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This widget displays the navigation map on country and administrative division landing pages in the place-names section of IRHB. It takes no parameters. ( function() { window.IRHB = window.IRHB || {}; window.IRHB.get = window.IRHB.get || function(elem) { if (typeof elem "string") { elem = document.getElementById(elem); } return elem; }; }() ); ( function() { window.IRHB = window.IRHB || {}; var w = window.IRHB; w.data = {}; var d = w.data; d.stats = false; var get = w.get; d.colours = [ {limit: 10, rgb: "a30000"}, {limit: 20, rgb: "b70000"}, {limit: 30, rgb: "d11919"}, {limit: 40, rgb: "db4c4c"}, {limit: 50, rgb: "e06666"}, {limit: 60, rgb: "e57f7f"}, {limit: 70, rgb: "ea9999"}, {limit: 80, rgb: "efb2b2"}, {limit: 90, rgb: "f4cccc"}, {limit: 100, rgb: "f9e5e5"}, {limit: 110, rgb: "ffffff"}, {limit: 120, rgb: "f9faf9"}, {limit: 130, rgb: "f3f5f3"}, {limit: 140, rgb: "ecefec"}, {limit: 150, rgb: "d9e0da"}, {limit: 160, rgb: "c7d0c7"}, {limit: 170, rgb: "b4c1b5"}, {limit: 180, rgb: …

A somewhat central point in Lancashire. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2019-03-19. Revised by … Lancashire figures as locale in parts of the Gest of Robyn Hode. See especially sts. 53, 126-33, 309-34, 356-60, 431-32. The county name occurs in st. 357 (see Quotations below). Quotations [Gest of Robyn Hode:] All the passe of Lancasshyre He went both ferre and nere Tyll he came to Plomton Parke He faylyd many of his dere. Gest of Robyn Hode, st. 357, cited from Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, p. 105; punctuation omitted by IRHB. Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Background ⁃ Wikipedia: Lancashire. Notes

Pagham, Bognor Regis, Sussex, where once was a place named Loxley. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2016-11-23. Revised by … This lost place-name in Pagham parish could be derived from 'Loxa', the name of a stream, but more likely it is from OE lox, 'lynx,' "used here in the form Loxa as a pers. name, hence 'Loxa's clearing' [...] but no certainty is possible." It is recorded as 'Loxelegh', 'Loxelee', and 'Loxeleye' in 1316, 1344 and 1359, respectively. Mawer, Allen 1969a, pt. I, pp. 94-95. As this was apparently lost in the 14th century, it seems distinctly unlikely to be the Loxley associated with Robin Hood c. 1600. Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ Mawer, Allen 1969a, pt. I, pp. 94-95. Notes

Nottingham. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … Nottingham, the hometown of the sheriff, is the (or a) locale in the vast majority of Robin Hood ballads, beginning with Robin Hood and the Monk (c. 1450). First recorded as "Snotengaham" in A.D. 895, the accepted etymology of "Nottingham" is "[t]he ham [homestead] of the people of Snot ", Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, p. 13. IRHB's brackets. Italics and bold type as in source the latter being a man's name. Nottingham in the ballads Gazetteers ⁃ Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 300-301. Sources ⁃ Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, p. 13. Maps ⁃ 6" O.S. map Nottinghamshire XLII.NW (1885; surveyed 1880-81) ⁃ 6" O.S. map Nottinghamshire XLII.NW (1899; rev. 1901) ⁃ 6" O.S. map Nottinghamshire XLII.NW (1920; rev. 1919) ⁃ 6" O.S. map Nottinghamshire XLII.NW (c. 1947; rev. 1938). Notes geograph-4958979-by-John-Sutton.jpg|Nottingham skyline from Sneinton / …

Plumpton Park Plantation. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-03-30. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire, and in that case, a possible locality might be a Plumpton Park Plantation that figures in the 1851 tithe award for Huddersfield. The Genealogist, Piece 043, sub-piece 226, Image 524, and Piece 043, sub-piece 226, Image 524. Quotations Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. MS sources ⁃ The Genealogist, Piece 043, sub-piece 226, Image 524, and Piece 043, sub-piece 226, Image 524. Printed sources ⁃ Gest of Robyn Hode, st. 357. Notes

Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2015-08-11. In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire, and in that case, a possible locality is a Plumpton Park or Plumpton Close in Low Bradfield that figures in MS sources of 1792 and/or 1796 according to A. H. Smith, Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. 1, p. 238. who also cites the related name Plumpton Lane, a place-name that still survives. Immediately north of Plmpton Lane is a small wooded area. Perhaps this was once known as Plumpton Park? Quotations Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ A Gest of Robyn Hode, st. 357. ⁃ Hall, …

Guisborough. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-07-11. Revised by … The home of the villain of the ballad Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne is usually taken to be Gisburn in the Ribble Valley (Lancashire, formerly the West Riding of Yorkshire), but Guisborough in the North Riding of Yorkshire is certainly also a possibility. From the 11th to the mid-19th century, the form 'Guisborough' ('Guisbrough' etc.) had strong competition from the form 'Gisburn' ('Gyseburne' etc.) Smith, Albert Hugh 1928a, pp. 149-50; Pease, Alfred Edward 1928a, 'Notes on the Nomenclature of the Town of Guisbrough' (unpaginated appendix). For Gisburn in the ballad, see further the entry on Gisburn. Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ Pease, Alfred Edward 1928a, 'Notes on the Nomenclature of the Town of Guisbrough' (unpaginated appendix). ⁃ Smith, Albert Hugh 1928a, pp. 149-50. Background ⁃ Wikipedia: Guisborough. Notes

Fountain Dale. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2016-10-08. Revised by … The B-version of the ballad of Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar, from a broadside dated c. 1660, refers to the friar's place of residence as both "Fountains Abby" and "Fountains Dale". Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 161-64. Fountains Abbey: sts. 7, 39. Fountains Dale: sts. 10, 11, 39, 41. According to Dobson & Taylor, since the early 19th century the Fountains Dale of the ballad has been identified with a wooded area – one of the few surviving vestiges of Sherwood Forest – north of Ravenshead and Blidworth. The name 'Fountain Dale' is first found applied to this area on the Greenwood brothers' 1826 map of Nottinghamshire. Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, p. 301, s.n. '(Fountain Dale)'; Greenwood, Christopher 1826a; Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, p. 116. It was earlier known as Langton Lodge. Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, p. 116. While it is of course possible that the name Fountain Dale as …

