Walt Disney's Story Of Robin Hood

On Your Feet Sir!!

2026-11-11T02:29:36.162-08:00

"Surely, my Lord, you'll not disdain our humble fare. 'Tis prime meat, taken from a herd of horned cattle."

A Day to Remember (1953)

2026-11-10T07:34:26.714-08:00

In the 1953 comedy-drama, A Day to Remember (1953), Joan Rice played Vera Mitchell in an incredible, character-driven ensemble of British acting royalty on a chaotic darts-team trip to France. The film featured iconic comedic force Stanley Holloway and the beloved Donald Sinden, alongside Bill Owen and James Hayter, who both reunited with Joan from her Disney Robin Hood days. The production even featured a very young, uncredited Shirley Eaton as a passenger on a cross-channel ferry, long before she achieved global fame as the tragic, gold-painted Bond girl in Goldfinger. However, this British ensemble piece also marked a pivotal turning point, shifting Joan's career from Hollywood-backed blockbusters to regional features and signalling that her post-Disney momentum was beginning to stall.

Despite the massive global footprint of her early 1950s success, the film industry rapidly lost interest in Joan upon her return to England, and by 1955 her contract with the Rank Organisation was not renewed. She was increasingly relegated to functional roles in lower-budget features like Police Dog (1955) and Women Without Men (1956), before her big-screen appearances slowed to a crawl with Operation Bullshine (1959) and Payroll (1961). She effectively stepped away from cinema for nearly a decade, returning only once for a final, minor horror cameo as a graverobber's wife in The Horror of Frankenstein (1970).

Joan Rice at the World Premiere

2026-11-04T06:12:01.191-08:00

The world premiere of Walt Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men took place at London’s Leicester Square Theatre on 13 March 1952. The occasion was a spectacular, flower-decked celebration, with linkmen dressed as Sherwood Foresters and usherettes as Maid Marions. Joan Rice, who played Maid Marian, arrived by limousine wearing a specially designed gown featuring a tulle skirt decorated with Robin Hood motifs and a velvet bodice in traditional Lincoln Green. The BBC television crew filmed the festivities for broadcast the following evening.

Among the distinguished guests were the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor of Nottingham, who presented Joan Rice with a gift, as well as the Mayor of Westminster and the ‘real’ Sheriff of Nottingham, who met Peter Finch, the actor portraying him in the film. Other celebrities attending included Claudette Colbert, Donald Peers, Petula Clark, Herbert Wilcox and Anna Neagle. The premiere attracted hundreds of onlookers, while television newsreel cameras captured the memorable occasion.

Robin Hood God of the Witches

2026-10-31T07:43:24.054-07:00

In The God of the Witches (1931), Dr Margaret Murray proposed a remarkable theory: Robin Hood was not simply a legendary outlaw, but the leader of an ancient pagan witch-cult surviving beneath Christian society. Reinterpreting the horned or hooded “Devil” of witch-trial testimony as a human cult leader, she viewed Robin Hood as a remnant of a pre-Christian fertility religion.

Decades later, this potent blend of folklore and esoteric paganism found its ultimate creative expression when Richard 'Kip' Carpenter introduced echoes of paganism and mysticism into his hugely popular 1980s TV series Robin of Sherwood, transforming the outlaw into a chosen warrior of a nature deity.

Murray connected Robin Hood with supernatural figures like Robin Goodfellow and Robin Artisson, suggesting the name “Robin” linked them to a wider cult. She also interpreted his band of twelve men, green clothing, and association with May Day festivities as evidence of a witches’ coven and nature worship. Even Robin’s traditional death by bleeding was viewed as an echo of ritual sacrifice.

While medieval seasonal celebrations often incorporated elements of older traditions, the appearance of Robin Hood within these festivities does not establish that he originated as a pagan deity. A popular folk hero could easily have been absorbed into existing customs. Furthermore, historical chronology makes Murray’s case difficult to sustain. The earliest literary reference to Robin Hood appears around 1377 in William Langland’s Piers Plowman, and the main surviving ballads date from the fifteenth century onward. This late, literary evidence points to an evolving folklore tradition rather than a stable record of an ancient cult.

Murray's theory also relies on fragile parallels. The name Robin was common, the size of the outlaw band varied across sources, and witch-trial testimony is notoriously unreliable, having been shaped by coercion and theological interrogation. A critical distinction separates the survival of individual folk customs from the survival of an organised, underground religion: the former is entirely plausible, while the latter lacks evidence.

