DAVID ASQUITH and CHRISTOPHER J. WATSON (eds.), Wakefield Court Roll 1439–40 and Accounts 1265–66

Abstract

Wetherby was the most likely proto-Robin, his offences being so notorious that a posse had been specially hired ‘to seek, take and behead Robert’ (p. 232). A probable ‘original’ sheriff of Nottingham is similarly proposed, Eustace of Lowdham having previously served as undersheriff of the county before his appointment to the shrievalty of Yorkshire and his subsequent involvement in the manhunt for Wetherby. Crook’s arguments draw upon numerous documentary sources, especially those of the royal chancery and exchequer, a tour de force of archival research that constructs a convincing case from even the briefest of mentions. Yet, frustratingly, the final piece of the jigsaw is missing, the loss of key legal records precluding the ‘unquestionable identification of the original outlaw’ (p. 255) as Robert of Wetherby. This elegantly written and informative monograph is an essential read for anyone interested in the legend of Robin Hood. The author, a distinguished archivist whose long career was spent cataloguing the records of medieval central government, demonstrates both an unrivalled knowledge of the sources for Hood’s historicity and a thorough understanding of the existing corpus of scholarship. Attractively produced and well-indexed, the volume also contains several useful maps and illustrations. Robin Hood: Legend and Reality makes an important contribution to the ongoing scholarly debate on the origins of this most famous of outlaws.