Hollington, in whose vicinity was situated a field called Plumpton Park according to an 1820 Enclosure Award. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2016-06-16. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should probably take this to be in Lancashire, but it is worth noting that Plumpton Park occurs as a field name in Hollingworth, Derbyshire. The source is an 1820 Enclosure Award. Cameron, Kenneth 1959a, pt. III (1959), p. 572. As is usually the case with field-names, this Plumpton Park is not found on the 6" O.S. maps of the area. Derbyshire XLVIII.NE. Quotations Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ Cameron, Kenneth 1959a, pt. III (1959), p. 572 Notes

Loxley. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-01-15. Revised by … The village of Loxley, c. 6 km SW of Stratford-upon-Avon, is first recorded as early as 985. The name means "Locc's clearing or wood". Gover, John Eric Bruce 1936a, p.235. Names derived from it in the area include Loxley Hall, Loxley Road, and Loxley Lane. Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ Gover, John Eric Bruce 1936a, p.235. Maps ⁃ 25" O.S. map Warwickshire XLIV.12 (1885; surveyed 1884) ⁃ 25" O.S. map Warwickshire XLIV.12 (1905; rev. 1900) (georeferenced) ⁃ 25" O.S. map Warwickshire XLIV.12 (1905; rev. 1900) ⁃ 25" O.S. map Warwickshire XLIV.12 (1914; rev. 1913) ⁃ 25" O.S. map Warwickshire XLV.9 (1905; rev. 1904) ⁃ 25" O.S. map Warwickshire XLV.9 (1886; surveyed 1885) ⁃ 6" O.S. map Warwickshire XLIV.SE (1884; surveyed 1883) ⁃ 6" O.S. map Gloucestershire II.SE (1904; rev. 1900) …

A plot of land here was formerly known as Plumpton Park Moss. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-26. Revised by … In 1845, a plot of arable land in Tarleton was known as Plumpton Park Moss. It was situated on the east side of Johnson's Meanygate, c. 350 m north of Gorse Lane. 'Plumpton Park' is the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area in Wyresdale, where King Edward discovers to his chagrin that Robin Hood has severely depleted the stock of deer. This Plumpton Park is thus not identical with that in Tarleton, but since various other localities than that in Wyresdale have been suggested as the intended locale, IRHB considers it of some interest to compile as full a list as possible of localities with this name. The field name occurs in the 1845 tithe award for the parish of Tarleton, where the landowners are recorded as Sir Thomas Hesketh and George Anthony Legh Keck, the occupier as George Dandy, its area as 3 acres and 24 perches ( m 2 ), and the state of cultivation as …

The left marker indicates approximately the origin of River Loxley, the right marker its mouth. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-09-20. Revised by … River Loxley is an affluent of the Rivelin near Bradfield and Sheffield. Its sources are located c. 16 km NW of Sheffield on Bradfield Moors; it flows easterly through Damflask Reservoir and is joined by Storrs Brook at Storrs near Stannington and the Rivelin at Malin Bridge before flowing into the Don at Owlerton in Hillsborough. The total length of the river is about 10 km. According to A. H. Smith the river was almost certainly named after the village or area of the same name near Sheffield Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, vol. VII, p. 131. which is often said to be the Loxley connected with Robin Hood. At the most, therefore, its connction with the outlaw tradition is indirect. Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, vol. VII, p. 131. Maps …

(The site of) Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-30. Revised by … In 1839, a plot of pasture situated, in modern terms immediately south of the buildings of Mere Farm, south of Preston New Road (A583) and west of Fox Lane Ends (B5260), was known as Plumpton Park. This area is c. 850 m east of Little Plumpton in the township of Westby-with-Plumptons. 'Plumpton Park' is the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area in Wyresdale, where King Edward discovers to his chagrin that Robin Hood has severely depleted the stock of deer. This Plumpton Park is hardly identical with the close near Westby, but since various other localities than that in Wyresdale have been suggested as the intended locale, IRHB considers it of some interest to compile as full a list as possible of localities with this name. That the township in which the present Plumpton Park was (is?) situated is named Westby-with-Plumptons is due to its comprising, in addition to Westby, both a Great and a …

This area was once a barley field known as Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-23. Revised by … In 1842, a barley field in Speke, now a suburb of Liverpool, was known as Plumpton Park. In modern terms it was situated immediately south of Central Way and north of Dam Wood Road. 'Plumpton Park' is also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area in Wyresdale, where King Edward discovers to his chagrin that Robin Hood has severely depleted the stock of deer. This Plumpton Park is thus not identical with that in Speke, but since various other localities than that in Wyresdale have been suggested as the intended locale, IRHB considers it of some interest to compile as full a list as possible of localities with this name. The field name occurs in the 1842 tithe award for the 'Township of Speke in the Parish of Childwall', where the landowner is recorded as Richard Watt, Esq., the occupier as William Atherton, Jr., its area as 2 acres, 2 roods and 30 perches ( m 2 ), …

Barnsley By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-07-15. Revised by … Barnsley can claim a tenuous connection with Robin Hood in that a fair young damsel who is abducted in the ballad of 'Robin Hood and the Tanner's Daughter', the C version of Erlinton (Child 8), is the offspring of "John Hobbes of Barneslee". This slight claim is in fact even less impressive than it seems at first sight, for the Robin Hood-themed version of Erlinton was written, in 1847 or slightly earlier, by the Literary forger John Payne Collier. See IRHB's page on Erlinton, and while "Barneslee" can of course be taken to refer to the town of Barnsley, one cannot rule out the possibility that Collier intended it to sound like a garbled echo of "Barnsdale ". Quotations [Erlinton (Child 8 C), st. 5:] Child, Francis James 1882a, vol. I, p. 109. 'Where dost thou dwell, my prettie maide? I prithee tell to me;' 'I am a tanner's daughter,' she said, 'John Hobbes of Barneslee.' Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in …

Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-03-27. Revised by … In the Gest of Robyn Hode, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight (see Quotations below). We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward was meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire, and in that case a possible locality is a Plumpton Park that was located c. 8.5 km S of Settle. It occurs as a field name slightly WSW of Lower Agden in an 1846 MS tithe award for Gisburn Forest. Available online from The Genealogist, Piece 043, sub-piece 172, Image 308, and see map piece 043, sub-piece 172, Image 001 (£). I have not found it referred to in any other sources. Since this locality was situated in Gisburn Forest, it is perhaps worth noting that the chief villain of the ballad of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne (c. 1650) was …

Blyth. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-10-10. Revised by … The north Nottinghamshire village of Blyth is mentioned twice in the Gest (see Evidence below). It is first mentioned in Domesday Book (1086), where it occurs as "Blide". Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, p. 68. The village is located on the A1, the Great North Road. In the Middle Ages it was a rather more substantial town than now. It had two leper hospitals, a priory, three hermitages as well as markets and fairs. Of its former glory little now remains. See Nottinghamshire History: The departed glories of Blyth. Quotations Sources ⁃ A Gest of Robyn Hode (Child 117), sts. 27, 259. ⁃ Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, pp. 68-69. Maps ⁃ O.S. 6" Nottinghamshire V.SE (1885; surveyed 1885) ⁃ O.S. 6" Nottinghamshire V.SE (1900; rev. 1897) ⁃ O.S. 6" Nottinghamshire V.SE (1922; rev. 1918) ⁃ O.S. 6" Nottinghamshire V.SE (1950; rev. 1948). Background ⁃ Wikipedia: …

Location of Gisburn. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-07-11. Revised by … Gisburn, formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now in Lancashire, is perhaps the most likely candidate for being the hometown of Guy of Gisborne of the ballad Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne (see Evidence below). The place-name is first mentioned, as 'Ghiseburne', in Domesday Book (1086). The name probably means 'Gushing stream', referring to a stream that has its origin in springs above the village. Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. VI, pp. 164-65. Nearby is Gisburn Forest. Smith, A.H. op. cit., pt. VI, p. 167. Quotations [c. 1650:] I dwell by dale and downe quoth Guye And I have done many a curst turne And he that calles me by my right name Calles me Guye of good Gysborne Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, st. 34 (Dobson & Taylor, p. 144). Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. Sources ⁃ Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, p. 144 (st. 34). ⁃ …

Plumpton Park lay somewhere west or southwest of central Sheffield. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire, and in that case, a possible locality is a "Plumbton Park Wood" cited from a 1770 source in A. H. Smith. Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. 1, p. 200. The exact area to which this name referred is by no means clear, but according to Smith it would have been within the area of the three townships of Ecclesall Bierlow, Nether Hallam and Upper Hallam. For this area, see this composite map showing Sheffield townships, on which it almost, but not quite, coincides with the corresponding area on the map in Smith, pt. I. The coordinates …

Plumpton Park, an area (a field or close?) c. 600 m N. of Bolton-by-Bowland. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-05-01. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire. Plumpton Park is listed in an 1840 MS tithe award as the name of a field c. 600 meters north of Bolton-by-Bowland. 1843 Tithe award for Bolton-by-Bowland at the Genealogist; tithe map at the Genealogist (both require paid subscription). The locality is not labelled or indicated on any of the O.S. maps listed below. Quotations Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, pp. 293-311. MS sources ⁃ 1840 Tithe award for Nolton-by-Bowland, online at the Genealogist.co.uk, Piece 43, …

Papplewick. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-01-22. Revised by … Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd (c. 1637?) includes in its list of dramatis personae "Maudlin, the envious, the Witch of Papplewick". Jonson, Ben 1979a, p. 275. Maudlin figures in Act II, scenes 1-3 and 6; Act III, scene 5. According to the Wikipedia article on this locality, "A local legend dictates that the body of Alan-a-Dale, one of Robin Hood's men, was buried in Papplewick", Wikipedia: Papplewick. while according to Dobson & Taylor, St James Church in Papplewick was "[a]llegedly the church at which Allen a Dale was married with the assistance of Robin Hood", a tradition which they think almost certainly "originates from the appearance of the witch of Papplewick in Ben Jonson's The Sad Shepherd". Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, p. 302, s.n. Papplewick. Gazetteers ⁃ Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a, p. 302, s.n. Papplewick. Sources ⁃ Jonson, Ben 1979a, p. 275. Maudlin figures in Act II, scenes 1-3 …

Plompton By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-09-06. Revised by … In the Gest of Robyn Hode, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight (see Quotations below). We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward was meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire, and in that case a possible locality is Plompton, c. 6 km ESE of Harrogate. There is no indication there was ever a park there in the medieval sense of a fenced-in area, but intriguingly there is or was a place named Loxley (first mentioned in 1402) in Plompton, and Loxley is a place-name connected with Robin Hood from at least as early as c. 1600 (in the Sloane MS Life of Robin Hood ). Plompton is first recorded, as "Plontone", in Domesday Book (1086). The meaning of the name is the usual one of "plum-tree farmstead". Smith, Albert Hugh …

The pointer put at a random spot in Holderness. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-07-17. Revised by … Holderness is an area, originally a wapentake, whose boundaries are defined by the Yorkshire Wolds to the north and west, the North Sea to the east and the Humber Estuary to the south. In the Gest (see Quotation below), Little John gets employed by the sheriff of Nottingham under the false identity of Reynold Greenleaf, pretending to be a native of Holderness. Holderness is first mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) as "Heldernes". The etymology is supposed to be ON "hǫldr" (a "higher yeoman", an "owner of allodial land") + OE "næss" (cape, headland). Smith, Albert Hugh 1970a, pp. 14-15. For the record, it may be noted that there are a Holderness and Holderness Wood c. 1.75 km south of Mytholmroyd, West (Riding of) Yorkshire. 6" O.S. map YorkshireCCXXX.SW (1894; surveyed 1892). It is, however, very unlikely that this Holderness should be the one intended in the Gest. If it …