Nevertheless, Murray’s theory remains an intriguing example of how folklore can inspire sweeping interpretations of the past. Kip Carpenter tapped into this imaginative power for Robin of Sherwood. By introducing Herne the Hunter—the horned spirit of the forest—as Robin’s spiritual mentor, Carpenter directly dramatised Murray's conceptual link between the outlaw and pre-Christian beliefs.

Ultimately, Robin Hood as the head of an ancient witch-cult remains an extraordinary theory rather than an established historical fact. However, while Murray's thesis failed as history, it succeeded as a creative catalyst, providing the foundational mystique that allowed 20th-century storytellers like Carpenter to brilliantly reinvent the legend for a modern audience.

Joan Rice & The Soviet Athlete

2026-10-29T08:41:51.703-07:00

Taken in Brighton, Sussex, on 30 August 1956, this photograph shows Joan Rice (1930-1999) jogging with Soviet athlete Igor Ilyin at Withdean Sports Arena. Joan visited the track to meet the Soviet international athletics team, who were in Britain ahead of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. During their stay, the athletes attended a civic lunch hosted by Brighton’s deputy mayor and toured the seaside resort. Issued by United Press, the photograph captured a moment of sporting goodwill amid Cold War tensions between Britain and the Soviet Union.

Robin Hood Books

2026-10-28T06:37:19.080-07:00

Proof of what happens when a legendary story and a great film completely consume you...

Behind the Scenes

2026-10-25T06:28:44.540-07:00

A look behind the scenes of this black-and-white still shows expert archers James Hemmings and George Brown firing the arrows. They were hired by Second Unit Director Alex Bryce, the man responsible for the film's thrilling outdoor action. In the photo, Bryce sits near the camera crew with producer Perce Pearce. The production team built a realistic riverbank set along the River Colne right on the Denham Studios lot, perfectly framing the flowing water behind star Richard Todd. Captured in mid-summer 1951, this meticulous setup translated into a stunning colour shot on the big screen.

Joan Rice in Curtain Up

2026-10-15T07:31:52.107-07:00

Joan Rice was discovered while working as a waitress at a London Lyons Corner House and subsequently trained at the Rank Organisation’s renowned “charm school.” Her career reached its pinnacle when Walt Disney personally selected her to portray the spirited Maid Marian in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. Her captivating performance earned widespread critical praise and firmly established her as a rising star.

Michael Medwin and Joan Rice

Filming on The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men concluded in August 1951. Joan then moved on to the low-budget comedy Curtain Up, filmed at Isleworth Studios during the autumn of 1951. She played Avis, a timid young girl who quickly realises that acting is not for her, in a chaotic repertory theatre company alongside comedy luminaries Margaret Rutherford and Robert Morley.

Michael Medwin and Joan Rice

The two films reached British cinemas in the spring of 1952, with The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men released first on 13 March, showcasing Rice in her prominent leading role as Maid Marian. Curtain Up followed on 12 May 1952, giving audiences an opportunity to see her in a contrasting supporting role. Released less than two months apart, the films captured Rice at the height of her popularity, although securing further leading roles in major productions would become increasingly difficult as the decade progressed.

Gold Key Robin Hood

2026-10-07T04:41:54.008-07:00

This is a Gold Key comic based on the Disney live-action film and was published in 1965 (originally printed as Dell 4 Colour in 1952) by K.K. Publications, Inc., Poughkeepsie, New York, in cooperation with Golden Press, Inc. Western Printing and Lithographing Company designed, produced, and printed it in the U.S.A. I own the third printing 10163-506. The illustrations are good, and the comic mainly follows the original screenplay, although Alan a Dale (pictured on the back cover) and Little John (illustrated on the front cover) do not appear in the comic strip.

The cover has a full colour picture of Richard Todd as Robin Hood and on the inside cover are some small, black and white photos of Joan Rice as Maid Marian, Peter Finch as the Sheriff of Nottingham, James Robertson Justice as Little John, Hubert Gregg as Prince John and Patrick Barr as Richard the Lionheart.

Also on the inside cover is an introduction to the story:

"During the reign of Richard the Lionheart, a great crusade was fought in the Holy Land. While Richard strove against the Saracens, his brother, Prince John, ruled in his place.
Prince John had neither the kindness nor the fighting spirit with which Richard ruled the land. The usurper trampled on the rights of the simple people. Ever jealous of his great brother, grasping after gold and power, Prince John ruled with a mailed fist... always plotting against his brother’s hoped-for return to England and the Throne.
But when his tax collectors and game wardens entered Sherwood Forest, they encountered the Merry Men and their famous leader, Robin Hood. Then, as never before, did Prince John begin to doubt he would ever be the King."


