Doveridge (Uttoxeter)
| Locality | |
|---|---|
| Coordinate | 52.905348, -1.828388 |
| Adm. div. | Derbyshire |
| Vicinity | c. 1.5 km ESE of Uttoxeter |
| Type | Settlement |
| Interest | Literary locale |
| Status | Extant |
| First Record | |
| A.k.a. | Dubbridge |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-10-25. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-02-13.
Doveridge in Derbyshire, near the Derbyshire–Staffordshire border, has a slight claim to Robin Hood-related fame in that it was the town which supplied the priest for the wedding of Robin Hood and Clorinda, queen of shepherds, in the ballad of Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage.
In st. 37 of that ballad, Robin Hood proposes to the irresistible Clorinda and immediately upon receiving her favourable reply, in st. 38, suggests that a priest be sent for so they can be married right away. However, Clorinda first wishes to go to 'Titbury feast' (st. 39), a feast day or popular festival at Tutbury, together with her future husband and his entourage, which includes the trusty Little John. En route they are accosted by eight yeomen who, however, prove no match for Robin and John. Not until st. 49, therefore:
When dinner was ended, Sir Roger, the parson
Of Dubbridge, was sent for in haste;
He brought his mass-book, and he bade them take hands,
And he joynd them in marriage full fast.[1]
The parish church of Doveridge, Sir Roger's church, is dedicated to St Cuthbert.[2] In the ballad, Robin and Clorinda are married at some place near Tutbury and the parson of Doveridge is sent for to effect the union there following a swiftly unfolding case of love at first sight. However, one or more parishioners of St Cuthbert's found it convenient to overlook these circumstances and decided that the two were betrothed under the venerable and famous yew tree in the churchyard of St Cuthbert's.
Gazetteers
- Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.
Maps
- 25" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.3 (c. 1885; surveyed c. 1880-83). No copy in NLS
- 25" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.3 (1901; rev. 1899) (georeferenced)
- 25" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.3 (1901; rev. 1899)
- 25" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.3 (1922; rev. 1920)
- 6" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.NE (1901; rev. 1899) (georeferenced)
- 6" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.NE (1885; surveyed 1880–82)
- 6" O.S. map Derbyshire LII.NE (1901; rev. 1899)
- 6" O.S. map Derbyshire LII (1924; rev. 1920)
- 6" O.S. map Derbyshire LII (c. 1949; rev. 1938).
Background
Also see
- Doveridge place-name cluster
- Place-names in Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage
- Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage
- Yew Tree (Doveridge).
Notes