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Sherwood Forest & Robin Hood |
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To many people the Story of Robin Hood we all know and love is a simple one, he was once of noble blood but lost his property and lands and became an outlaw, it is commonly believed he lived in the reign of King Richard 1st (1189-99) and his enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham. While King Richard was away fighting in the Crusades his brother Prince John (1199-1216) was left in charge of looking after England. |
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Robin's hideout was in Sherwood Forest which covered a vast area in those times and Robin knew it would be impossible for any of the Sheriff's men to find him. In the forest he could lay in wait with his men and ambush rich travellers and give the money to the poor. Robin's right hand man and trusted friend was Little John, other members of the outlaw band most remembered included Will Scarlet, Much the Millers son, Friar Tuck, Allan 'a' Dale and of course the love of Robin's life Maid Marian. |
Robin Hood & his |
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The Sheriff and his |
In the beginning the stories or 'ballads' of Robin Hood were handed down through generations by word of mouth and were not written down until a later date. In all the ballads and stories it is clear that to the common folk of medieval England Robin Hood was a hero, he stood for everything that was good against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and the unjust laws of the Kingdom. It was a time when the peasants faced many hardships and heavy taxes, it was easy to become an outlaw in those days, killing the Kings deer in the Royal Forest was punishable by a heavy fine, imprisonment or maybe worse. |
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Like most people I have enjoyed reading stories about the adventures of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, my very first book was about Robin Hood, it captured my imagination at a young age and my enjoyment continued through the years as I watched Robin Hood on TV and Hollywood films about him. |
 Visitor Centre |
My first visit to
Sherwood
Forest to
see Robin
Hood's Tree
(The Major
Oak) was in
the late
60's, I
can't
remember a
Visitor
Centre
there at the time, there wasn't a fence
around it to
keep
visitors
away and I
could
actually
walk
inside the
tree. |
 The Major Oak |
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Just down the road from the Visitor Centre is Edwinstowe village, here in St. Mary's Church, legend has it that Robin Hood and Maid Marian were married. The Church dates from around 1175. The village takes it's name from King Edwin of Northumbria, he was killed in battle not far from the village in AD 633. |
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Also in the village is this monument, it shows Robin proposing marriage to Marian. |
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The village of Blidworth also has associations with the Robin Hood legend, Maid Marian is said to have lived in a cottage in the village and in St. Mary's Churchyard Will Scarlet is reputedly buried under a Yew tree, an apex stone from the old Church ruins marks the spot. |
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One man who was with Robin from his time as an outlaw until the end was Little John, he was always Robin's right hand man and in many ways his equal. When they first met they fought to cross a stream, neither would give way and both men were a match for each other, from that day on they would remain great friends. |
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Robin Hood meets Little John |
St. Michael's Church, Hathersage |
Little John's headstone |
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King John's Palace |
King John's Palace can be seen in Old Clipstone now known as Kings Clipstone, it is actually a hunting lodge in what was then a Royal Hunting Forest. Sherwood was a popular hunting ground of Norman Kings of England and was a favourite of King John. |
Robin in Sherwood |
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St. James' Church |
Royal hunting forests belonged to the Royal Family and they imposed strict laws which were carried out by (among others) Royal Foresters. |
Royal Foresters |
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The Chapter House, in Southwell Minster is beautifully decorated with stone carvings of animals, birds, faces and leaves, among these is a face with branches and leaves growing out of it's mouth, he is known as the 'Green Man'. |
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Nottinghamshire celebrates the life and times of Robin Hood twice a year, the Robin Hood Festival is held at Edwinstowe in Sherwood Forest for one week in the summer. In autumn there is the Robin Hood Pageant which takes place in the grounds of Nottingham Castle over two days. |
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This page is by no means complete, there are many Robin Hood 'Well's', 'Caves', and even places, Robin Hood's Bay on the North Yorkshire coast is named after him. |