The comic consists of 32 pages in colour. The inside back cover has a good quality film still of Maid Marian (Joan Rice) being rescued from the dungeon, with the Sheriff (Peter Finch) being led at knifepoint by Robin (Richard Todd). On the back is a full-cover still of Allan-a-Dale (Elton Hayes) with Little John (James Robertson Justice).

Maid Marian's Tomb

2026-10-05T04:21:17.293-07:00

Little Dunmow: The Tomb, the Legend and Maid Marian

Could the mysterious tomb at Little Dunmow really belong to the woman who became Robin Hood’s Maid Marian?

Every now and then, a place sends you down a fascinating historical rabbit hole. For me, that place was Little Dunmow, near Colchester in Essex.

I began with a simple question: what connects this quiet Essex village with Maid Marian? The answer turned out to be a fascinating mixture of medieval politics, royal scandal, folklore and centuries of storytelling.

Today, little remains of the Augustinian Priory of St Mary the Virgin, founded in 1106. The surviving church was once its Lady Chapel, and inside is a remarkable alabaster tomb traditionally associated with Matilda Fitzwalter—better known in legend as Maid Marian.

But how much of the story is actually true?

The story of Matilda

The legend centres on Robert Fitzwalter, one of the most powerful barons of King John’s reign and later a leading figure in the events surrounding Magna Carta.

According to a much later tradition, King John became infatuated with Fitzwalter’s daughter, Matilda. When she rejected his advances, John supposedly turned against her family. Eventually, Matilda fled to Dunmow, where the king’s messenger allegedly poisoned her.

It is a compelling story—but there is a problem.

There is very little reliable evidence that Matilda Fitzwalter existed in the form described by the legend, let alone that King John had her poisoned.

The story gradually gathered momentum through medieval chronicles and later writers. In 1597, Michael Drayton turned it into romantic poetry, portraying John pursuing the chaste Matilda.

Then, in 1600, playwright Anthony Munday took the story a step further.

In his Robin Hood plays, Matilda becomes Maid Marian. She follows Robin to Sherwood, adopts the name Marian and eventually dies after being poisoned by King John at Dunmow.

And so two traditions that had previously existed separately became intertwined.

A legend carved in stone

By the seventeenth century, the story had become firmly attached to Little Dunmow.

John Weever, writing in 1631, described Matilda’s supposed tomb and repeated the tale of her poisoning. William Dugdale later included a similar account in Monasticon Anglicanum.

But here the story takes an interesting turn.

Who is actually represented by the famous alabaster tomb?

For many years, the female figure was identified locally with Matilda Fitzwalter. However, the monument itself tells us something very different. The alabaster tomb dates from the fifteenth century, more than two hundred years after the supposed death of Matilda.

Historic England identifies the monument as that of Walter Fitzwalter and his wife, dating from around 1432–1464. The elegant female effigy is therefore not the Matilda of the Robin Hood legend, but the wife of a much later member of the Fitzwalter family.

This is an important distinction.

The Fitzwalters really did have a long association with Little Dunmow, and members of the family were buried there. That genuine connection may well have helped later generations attach the story of Matilda to the church and its tomb.

But the beautiful alabaster lady lying beside her husband was born into a very different generation from the Matilda of legend.

So, was she Maid Marian?

The most fascinating part of the story is perhaps not whether Matilda really was Maid Marian, but how the two became connected.

Over time, a traditional Marian figure appears to have been transformed into Matilda Fitzwalter, the daughter of a powerful baron and the heroine of a romantic tale involving King John and Robin Hood.

The fifteenth-century tomb at Little Dunmow is not Matilda’s. It commemorates a much later Fitzwalter couple. Yet the legend has become inseparable from the church and its beautiful alabaster figure.

History may give us the facts—but sometimes it is the stories that survive.

Friar Tuck's Cell

2026-10-02T03:54:22.363-07:00

I could never get tired of looking at the beautiful imagery in Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men—it’s simply timeless.

The Making of Maid Marian

2026-09-27T07:48:56.989-07:00

The History of Maid Marian

Maid Marian is now one of the best-known characters in the Robin Hood legend. She is usually portrayed as his beloved and, in many later versions, as a brave and independent woman who shares his adventures. Yet Marian does not appear in the earliest Robin Hood stories.

Her character developed through a mixture of French pastoral tradition, English May games, popular pageantry, ballads, and Elizabethan theatre. In her earliest forms, she seems to have been a festive and sometimes comic figure. By the sixteenth century, she was appearing in documented May games, and in the 1590s Anthony Munday transformed her into the noble Matilda/Marian Fitzwalter, Robin’s beloved. During the seventeenth century, her romantic identity became increasingly established, producing the Maid Marian familiar today.