The site of Little Barnsdale. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-09-03. Revised by … A field in Oswaldkirk in the North Riding of Yorkshire (now North Yorkshire) was known as Little Barnsdale in 1838. The field is listed in the tithe award for Oswaldkirk with Edward Oakley Banner, Esq., as owner, William Bland as occupier, 'Grass' as state of cultivation, and an area of 3 roods and 37 perches ( m 2 ). 1838 tithe award for the parish of Oswaldkirk, online at the Genealogist.com, Piece 42, sub-piece 290, Image 069, #124 (£); accompanying map, online at the Genealogist.com, Piece 42, sub-piece 290, Sub-Image 001, colour (£). While the field name may have arisen independently, it may also have been transferred from that of Barnsdale (Doncaster) or Barnsdale (Exton), or just possible that of Barnsdale (Great Easton) or Eagle Barnsdale. Only in case it was named after the area north of Doncaster is there a likely connection with the Robin Hood tradition. The other Barnsdales have …

Barnesdales, Sixhills. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2023-05-18. Revised by … Two contiguous plots of land south of Sixhills (c. 21 km NE of Lincoln), are listed as 'Barnesdales' in the 1847 tithe award for Sixhills. The plots, which can still easily be located by comparing the tith map and the modern Google satellite image, are situated c. 360 m W of Sixhills Road/School Lane, halfway between Sixhills and Hainton. They were then owned by George Fieschi Heneage, Esquire, and occupied by William Neave. The northernmost and largest, No. 106 in the tithe schedule, had an area of 26 acres, 3 roods and 11 perches ( m 2 ), and its state of cultivation is listed as 'Meadow'. The southernmost and smaller, No. 105 in the schedule, had an area of 8 acres, 3 roods and 10 perches ( m 2 ), and its state of cultivation is listed as 'Pasture'. Tithe award for the parish of Stowe (1847) (Piece 20, Sub-Piece 288, Image 010, #105-106 – at The Genealogist) (£); Tithe map for the parish of …

A small close formerly known as Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-04-29. Revised by … A then enclosed area on the north brink of Bank Wood Beck, c. 300 m NW of Emley Grange, c. 1.7 km WNW of Emley and c. 6 km SW of Wakefield, was known as Plumpton Park in 1841. This is also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area – probably near the home of the knight Sir Richard at the Lee – where King Edward discovers to his chagrin that Robin Hood has severely depleted the stock of deer. Though this latter Plumpton Park is most probably to be thought of as the locality in Lancashire, this is not entirely certain, and it seems best, therefore, to record all occurrences of the name. The field name occurs in the tithe award for 'Elmeley' (1841), where occupier is listed as Matthew Dawson, owner as George Hutchinson, an area of 19 perches ( m 2 ) and 'Garden' listed as 'State of Cultivation'. 1841 tithe award for Emley, online at the Genealogist, Piece 43, …

Plumpton Park, Stow By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2023-05-18. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire. As Lincolnshire is a neighbouring county it is conceivable, though not likely, that a Plumpton Park in that county may have been intended. Two plots of land in Stow (c. 12 km NW of Lincoln), were known as Plumpton Park in 1839. The northernmost of these, the topic of this entry, was situated between the remnants of the moat in Stow Park and Stow Park Road, c. 90 m SW of St Mary's Church. The 1839 tithe award for the parish of 'Stowe' lists William Hall, Esquire, as landowner and Robert Burnham as occupier. 'Plumpton Park' is listed under 'Name and description of lands …

Plumpton Park, Stow By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2023-05-18. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire. As Lincolnshire is a neighbouring county it is conceivable, though not likely, that a Plumpton Park in that county may have been intended. Two plots of land in Stow (c. 12 km NW of Lincoln), were known as Plumpton Park in 1839. The southernmost of these, the topic of this entry, was situated c. 125 m S of St Mary's Church, west of Sturton Road, in the wooded area west of the gardens, east of the field. The 1839 tithe award for the parish of 'Stowe' lists George Archer Bellwood as landowner and Thomas Page as occupier. 'Plumpton Parke' is listed under 'Name and …

Plumpton Park, a field name in the vicinity of Ryhill. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire. According to A. H. Smith, Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. 1, p. 262. Plumpton Park is listed in an 1843 MS Tithe Award as a field name near the village of Ryhill, which latter is located c. 10.5 km WSW of Wentbridge and Barnsdale. With the aid of the MS tithe award, See scan of 1843 tithe award for Ryhill parish and accompanying map, online at the Genealogist (£). a georeferenced 6" O.S. map of the area online at NLS, 6" O.S. map Yorkshire CCLXIII.NW (1907; rev. 1904), georeferenced version. and Google Maps, it is possible to establish …

Wakefield. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … Wakefield is now the centre of the large metropolitan district known as the City of Wakefield, but in the late Middle Ages it was a small town or large village. It is first mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) where it occurs as Wachefeld. Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. II, pp. 163-64. The most likely etymology is "Waca's field", where "field" means "stretch of open country". Smith Smith, op. cit. at first suggests this etymology, but then decides that "wake" probably was from OE "wacu", meaning a "watch" or "wake", and that therefore the name referred to an annual feast or festival held at Wakefield. However, there is no evidence whatsoever for such a festival in the pre-Conquest period. As the first suggestion assumes less, I think it should be adopted. The Pinder of Wakefield Perhaps Wakefield's most famous citizen during the early modern period was the legendary Pinder, George à Greene, the hero of the ballad of …

Plumpton Park, (formerly?) a field-name in the vicinity of Shafton. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-07-08. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire. According to A. H. Smith, Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. 1, p. 273. Plumpton Park is listed in an 1841 MS Tithe Award as a field name near Shafton, which is c. 11.5 km SW of Wentbridge. With the aid of the MS tithe award See scan of 1841 tithe award for Ryhill parish, online at the Genealogist (£). and accompanying map, See scan of map, online at the Genealogist (£). a georeferenced 6" O.S. map of the area online at NLS, 6" O.S. map Yorkshire CCLXIII.NW (1907; rev. 1904), georeferenced version. and Google Maps, it is …

