Real Robin Hood revealed?

The story of Robin Hood has become the stuff of legend, celebrated through the centuries from early ballads up until the present day.

The outlaw and his band of merry men are most likely composites of several characters whose exploits were woven together from a blend of fact and fiction, and various suggestions have been put forward as to Robin Hood's original identity.

One popular theory is that he was Robin of Loxley, originally of noble birth but then became an outlaw who robbed the rich to give to the poor.

Another name put forward is that of 13th century farmer Robin Godberd, the subject of a new book by historian David Baldwin.

Early evidence shows that Godberd lead a band of men who ambushed wealthy travellers on their way through Sherwood Forest. He was once captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham and imprisoned in Nottingham Castle – details which tally with the story handed down over the years.

According to his Mr Baldwin’s research, Godberd lived from the early 1230s to the 1290s, and his gang were suspected of crimes including robbery, burglary, arson and poaching deer from Sherwood Forest.

Robin Hood - the English Outlaw Unmasked is available from Amberley Publishing.