The possible French origins

One possible source for Marian’s character is an old French pastoral tradition involving a shepherdess called Marion and a shepherd named Robin. The best-known example is Le Jeu de Robin et Marion, written by the French poet Adam de la Halle in the late thirteenth century. It tells the story of Marion, a shepherdess, and her lover Robin, who is a shepherd rather than an outlaw.

By 1392, Le Jeu de Robin et Marion was being performed at Angers, apparently as part of celebrations associated with Whitsun or Pentecost. This has led some scholars to suggest that knowledge of Robin and Marion may have travelled across the Channel and contributed to English traditions of summer or May games. The precise relationship between the French and English traditions, however, remains uncertain.

The name Marian is also suggestive. Marian means “of Mary” when used as an adjective, while the personal name is closely related to Marion and ultimately to Mary. This has encouraged a symbolic connection between Maid Marian and the Virgin Mary, particularly because the earliest Robin Hood stories emphasise Robin’s devotion to the Virgin.

Marian and the May games

The character who became Maid Marian seems to have developed in England through popular May games and other summer celebrations. These were lively seasonal entertainments involving processions, dancing, music, speeches, costumes, and comic performances. Robin Hood was one of the characters associated with these festivities, and Marian became associated with them too.

Another name found in connection with such celebrations is Murrian. Its meaning and precise relationship to Marian remain uncertain, but it has sometimes been interpreted as referring to a dark-complexioned or “Moorish” woman. The character appears to have been a festive and comic figure rather than the respectable romantic heroine familiar from later Robin Hood stories. She may have appeared as a mock queen or pageant figure alongside Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, a fool, and other dancers.

Some interpretations also associate Marian with Friar Tuck, suggesting that in the early May-game tradition she could appear as his companion or paramour. These traditions were fluid, however, and the relationships between the characters were not yet fixed.

The first documentary evidence

By the early sixteenth century, there is documentary evidence for Marian’s appearance in English Robin Hood festivities. The churchwardens’ accounts of Kingston-upon-Thames for 1509–10 include expenses connected with the Robin Hood celebrations and mention Maid Marian, including materials for her costume.

The relationship between Robin and Marian was not yet standardised. In the early sixteenth century, the poet Alexander Barclay, in The Ship of Fools, referred to “some merry fytte” of Maid Marian—or else of Robin Hood. The wording suggests that the two could still be treated as separate festive figures.

This is consistent with the earliest Robin Hood ballads, in which Marian is absent. The major early poems do not give Robin a lover called Marian; instead, Robin’s religious devotion is directed towards the Virgin Mary.

Anthony Munday’s transformation

A major change came in the 1590s, when Anthony Munday included Marian in both of his Robin Hood plays, The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington and The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington. Munday combined the existing folk tradition of May-game Marian with the legend of Matilda Fitzwalter, the daughter of a powerful rebel baron. According to legend, King John became infatuated with Matilda after she rejected his advances, subsequently persecuting her family until she was ultimately assassinated via a poisoned egg at Dunmow Priory. By making Maid Marian and Matilda Fitzwalter the same person, Munday successfully elevated a rustic peasant folk hero into a noble, high-stakes court melodrama.

However, Matilda Fitzwalter should not be confused with Matilda de Braose, a real historical woman who, along with her eldest son, was captured and starved to death in Corfe Castle dungeons after her family's brutal conflict with King John. As a former spy and intelligence agent, Munday masterfully used the fluid nature of Tudor historical records—where both women were known interchangeably as "Maud" or "Matilda"—to fuse their legacies. He took the romantic framework of the Fitzwalter legend and infused it with the real psychological horror and political stakes of the de Braose persecution. This brilliant sleight of hand re-framed the complex, financial motivations of the Baronial Revolt into a clean moral conflict over a woman's chastity, hiding a horrific real-world tragedy beneath a timeless greenwood romance.

(Much more on Munday in an article coming soon)

The seventeenth century

The romantic connection was firmly established by Ben Jonson’s The Sad Shepherd, written in 1641, in which Marian appears as Robin Hood’s wife.

Other writers continued to give Robin different romantic interests. In the broadside tradition of Robin Hood’s Birth, Breeding, Valour and Marriage, surviving versions from the later seventeenth century introduce Clorinda, Queen of the Shepherdesses, as Robin’s love interest. Clorinda is a spirited young woman and skilled hunter, and Robin successfully courts and marries her. She subsequently appeared in eighteenth-century Robin Hood ballad operas.