The former Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-04-26. Revised by … The parking lot behind the Coach and Horses in the village of Robin Hood near Rothwell was once (part of) a garden known as Plumpton Park. The same place-name appears in the Gest of Robyn Hode (probably late 15th century). In the tithe award for the township of Lofthouse in the parish of Rothwell, drawn up 1838-1841, Plumpton Park is listed as a garden with an area of 2 roods and 32 perches ( m 2 ). Its occupier was a George Cuthwaite, the owner a Kirkby Fenton, Esq. 1838-41 tithe award for the township of Lofthouse in the Parish of Rothwell, online at the Genealogist.com, Piece 43, sub-piece 268, Image 207, item 302; also see Piece 43, Sub-Piece 268, Image 196; 1841 tithe map for the township of Lofthouse in the Parish of Rothwell, online at the Genealogist.com, Piece 43, sub-Image 001, item 302 (£). That this name should have been chosen for a garden at a place that was at that time probably …

Doveridge. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-10-25. Revised by … 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 …

A wooded area in Stannington near Sheffield was known as Plumpton Park in the mid-19th century. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-04-27. Revised by … An area in Stannington, bordering Storrs, near Sheffield, was known as Plumpton Park in the mid-19th century. It is one of a surprisingly large number of plots of land in the North and North Midlands recorded under that name in tithe awards. As Robin Hood experts will know, it was also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area – probably near the home of the knight Sir Richard at the Lee – where King Edward discovered to his chagrin that Robin Hood had severely depleted the stock of deer. Though that Plumpton Park is most probably to be thought of as the locality in Lancashire, this is not certain, and it seems best, therefore, to record all occurrences of the name. The field name occurs in the 1846 tithe award for Stannington, Storrs and Dungworth with James Stanley as landowner, Jonathan Revitt as occupier, an …

An irregularly shaped field on what is now the eastern outskirts of Conisbrough was known as Plumpton Park in the mid-19th century. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2019-10-30. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it is perhaps worth noting that "Plumpton Park" occurs as the name of an irregularly shaped field on what is now the outskirts of Conisbrough, c. 110 m south of River Don, in the Tithe Award for Conisbrough (1839 and 1860). The Genealogist, Piece 043, Sub-Piece 109, Image 207, Plot 357; Piece 043, Sub-Piece 109, Image 245, Plot 357; Piece 043, Sub-Piece 109, Sub-Image 001, Plot 357 (£). The field occupied an area roughly corresponding to that of the present Valley View and Ealand Way, two residential streets. It is listed as plot 357 in the Tithe Award, its owners …

The former Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-07-19. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it is perhaps worth noting that Plumpton Park occurs as a field name in Worsbrough, formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The source is an 1838 tithe award. In the tithe award for the township of Worsbrough in the parish of Darfield, drawn up in 1838, Plumpton Park is listed as grassland with an area of 1 rood and 29 perches ( m 2 ). Its occupier was a Joseph Swiift, the owner a William Bennet Martin, Esq. The Genealogist, Piece 043, Sub-Piece 443, Sub-Image 456, Plot 285; 1838 Worsbrough tithe award; The Genealogist, Piece 043, Sub-Piece 443, Sub-Image 001, Plot 285; 1838 Worsbrough tithe award map (£). Quotations Gazetteers ⁃ Not included in …

A field formerly known as. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-04-28. Revised by … A close located c. 1.7 km WSW of Knotts, 400 m N of Champion, and c. 5 km E of Slaidburn, was known as Plumpton Park in 1846. This is also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area – probably near the home of the knight Sir Richard at the Lee – where King Edward discovers to his chagrin that Robin Hood has severely depleted the stock of deer. Though this latter Plumpton Park is most probably to be thought of as the locality in Lancashire, this is not entirely certain, and it seems best, therefore, to record all occurrences of the name. The field name occurs in the tithe award for the "[t]ownship of Grindleton within that part of the Parish of Mitton which is in the West Riding of the County of York", where its owner and occupier is recorded as Thomas Pickover, its area as 2 acres, 2 roods and 21 perches ( m 2 ). 1846 tithe award for "Township of Grindleton within that part of the …

Loxley. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … The village of Loxley, now a suburb of Sheffield, is first mentioned (as "Lokkeslay") in 1329. There are references also to Loxley Firth, Loxley Plain and Loxley Chase etc.; the latter still survives. See for instance 6" map Yorkshire 288 (1855; surveyed 1850-51) and the maps listed in the Maps section below. The etymology of Loxley is "Locc's forest-glade". Locc was an Old English personal name well-attested in both place-names and on coins. This is the Loxley most generally believed to be the locality connected with Robin Hood. Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. 1, pp. 225, 226; pt. VII, p. 73. Smith notes simply that "[t]his Loxley is the one associated with the Robin Hood ballads". Smith. op. cit., pt. I, p. 225. Although there must have been local traditions connecting Robin Hood with Loxley by the late 16th century, only a few late ballads associate him with the area. The first known source to connect Robin Hood …

The former Plumpton Park Plantation, Noblethorpe By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-05-16. Revised by … A wooded area on the south side of Barnsley Road in Noblethorpe, c. 600 m SW of Silkstone, c. 6.4 km west of Barnsley, was known as Plumpton Park Plantation in the mid-19th century. It is one of a surprisingly large number of plots of land in the North and North Midlands recorded under that name in tithe awards. 'Plumpton Park' is of course also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area, probably near the home of the knight Sir Richard at the Lee, where King Edward notes the shortage of deer due to the activities of Robin Hood there. Though this Plumpton Park is most probably to be thought of as the locality in Lancashire, this is not entirely certain, and it is of interest, therefore, to know what other localities or areas are or were named 'Plumpton Park'. The field name occurs in the 1845 tithe award for Silkstone, where it is listed with Sarah Ann Clarke and others, …

