20. The First Robin Hood
The earliest mention of a likely candidate for Robin Hood is a Robert Hod of York. He became an outlaw after his goods, worth 32 shillings, were confiscated to settle a debt owed to a local church. Other candidates include the brothers Robert and John Deyville, who fought on the losing side in the Second Barons’ War (1264 – 1267). With their cause defeated, the Deyvilles holed up in the woods as outlaws, until the records show that John, at least, was pardoned.
However, the likeliest candidate seems to be Roger Godberd, another figure who ended up on the losing side of the Second Barons’ War and became an outlaw. What is known of Godberd’s activities led some historians to label him as “the prototype Robin Hood”. Among other things, he operated out of a base in Sherwood Forrest, could call upon a hundred men, fought the Sheriff of Nottingham who captured him in 1272, but Godberd managed to escape from Nottingham Castle.
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