Another important development was the ballad Robin Hood and Maid Marian, in which Marian appears under her familiar name as Robin’s devoted lover. Robin and Marian are separated after he becomes an outlaw, and Marian disguises herself as a page to search for him. When they meet, neither initially recognises the other, and they fight before discovering each other’s identities.

Marian in modern culture

In modern film and television adaptations, Maid Marian is sometimes dressed in blue. This may reflect the traditional association of blue with the Virgin Mary, giving Marian a visual sense of purity, nobility, and courtly status. It is a modern visual convention rather than a documented feature of the medieval Marian tradition, and different productions have used many different colours.

Maid Marian’s character has also become increasingly active. Earlier screen versions often presented her chiefly as Robin’s beloved or as a woman needing protection. Later interpretations have portrayed her as politically aware, intellectually independent, physically courageous, and capable of sharing—or even leading—the struggle against injustice.

The cinematic Marian is therefore not a single unchanging character. She is the product of several traditions: the comic woman of the May games, the noble Matilda of Elizabethan drama, the faithful lover of later ballads, and the modern heroine who stands beside Robin as his equal.

The Making of Robin Hood

2026-09-21T04:42:57.240-07:00

Joseph Ritson, Walter Scott and the Robin Hood of Ivanhoe

Few characters have travelled through time quite like Robin Hood.

For centuries, his story has been told and retold, changing with every generation. But an important stage in that journey came with Joseph Ritson, an eighteenth-century antiquary whose work helped preserve the old Robin Hood traditions, and Walter Scott, who later brought the outlaw into his famous historical novel Ivanhoe.

Joseph Ritson — Preserving the Legend

Joseph Ritson (1752–1803) was an English antiquary, writer and collector of old songs, ballads and folklore.

He became fascinated by Robin Hood and, in 1795, published Robin Hood: A Collection of All the Ancient Poems, Songs, and Ballads, Now Extant, Relative to That Celebrated Outlaw.

Ritson gathered together surviving Robin Hood material and attempted to preserve the older traditions rather than simply accepting later additions. His work became an important source for writers who followed him.

Among them was Walter Scott.

Walter Scott — Bringing the Past to Life

Walter Scott (1771–1832) had a lifelong fascination with history, medieval literature and traditional stories.

In 1819, he published Ivanhoe, taking his readers back to England in 1194, during the reign of Richard the Lionheart.

The novel is filled with knights, castles, tournaments and the tensions between Saxons and Normans. At the centre is Wilfred of Ivanhoe, but Scott also introduced another familiar figure — Robin Hood.

Scott's Robin appears primarily as Locksley, a skilled archer and leader of the outlaws. He plays an important part in the attack on Torquilstone Castle and the rescue of the prisoners.

Scott drew upon a number of earlier sources when creating his medieval world, including Joseph Ritson's collection of Robin Hood poems, songs and ballads.

And this is where the story becomes fascinating.

Ritson collected and preserved the fragments of Robin Hood's past. Scott took some of those fragments and turned them into living history.

The Making of Robin Hood

The Robin Hood we recognise today is not simply the character of the medieval ballads. He is the result of centuries of storytelling, reinterpretation and reinvention.

The medieval ballads provided the foundations.

Joseph Ritson helped preserve those traditions for future generations.

Then Walter Scott brought Robin Hood into Ivanhoe, placing him within a dramatic vision of twelfth-century England and introducing him to a huge nineteenth-century readership.

From there, the legend would continue to evolve through books, theatre, illustration, film and television.

But perhaps the most remarkable thing is that Robin Hood has never really belonged to one particular century.

Ritson preserved him. Scott reinvented him. And generation after generation has continued to tell his story.

And so Robin Hood continues his journey through time.

Could King Edward II Have Met Robin Hood?

2026-09-20T05:32:44.700-07:00

“Robyn Hod, one of the porters, because he could no longer work, [was] given five shillings by command.”

This intriguing entry appears in the chamber accounts of King Edward II on 22 November 1324. The man named was a porter in the king’s household during 1323 and 1324. The discovery was made by Joseph Hunter (1783–1861), an antiquarian and assistant keeper of the Public Record Office, whose research into medieval Yorkshire led him to investigate the historical origins of Robin Hood.

Hunter’s research culminated in 1852 with the publication of The Great Hero of the Ancient Minstrelsy of England, Robin Hood his Period etc. Investigated and Perhaps Ascertained, the fourth and final volume of his Critical and Historical Tracts.