Plumpton Park would have been located not very far from the point indicated. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-07-18. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it could just possibly be some place King Edward is meant to have visited after his progress in Lancashire. A 'Plumpton Park' is indicated on Jeffery's 1772 Map of Yorkshire in an area c. 500 southeast of Selby, slightly north or west of Barlow Grange. The map has it south of 'Old Carr Wood', north of 'Brackenhill and 'Botany Bay Inn'. Jefferys, Thomas 1772a, sheet 8, row 2, tile 3; web edition at Huddersfield Exposed, digitised by McMaster University. Also see Barlow: Introduction to forthcoming VCH volume, pp. 5-6. The name may have applied to much of the area now bounded by the A63 on the north, East Common Lane …

The site of the Bishop's Tree in Barnsdale. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-07-08. Revised by … Close to Robin Hood's Well, but to the northwest of it and west of the Great North Road, and so perhaps very near Robin Hood's Stone, once stood the Bishop's Tree, also sometimes known as Robin Hood's Tree. This was the tree round which Robin Hood was thought to have made the bishop of Hereford dance, as told in the ballad of Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford (broadsides of 1749 and later). The site of the tree is in the SE corner of an area known as Skelbrooke Park during the 19th to mid-20th century, now a rapeseed field. Georeferenced online version of Yorkshire CCLXIV.SE (1907; rev. 1904) (use slider to adjust transparency so that sattelite image can be seen through the scanned paper map). 25" and 6" O.S. maps based on surveys carried out as late as 1904 include the label "Bishop's Tree Root", but maps based on a survey done in 1930 have "Bishop's Tree (Site of)", so …

A triangular field at the intersection of Green Balk and Ruddle Lane, c. 700 m E of Clifton, c. 2 km SSE of Conisbrough, was known as Plumpton Park in 1839. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2019-10-30. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it is perhaps worth noting that "Plumpton Park" occurs as the name of a field, c. 700 m east of Clifton (c. 2 km SSE of Conisbrough), in the 1839 Tithe Award for Clifton Crookhill and Butterbush. The Genealogist, Piece 043, Sub-Piece 104, Image 132, Item 116 and Piece 043, Sub-Piece 104, Sub-Image 001, Item 116 (£). The south edge of this triangular field extended c. 90 m east along a road named Green Balk, its eastern edge ran NNE until it met up with Ruddle Lane in the North, the lane forming its western edge. The 25" O.S. map views …

Part of a field here was formerly known as Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-02-10. Revised by … A close in Brailsford, located c. 750 m NE of the point at Yeldersley Lane where a road leads NE to Dam and Kismet Farms, was known as Plumpton Park in 1837. Plumpton Park is also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area – probably near the home of the knight Sir Richard at the Lee – where King Edward discovers to his chagrin that Robin Hood has severely depleted the stock of deer. Though this latter Plumpton Park is most probably to be thought of as the locality in Lancashire, this is not entirely certain, and it seems best, therefore, to record all occurrences of the name. The field name occurs in the tithe award for the parish of Brailsford, where the landowner is recorded as 'Ferrers', i.e. Washington Shirley, 8th Earl Ferrers (1760–1842), Wikipedia: Washington Shirley, 8th Earl Ferrers. the occupier as John Wallbank, the state of cultivation as …

The former Plumpton Park, Slade Hooton By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-04-27. Revised by … A small triangular plot of land in Slade Hooton, Laughton-en-le-Morthen, Rotherham, was named 'Plumpton Park' c. 1840. It is one of a surprisingly large number of plots of land in the North and North Midlands recorded under that name in tithe awards. 'Plumpton Park' is of course also the name in the Gest of Robyn Hode of an area, probably near the home of the knight Sir Richard at the Lee, where King Edward notes the shortage of deer due to the activities of Robin Hood there. Though this Plumpton Park is most probably to be thought of as the locality in Lancashire, this is not entirely certain, and it is of interest, therefore, to know what other localities or areas are or were named 'Plumpton Park'. The field name occurs in the 1839 tithe award for Laughton-en-le-Morthen, where it is listed with William Beckwith, Esq., as owner, Francis Chambers as occupier, an area of 30 perches ( m 2 …

The former Plumpton Park. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-08-28. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it is perhaps worth noting that Plumpton Park occurs as a field name in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, formerly the North Riding of Yorkshire. The source is an 1847 tithe award. In present-day terms. the site is situated on the east side of Gillamoor Road, c. 100 m NNW of Keld Head Road, in the northern outskirts of Kirkbymoorside. In the tithe award for the township of Kirkbymoorside in the parish of Kirkbymoorside, drawn up in 1847, Plumpton Park is listed as arable land with an area of 7 perches ( m 2 ). Its owner/occupier was a John Richardson, shoemaker. The Genealogist, Piece 042, Sub-Piece 208, Sub-Image 167, Plot 578; 1847 Kirkbymoorside tithe award; The …

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-10-25. Revised by … Information courtesy Tim Prevett, MA, producer, consultant and lecturer on slow TV. The central part of the action of the ballad Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage takes place in the village or small town of Tutbury in Staffordshire. References to 'Titbury feast' and a bull being bated by bagpipers (see Quotations below) make it clear that the imagined occasion was the infamous Tutbury bull run, which took place annually on August 16 or 17. Evidently already an established custom by 1414, this 'sport' took place in connection with the annual Court of Minstrels, 'a ceremonial legal proceeding for travelling musicians in the nearby counties'. Wikipedia: Tutbury bull run. Tutbury Priory, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Duke of Devonshire, provided a bull which was chased through town by the minstrels, later by residents of adjacent parts of Staffordshire and Derbyshire in general. Once caught, …

