the yeoman, who is showing his betters true nobility.

Unknown: 46:34

He's also very religious. Yes, he is, which is something that the modern stories jettison completely because they just, you know, with anti Catholicism they're they're just really can't cope with his most cognitively

richard abels: 46:46

invokes the Virgin Mary. In the "Geste," we are told, quote, a good custom then had Robin, in whatever land he were, every day before he would dine. Three masses would he hear the one in worship of the Father, and another of the Holy Ghost, the third of our dear lady that he loved altogether most. Robin loved our dear lady, for fear of deadly sin. Would he never do a gathering home that any woman was in, and he swears by the Virgin Mary, and Robin is always good to his word. Unlike the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin never betrays his word. Robbing simple, heartfelt piety is contrasted in the "Geste" with the rapacious Abbot of St. Mary's taking the Lord's name in vain. When Richard at the Lee approaches the abbot on the day that his loan is due, before he pays him the 400 pounds, that he was loaned by Robin, he begs the abbot for the courtesy of an extension and promises to be his true servant until the debt has been paid. The abbot with the support of the bribe justice, refuses to return the Knights lands him, quote, The Abbott's wore a great big oath, by God that died on a tree, get the land how you pay, for you will get none of me, the villains of the medieval Robinhood ballots of the officials of church and crown in the 14th and 15th centuries, these men were blamed by the local Gentry for taxing and tithing them excessively for the abuse of prevents taking horses and cattle with a promise of later payment at a rate set by the king. Payment that often never came. And for taking bribes to subvert justice, the habits and monks of the wealthy monasteries were especially resented, as bad neighbors always looking to increase their houses, already lavish endowments at the expense of honest landowners.

Jennifer Paxton: 48:59

Well, one of the things that's very, very striking about these stories is their anti clericalism. Yes. And for them to be anti clerical is for them to be right in the mainstream of late medieval English society.

richard abels: 49:12

It is and, you know, if one wonders how Henry the Eighth managed to dissolve the monasteries, and why there wasn't a greater outcry, the wealthy monasteries were extremely unpopular.

Jennifer Paxton: 49:28

Yeah, that's true. And really the only part of the country where the there was an outcry is in the north is in the north. And that's an area where the monasteries had actually more successfully occupied a socio economic niche. Yes. Especially Yeah. As Yeah. So so that's a place where people couldn't really imagine their lives working out well without the monasteries. And so they protested, but elsewhere, yeah, they went without much of a protest and they

richard abels: 49:57

wouldn't be surprised that that they would Be a wicked Abbot, who would connive with the local justice or the sheriff to convict an innocent man, so that he would be able to get money for it. And the seller of a monastery would be the one who would be particularly corrupt.

Jennifer Paxton: 50:19

A seller, by the way, is somebody who would have been responsible for the provisioning of the monastery. So that person would have been doing all the buying and selling for the Abbey. And so you would have probably had to be on that person's nice list if you wanted to do business with the Abbey. Well, one of the things that's really important, I think, to note about these bans is what you've just said, which is that there isn't a class cleavage, though, between, you know, members of the establishment at the top and people at the bottom. That's a kind of dynamic that we see evolving of developing stories much, much later. The reality, the social reality that's being described is much more complex than that. It tends to have to do with regional rivalries that are very localized. One interesting thing that I'll throw in there is the Scottish connection. Yeah. Because some of the early references to Robin Hood, you've already mentioned, Richard are actually Scottish. And that's because the Robin Hood stories are actually very popular in Scotland as well. Okay, why? Well, that's a good question, because there's actually quite a bit of cultural contact between Scotland and England at this period, we're talking about the parts of Scotland that are speaking a similar dialect, right. So we're talking about the, the area in north to Edinburgh, where they're speaking what's really called Scots now, there's been middle Scots. Yeah. And they're, they're dialed into some of the same currents. And some of these outlaw stories are really set in the period of endemic warfare between England and Scotland. So part of what's going on in Edward the seconds reign is that the economy is all messed up, because he has to fight these wars with Scotland, which is father one, and he lost. And and that, you know, you what you don't want in your king is, is you don't want your king to lose.

richard abels: 52:09

Okay, so at what point do we have the story come together in such a recognizable fashion, that, that it becomes the basis of the movies that we know,

Jennifer Paxton: 52:18

I think that the real key transition happens in the 16th century, when the Robin Hood stories get localized in time, because up until this point, they're really kind of timeless? Yes, they're not associated with a particular King. There's one of the medieval stories that talks about a King Edward Wright, which doesn't narrow it down a lot considering that every king between 1272 and 1377, is named Edward, and sort of like calling him King George in the 18th century. That doesn't does

richard abels: 52:44

not to mention the irony that the historical Robinhood probably lived during the reign of King Henry the third, the father of Edward the first.

Jennifer Paxton: 52:53

So up until this point, these stories could happen at any time. But beginning in the 16th century, they get localized to the reign of Richard the Lionheart and he live in 90s. And the first writer to do this is a Scottish author, which is very interesting. So you have this points where the Scots are very important in in the Robin Hood story. And then by the end of the 16th century, that is when the Robin Hood stories took place, and that becomes canonical. And so they're set in this period when Richard goes off on crusade, there is a kind of a power vacuum. And that's when Robin Hood comes to the fore.

richard abels: 53:31

It's also during this period that your followers came to eclipse bonds tale as Robins outdoor Haven. Beginning of the 16th century Robin Hood placed Ames began to proliferate around Barnsdale show it and Nottingham as Robin Hood, like King Arthur before him became a draw for tourists. Sherwood Forest went out over Barnsdale probably because it was near Nottingham, and Nottingham was a much visited County town while the area around Barnsdale was dotted only with Hamlet's well surprise surprise. It looks as if we've run out of time. Jenny and I will return however for another episode Robin Hood. This one dealing with movies and television shows. I hope you plan on joining us if you've been enjoying tis but a scratch and your preferred podcast provider has ratings and reviews. Please take a few minutes to leave a favorable rating and review. Ratings and reviews will help others interested in things medieval find a podcast by until next time.

Unknown: 54:44

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