Hunter rejected the idea that Robin Hood should simply be dismissed as a medieval invention. Instead, he believed that references in the early Robin Hood tradition could be tested against contemporary records and identifiable places.

The Clues in the Geste

Hunter turned particularly to the Geste of Robyn Hode, one of the earliest surviving Robin Hood ballads. Its references to places, roads, kings and events gave him a series of clues that could be compared with the historical record.

The poem places Robin in Barnsdale:

“Robyn stode in Bernesdale,
And lenyd hym to a tre.”

Hunter found documentary evidence that travel through Barnsdale in the early fourteenth century could be dangerous enough to require an armed escort. On one occasion, a guard accompanying prisoners from Scotland was increased to twenty archers “on account of Barnsdale.”

The Geste also mentions the Saylis and Watling Street:

“And walke up to the Saylis,
And so to Watlinge Strete.”

Hunter identified the Saylis as a small tenancy within the manor of Pontefract and Watling Street as the Roman road crossing Barnsdale.

These details gave Hunter something important: specific clues that could be tested against the historical record.

The Geste then provides an even more significant clue by naming Robin’s king:

“Tyll that I have gete us grace
Of Edwarde, our comly kynge.”

The king later comes to Nottingham:

“The kynge came to Notynghame
With knyghtes in gret araye.”

And the poem describes him travelling through Lancashire and losing many of his deer:

“All the compasse of Lancasshyre
He went both ferre and nere,
Tyll he came to Plomton Parke,
He faylyd many of his dere.”

For Hunter, the combination of a named king, identifiable places, a royal journey and the loss of deer provided a historical framework worth investigating.

Edward II Enters the Story

Hunter’s candidate was Edward II.

In 1323, Edward made a prolonged progress through northern England, travelling through Yorkshire and Lancashire and visiting places including Plumpton Park, Kirkham Abbey, Pickering, Jervaulx and Upholland before reaching Nottingham.

The Geste describes Robin seeking Edward’s favour:

“Thou shalt with me to grene wode,
Without ony leasynge,
Tyll that I have gete us grace
Of Edwarde, our comly kynge.”

Edward reached Nottingham on 9 November 1323 and remained there until 23 November.

The Geste records:

“The kynge came to Notynghame
With knyghtes in gret araye.”

Hunter also noted that Edward’s northern progress involved investigations into forest offences and matters concerning royal venison, which he saw as an interesting parallel with the king’s concern over his deer in the Geste.

But the most remarkable discovery came when Hunter examined Edward II’s household accounts.

The Royal Porter

There he found a man named Robyn Hod, one of the king’s chamber porters, paid three pence a day.

The surviving accounts record his presence, absences and wages during 1324. On several occasions deductions were made because he was absent. Then, on 22 November, came the extraordinary entry:

“To Robyn Hod formerly one of the porters because he can no longer work, five shillings as a gift by commandment.”

Hunter acknowledged that this did not prove the man was the Robin Hood of the ballads:

“Whether he was some other person who chanced to bear the same name... I for my part believe it is the same person.”

For Hunter, the coincidence between the Geste and the royal records was striking. The ballad describes Robin spending time at the king’s court:

“Had Robyn dwelled in the kynges courte,
But twelve monethes and thre.”

It also contains Robin’s complaint:

“Yf I dwele lenger with the kynge,
Sorowe wyll me sloo.”

Hunter believed these passages could reflect the same period of royal service recorded in the household accounts.

Robert Hood of Wakefield

Hunter then looked for a connection between the royal porter and a historical Robert Hood of Wakefield.

In the Wakefield manor court rolls, he found a Robert Hood involved in a dispute over land. The following year, Robert Hood’s wife was recorded as Matilda.

Hunter also drew attention to the Geste’s reference to a “wicked woman” associated with Robin:

“The pryoresse of Kyrkely,
That nye was of hys kynne.”

He believed he had identified a possible connection with Elizabeth de Staynton, who became prioress of Kirklees around 1346–1347.

Taken together, Hunter believed the evidence connected the outlaw of Barnsdale, Robert Hood of Wakefield and the Robyn Hode who served in Edward II’s household.

Hunter’s Theory

Hunter ultimately proposed that Robin Hood was born around 1285–1295 near Wakefield, became involved in the cause of Lancaster, and took to robbery in Barnsdale after the defeat of his lord. He believed Robin remained an outlaw from about April 1322 until December 1323, when Edward II pardoned him and brought him into the royal household as a porter.

After about a year at court, Hunter suggested Robin left the king’s service and returned to the greenwood.