Middleton by Wirksworth, in whose vicinity was situated a field called Plumpton Park according to an 1841 Enclosure Award. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2016-08-19. Revised by … In the Gest, King Edward is exasperated at noticing the scarcity of deer in Plumpton Park after Robin and his men have been poaching there during their stay with the knight. We should almost certainly take this to be in Lancashire, but it is perhaps worth noting that Plumpton Park occurs as a field name in Middleton by Wirksworth, Derbyshire, in 1841. The source is the tithe award for the 'Township of Middleton by Wirksworth in the Parish of Wirksworth' (1841), in which Plumpton Park figures with Gell Philips, executors of Edward Sacheverll [sic] Chandos Pole, Esq., and John Cruse, Esq., as landowners, Samuel Brooks, sen., as occupier, 'Meadow' as state of cultivation, and an area of 1 rood and 22 perches ( m 2 ). 1841 tithe award for the 'Township of Middleton by Wirksworth in the Parish of Wirksworth', …

NW to SE: Plompton, Loxley pasture, Loxley Bank, Lowsley Bank Field. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-09-06. Revised by … The first known source to connect Robin Hood with a locality named Loxley is the Sloane MS Life of Robin Hood from c. 1600. Loxley near Sheffield is no doubt the most well-known locality with this name, but there are several others, including one near Plompton in the West Riding, now North Yorkshire. This Loxley has not to my knowledge been connected with Robin Hood, but the fact that it is located in Plompton is interesting in the light of an allusion to Plumpton Park in the Gest of Robyn Hode. A. H. Smith cites the form "Loxlay" from a 1402 source and, from an 1817 source, "Louselay". Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. V, pp. 31. The tithe award for Plompton (1847) does not include a locality named Loxley or similar, but this could simply be because no tithes were payable for that particular piece of land. On the other hand it sometimes happens that a plot …

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-01-07. Revised by … Huntingdon, formerly the county town of Huntingdonshire, now relegated to the status of a market town in Cambridgeshire, does not in itself have any clear connection with the outlaw, but from c. 1598 on Robin Hood has been frequently portrayed as earl of Huntingdon. He was endowed with this title by minor Elizabethan dramatists. More recently the idea has been especially popular with film makers. A tragedy with a lowborn criminal as its hero would not have sat well with Elizabethan theatre audiences, at least not with those segments who could afford the more expensive admission fees, so when it was decided that a proper Robin Hood tragedy must be written and staged, it was probably inevitable that the yeoman hero must have some title foisted on him. This was not entirely without precedent, for Richard Grafton in 1568 claimed to have read "in an olde an auncient Pamphlet" that Robin Hood "discended of a noble parentage: or …

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-10-12. Revised by … The Sloane MS Life of Robin Hood from c. 1600 connects Robin Hood with a place or an area named Loxley. One of several possibilities is the hamlet of that name SSW of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. The names of several localities in the vicinity also include the element 'Loxley'. About one km south of Bramshall and two km south-west of Uttoxeter lies the early-19th-century country house Loxley Hall, Wikipedia: Loxley Hall which is now home to Loxley Hall School, a 'special school for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties with resulting behavioural problems'. Loxley Hall School. South of the hall lie Loxley Park, Lower Loxley, Loxley Bank, Loxley Green, Loxley Green Farm, and the hamlet of Loxley itself. John Marius Wilson in his Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870), noted this area as 'Loxley, a liberty in Uttoxeter parish', where 'Robin Hood is said to have been a native, and to have had here …

Barnsdale, formerly Bernard's Hill, near Exton, Rutland. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-05-23. Revised by … Barnsdale near Exton in Rutland, a locality now largely covered by a large water reservoir known as Rutland Water, does not have any connection with Robin Hood, except the rather tenuous one that it may conceivably have been renamed after the area of the same name near Doncaster, which is one of Robin Hood's chief haunts in the earliest tales. In his 1994 monograph on Robin Hood, Stephen Knight advanced the remarkable but untenable idea that this Rutland Barnsdale was, if not the original, then at least an earlier scene of the outlaw's adventures or an alternative locale coeval with Barnsdale in South Yorkshire. It is uncertain which of these hypotheses he favoured, but he clearly felt that his discovery of this other Barnsdale was significant. He did not miss the opportunity to criticize 'empiricist historians' – often butts of his criticism – for not having …

Sayles Plantation, identified by modern historians with the Sayles of the Gest By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-06-30. Revised by … Photograph courtesy Richard Hawlor; includes information and materials from David Hepworth. In the Gest of Robyn Hode, a tale which has the outlaws in part based in Barnsdale, Robin Hood sends Little John, Scathlock and Much the Miller's Son to a place called 'the Sayles' to look out for a traveller they can 'invite' to dinner with Robin Hood — a pleasure that will be far from free for a rich guest. This place-name reference is significant as the Sayles are an obscure locality unlikley to have been known much outside the immediate area. Its inclusion in the Gest tells us that the writer knew this part of the West Riding well. From the 1970s on several historians have identified this Sayles with a Sayles Plantation near Wentbridge. Though at first sight plausible, this is demonstrably impossible. The locality referred to in the poem …

Doncaster. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … The town of Doncaster (formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now administratively in South Yorkshire) is mentioned four times in the Gest (see Quotations below). According to Smith, the town is first referred to in a 4th century source as "Dano", while it occurs c. 800 as CairDaun and from 1086 on as 'Donceastre' (or similar). The etymology of the name is ' [f]ortification on the Don '. The form 'Donkesly', used in De Worde's edition of the Gest (st. 456), is not recorded by Smith who does, however, cite the form 'Doncastell' (1418). Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. 1, p. 29. In 1248, the town was granted a market to be held in the area around the Church of St Mary Magdalene; the market is still held. Major institutions in later medieval Doncaster were the Hospital of St Nicholas, the Hospital of St James (which housed a leper colony), a moot hall, grammar school, and a stone bridge with a chapel, Our Lady of …

Wentbridge. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-06-04. Revised by … Several photos courtesy Richard Hawlor. Referred to in the Gest of Robyn Hode and Robin Hood and the Potter, Wentbridge is the name both of a bridge – first mentioned in 1190 as "pontem de Wente" Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. II, pp. 51. – over the river Went and the village that grew up around it at the northern boundary of Barnsdale. The village lies athwart the original Great North Road and hence would have been well known to travellers along this main road from London to the north and Scotland. Before the modern road was constructed, the deep incline at Wentbridge, 1 in 16, made this a dangerous place for travellers on horseback or in a horse driven carriage. Passengers would generally have had to leave the carriage during descent, as braking was dangerous, and during ascent in order to lighten the burden for the horses. Hence this was a very well chosen locale for a tale about a …

