1859 - Green, Henry - Knutsford
| Allusion | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1859 |
| Author | Green, Henry |
| Title | Knutsford, its Traditions and History: with Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Notices of the Neighbourhood |
| Mentions | Robin Hood's Well (Knutsford); Sherwod Forest; Robin Hood; Little John; Friar Tuck; race horse |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-17. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-17. Includes information kindly provided by an anonymous contributor.
Allusion
The name Robin Hood's Well, a locality near the Moor, suggests that the great outlaw and freebooter of Sherwood Forest had wandered to our town; we read the motto over the well,
"If Robin Hood be not at home,
Stop and take a drink with little John;"
[p. 131:] and we imagine his favourite attendant must have been concealed close at hand. But, alas! for our antiquarian excitement; just by is a neatly enclosed mound, and a stone engraved with the words, "Alas! poor Bob!" We enquire what it all means, and learn, almost to our vexation, that Robin Hood was the name of a race-horse buried under the mound, and that little John's drink was not the pure element—"that best of liquors," but like Friar Tuck's,—a flagon of strong ale.[1]
Source notes
IRHB's brackets. Italics as in printed source.
IRHB comments
Variants of the inscription cited in the passage above were most commonly found at entrances to public houses named after the Robin Hood and/or Little John.
Lists
- Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 315-19.
- Outside scope of Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88.
Editions
- Green, Henry. Knutsford, its Traditions and History: with Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Notices of the Neighbourhood (London; Macclesfield; Knutsford, 1859); see pp. 130-31.
- Green, Henry. Knutsford, its Traditions and History: with Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Notices of the Neighbourhood. 2nd ed. (Manchester, 1887); see pp. 130-31 (not seen).
- Green, Henry. Knutsford, its Traditions and History: with Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Notices of the Neighbourhood (London; Macclesfield; Knutsford, 1859); see pp. 130-31.
Background
Also see
- Robin Hood's Well (Knutsford)
- Sherwood Forest
- Come and drink with Robin Hood
- Places named Robin Hood's Well.
Notes