It was an ambitious theory, and it was not universally accepted. Francis Child, the editor of English and Scottish Ballads, dismissed Hunter’s attempt to find a “remarkable coincidence between the ballad and the record,” accusing him of “theoretical prepossession.”

The debate continued. J. W. Walker revisited the Wakefield evidence in 1944, P. V. Harris continued the investigation in 1954, and John Bellamy reassessed the historical evidence in his 1985 book Robin Hood: An Historical Enquiry, including possible historical counterparts for other characters in the Geste.

The Search Continues

Since Hunter ignited the debate over the possibility of a historical Robin Hood, many archivists and historians have continued the search, bringing forward new discoveries, documentary evidence and suggestions. Among the approaches explored has been the study of “Robin Hood” surnames, looking for individuals whose names or records might offer further clues to the origins of the legend.

The evidence does not prove that the Robyn Hode in the royal accounts was the legendary outlaw. He may have been another man who happened to bear the same name.

Yet Hunter’s discovery created an intriguing historical possibility: that behind the medieval legend was a real man from Yorkshire who spent time in Barnsdale, entered the service of Edward II, and later returned to the greenwood.

That possibility has kept the search alive. Each new archival discovery, however tentative, adds another piece to the larger puzzle of whether the Robin Hood of medieval legend was based on a real historical figure.

For me, that is what makes Hunter’s research so compelling. As a young student, brought up on the multitude of films and television series about the outlaw, and with a growing love of history, I was fascinated by the possibility that the Robin Hood of legend might have been a real person. Hunter’s work brought those two interests together: the Robin Hood of popular culture and the Robin Hood who might be found hidden within medieval records.

It is that possibility that makes the search so compelling. What begins with stories of an outlaw in the greenwood becomes a journey through ballads, ancient roads, medieval documents, manor court rolls and royal accounts. It turns the search for Robin Hood into a historical quest, following a trail from the Geste, through Barnsdale and Wakefield, and finally into the household of Edward II—the “comly kynge.”

Could King Edward II really have met the legendary Robin Hood?

Page 65 of The Film Script

2026-09-17T08:23:38.913-07:00

This is a transcription from an earlier version of the script of "The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

"ROBIN HOOD

Page. 65

268. REVERSE ANGLE – MED. SHOT – ROBIN HOOD

ROBIN

Surely, my Lord, you'll not disdain

our humble fare. 'Tis prime meat,

taken from a herd of horned cattle.

There is a general guffaw at this.

269. REVERSE ANGLE – MED. CLOSE SHOT – SHERIFF

The Sheriff shoots a sullen glance up at Robin, then

glares down as before. Stutely's knife moves ominously

in and points at the meat. Without looking up, the

Sheriff takes a piece and eats, choking it down.

ROBIN'S VOICE (O.S.)

And fill him a bowl of ale. You'll

find it of the best, my Lord.

Scathelok picks up a nearby jug and fills the Sheriff's

smaller wooden bowl.

270. ANOTHER ANGLE – ROBIN

ROBIN

The Bishop of Hereford supplied

us with a cask from his own

cellar.

SCARLET

(to the Friar)

Which makes it very proper ale for

Merry monks...

He pours the Friar a bowlful.

ROBIN

(chiming in)

Especially one who can eat and

drink for 'two.'

271. CLOSE SHOT – ROBIN AND FRIAR TUCK

The Friar gives him a startled, guilty look, but when

Robin answers with no more than a quizzical glance,

the Friar grins, knowing that the secret will be

kept between them. "

Did you notice how the script was eventually changed?

Cousin Will

2026-09-09T07:07:25.812-07:00

Anthony Forwood played Will Scarlet in Walt Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952), starring Richard Todd as Robin Hood. Known as “Cousin Will,” he was one of Robin’s men and brought a quiet charm and elegance to the role.

Despite being an established member of Robin’s band, Will Scarlet receives very little character growth throughout the film. We learn almost nothing about his background, personality, or relationship with Robin beyond being called his cousin. His role is largely confined to supporting the other Merrie Men, with one of his more memorable moments being the playful “christening” of Little John by throwing him into the river.

Forwood continued acting in films throughout the 1950s, including Knights of the Round Table (1953). Although his time as Will Scarlet was brief and the character was underdeveloped, his handsome appearance and natural presence made him a memorable part of Disney’s colourful vision of the legend.

Robin Hood Alive

2026-09-05T06:43:29.280-07:00

There’s something rather sad about seeing The Death of Robin Hood (2026) — a much darker, more sombre and revisionist take on a legend many of us grew up loving.

