Robin Hood


The romantic image of Robin Hood is of a medieval hooded figure in Lincoln Green, a master bowman with a quick mind and mischievous sense of humour. Dispossessed by greedy Norman overlords, he is forced to live beyond the law in the leafy depths of Sherwood, a royal hunting forest.

From his forest lair he ambushes rich travellers, fights corrupt officials, and shares the spoils of his outlawry with poor, oppressed peasants.

Down the centuries this image has been elaborated and enlarged upon by literature, theatre and – more recently – film and TV shows. Many famous actors have played the people’s hero. Some movies have taken a less serious look at the time-honoured tale, including a Walt Disney cartoon and a gangster style musical. But does the Robin Hood of the silver screen and written page bear any resemblance to the real outlaw? Did a real outlaw ever actually exist? Was he a made-up figure, answering the people’s need for a hero? Or do his real origins lie further back in the mysteries of our pagan past? To find out, we need to go back in time to look at the first documents that bear Robin’s name.

Robin Hood

Nottingham ShoppingWho was Robin Hood?

No-one knows for sure whether the legend of Robin Hood was based on a real historical character. It is a subject which is still hotly debated amongst scholars.

There have been several candidates. A certain Robert Hod, later called Hobbehod, was a tenant of the Archbishop of York in Henry III’s time. Legal records show him to be an outlaw. He was summoned to appear before York Assizes in 1225 and 1226 but fled, and is described in the records as an outlaw or fugitive.

In 1852, Victorian scholar Joseph Hunter claimed to have located the ‘real’ Robin Hood in the shape of one Robert Hood, recorded in the royal household records as a servant of King Edward II. Later, Hunter discovered the same name (but was he the same man?) in the court rolls for Wakefield, which included Barnsdale in South Yorkshire, one of the outlaw’s legendary homes.

The search is complicated by the fact that Hood, Hod and Hode were all common surnames in medieval England. Robert or Robin were equally popular Christian names. The phrase ‘Robinhood’ became a nickname used in court records for an outlaw, and there is evidence of at least eight people before 1300 who adopted it or were given it as a pseudonym. The word ‘hood’ still means a gangster or outlaw in America.

Probably, the real identity of Robin Hood will remain as elusive as the legendary outlaw. But one thing is sure: His popularity is as great now as it ever was, and forever linked in our imagination to ancient Sherwood Forest.

Robin on film

Robin has always been a popular subject with Hollywood. Here are some of the films that helped make him a hero of the silver screen:

  • Robin Hood Outlawed, Starring A. Brian Plant. 1912
  • Robin Hood, Starring Douglas Fairbanks & Enid Bennett. 1922
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood, Starring Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland. 1938
  • The Story of Robin Hood, Starring Richard Todd & Joan Price. 1952
  • Robin Hood, Starring Richard Greene (TV series). 1955-1958
  • Sword of Sherwood, Starring Richard Greene. 1961
  • Robin Hood, Full length cartoon film by Walt Disney. 1973
  • Robin & Marian, Starring Sean Connery & Audrey Hepburn. 1975
  • Robin of Sherwood (English TV series), Starring Michael Praed and Jason Connery. 1984-86
  • Robin Hood, Starring Patrick Bergen. 1991
  • Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, Starring Kevin Costner. 1991.
  • Robin Hood, BBC TV series starring Jonas Armstrong as Robin, 2006