Reviews have described the film as “brutal”, “grim” and “contemplative”, stripping away much of the “merry” spirit of the traditional legend and focusing instead on violence, guilt and atonement.

But I have to admit… I prefer my Robin Hood alive! 🏹🌳

Give me the Robin Hood of old — Sherwood Forest, Maid Marian, Little John, the Merry Men, the laughter, the adventure and that wonderful sense of freedom and justice. Those are the memories that made Robin Hood such a timeless hero.

Some legends simply belong in the forest, bow in hand, with a twinkle in their eye — alive, merry and forever young.

Autographs of the Stars!

2026-08-30T06:41:42.604-07:00

Special thanks to John Nelson for sharing this amazing collection of autographs from the stars of Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. The collection was discovered on an American auction site and was probably worth a king’s ransom! Most intriguingly, the autographs are dated 24 April 1951.

Filming began at Denham Studios on 30 April 1951, with Walt Disney visiting the production in June. Filming continued through July and was completed in August 1951. This raises the fascinating possibility that these autographs were collected at Denham before the start of filming.

The film’s copyright was registered on 6 March 1952, and it premiered in London on 13 March 1952.

Joan & Richard

2026-08-23T02:54:07.104-07:00

Don’t forget to visit our Disney’s Story of Robin Hood Facebook page, now with over 640 followers! 🏹🌲 Thank you for your amazing support! ❤️

Belgian Comic Strip 1.

2026-07-30T08:22:17.963-07:00

My loyal blog readers will recall the two Disney Robin Hood comic strips featured over the years. Below is the first version, published in the Belgian Mickey Magazine in the 1950s.

Publicity Still

2026-07-25T04:49:33.394-07:00

A publicity still featuring Richard Todd as Robin Hood and Joan Rice as Maid Marian—one of the very first items in my collection.

Flying Vegetables!

2026-07-19T08:45:06.537-07:00

Watch out for the flying vegetables, Sheriff!

Televised World Premiere

2026-07-11T05:48:42.889-07:00

Joan Rice arriving at the Leicester Square Theatre for the world premiere of "Robin Hood

An article in 'The Motion Picture Herald' of April-June 1952:

British Premiere For Disney's 'Robin Hood'

by PETER BURNUP

LONDON: Two other American companies here—RKO Radio and Republic—were quick to match the gauntlets thrown down by Metro and Paramount in their "Quo Vadis" and "Greatest Show on Earth" challenge; much to the satisfaction of lesser fry like theatre men in remoter places. They're all convinced now of the virtue of keeping the folks talking.

Maybe RKO had the stiffer stint with two big charity premieres within a week in London's West End. (The pictures were Disney's "Robin Hood"—Leicester Square theatre, March 13—and David E. Rose's "Saturday Island"—Odeon, at Leicester Square, March 17.)

The "Robin Hood" show was a brilliant climax to six months' planning and plugging. All the civic dignitaries of the ancient city of Nottingham—the operational base of Britain's legendary bandit—came to London for the performance. It was a flower-decked decorative occasion with linkmen dressed as Sherwood Foresters and usherettes as Maid Marions. The BBC's television crew filmed the entire foyer fiesta for broadcast throughout England the following night.

Implemented Publicity

Since the introduction of newsprint rationing early in the last war. Other magazine editorial space has been grabbed on its behalf. The BBC set aside 30 minutes for a recording which was made of the picture's opening on March 17. Another BBC programme will be devoted to the film's background music on the day of the opening.

Photo Caption:

Joan Rice, star of the film, arriving at the Leicester Square Theatre for the world premiere of "Robin Hood" in London. Some of the "Merrie Men" can be seen in the background.

Walt meets the King and Archbishop

2026-07-05T04:11:12.705-07:00

On 24 June 1951, Walt Disney visited the sound stages at Denham Studios and the location sets at Burnham Beeches during the production of his second live-action feature, The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. His visit was covered by Reuters. In this photograph, Walt is pictured with Anthony Eustel, who portrayed the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Patrick Barr, who played King Richard.

Signed Robin Hood LP

2026-06-28T06:42:56.625-07:00

John Nelson recently sent me details of an eBay USA auction for a purportedly signed copy of the LP Walt Disney Presents The Story of Robin Hood on Disneyland Records, believed to be the 1963 soundtrack release (catalogue no. DQ-1249).

The inscription on the front cover appears to read, "With Best Wishes, Walt Disney." Although the signature's authenticity has yet to be established, the record was listed at £223.31. Unfortunately, I have been unable to determine the final selling price. My own copy, regrettably, is unsigned!