Sherwood Forest. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … Sherwood Forest is the home of the outlaws in about half of the early tales and most later sources. The first source to put Robin Hood in Sherwood is 1401 - Anonymous - Lincoln Cathedral MS 132 (c. 1401-25) (see Allusions below). The place-name is first recorded in A.D. 955 (as "scirwuda"). The form "Sherewoode" is found 1325-1500. The most probable etymology is "wood belonging to the shire". See Gover, John Eric Bruce 1940a, p. 10; Smith, Albert Hugh 1970b, pt. II, pp. 110-11. For literature on King John's Palace in Sherwood, see Robin Hood Close (King's Clipstone). Quotations Sherwood Forest in the ballads Sources ⁃ Anonymous 1966a. ⁃ Gilchrist, Robert Murray 1913a, [ch. 2:] 'Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood' (pp. 13-24). ⁃ Leland, John 1906a, vol. I, p. 94. Maps ⁃ List of printed and MS maps at: Sherwood Forest: Cartographic (Nottinghamshire Heritage …

Kirklees Priory. ] By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-07-05. Revised by … Kirklees Priory was a small Cistercian priory, founded in the early 12th century Clay, C T 1954a, see p. 355. or during the reign of Henry II (1154-89), certainly in existence by 1211. Chadwick, S J 1901a, p. 323 n. 1. The only surviving part of the buildings is the Gatehouse, rebuilt in the Elizabethan period and situated on the outskirts of Kirklees Park, c. 650 m. NE of Robin Hood's Grave. According to the Gest (see Evidence below) and later sources, it was at Kirklees that Robin Hood was killed through the treachery of his cousin the prioress. Kirklees is in the township of Hartshead-cum-Clifton and in the ancient parish of Dewsbury. It occurs in the records from 1202 on as "Kirkeley", "Kyrkeleis", "Kyrkesley" and through metathesis as "Crickeleys". The strange form "Kuthelaga" has also been recorded. The etymology of the name, a compound of ON kirkja and OE lēah, is "church clearing(s)", …

Barnsdale Bar where the Great North Road forks; both branches were called Watling Street during the Medieval period. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-17. Revised by … In the Gest of Robyn Hode, Robin Hood sends his men to 'Watlinge Strete' to look out for wayfarers. 'Watling Street' is of course the name of the Roman (and pre-Roman) road from Dover to Wroxeter, but during the Middle Ages and the early modern period the name was also applied, at least locally, to several other stretches of Roman road, including two or three in Barnsdale. Since the 1970s it has been generally assumed that the Sayles to which Robin Hood sends three of his men to look out for wayfarers should be identified with Sayles Plantation near Wentbridge. In Barnsdale, at Barnsdale Bar, the Great North road forks into a north-westerly and a north-easterly branch, both of which were called Watling Street and both of which pass through Wentbridge. The name is recorded for the north-westerly branch (now …

Fountains Abbey. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-07-20. Revised by … Fountains Abbey is the home of the "Curtal Friar" and the scene of the main action of the ballad of Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar (Version A in MS of c. 1650, version B first printed 1663). This Cistercian monastery was founded in 1132 and dissolved in 1539. The ruins are a grade I listed building owned by the National Trust. Together with the gardens and adjacent deer park they form the UNESCO World Heritage site Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey. Fountains Abbey website. Although the play of Robin Hood and the Friar (printed c. 1560) has essentially the same plot as the ballad of Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar it never mentions Fountains Abbey or refers to Robin Hood's adversary as the Curtal Friar. The ballad is the first known source to connect the friar with Fountains Abbey. Within the abbey grounds lie (or lay) two places named after Robin Hood: Robin Hood's Wood …

The marker indicates the probable centre of Barnsdale, at whose northern boundary lay Wentbridge. Barnsdale's extent in the west-east direction would have been similar to that north-south. By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by … Barnsdale was one of Robin Hood's two chief haunts in the medieval and early modern outlaw tradition. Never precisely delimited, it was an area straddling the Great North Road about halfway between Doncaster and Pontefract in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Following Dobson & Taylor (1972), Dobson, Richard Barrie 1972a, see pp. 11-20. modern historians have tended to relocate it to an area somewhat north of its original location. However, a close reading of the Gest of Robyn Hode (see "Location and extent" below) suggest this may not be necessary. The etymology of "Barnsdale" is "Beorn's valley", Smith, Albert Hugh 1961a, pt. II, p. 37. Beorn being an OE personal name, which occurs also in other place-names, for instance Barnsley (c. 18 km …

Ruins of St Mary's Abbey, York By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2019-05-09. Revised by … St Mary's Abbey, York, is the scene of the greater part of fytte II (sts. 84–125) of the Gest of Robyn Hode. It is mentioned by name in sts. 54, 84, 233, and indirectly referred to in sts. 55 and 129 of that poem. Robin entertains, and in his own manner robs, the high cellarer of St Mary's in fytte IV (see sts. 213-61 and 271-73). The ruins of St Mary's Abbey are situated on a steeply-sloping site to the west of York Minster in what are now the York Museum Gardens. This Benedictine monastery was once the richest in the north of England and often served as the administrative and financial headquarters of the royal administration when the latter moved north during periods of war or impending conflict with Scotland. Brief history A church dedicated to Saint Olaf II of Norway was founded on the site in 1055. After the Conquest it came into the possession of Alan Rufus, an Anglo-Breton …

The Sayles By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-06-30. Revised by …; includes information and materials from David Hepworth and Robert Lynley. In the Gest of Robyn Hode, Robin Hood sends Little John, Scathlock and Much the Miller's Son to a place in Barnsdale called 'the Sayles', where they are to look out for a traveller they can 'invite' to dinner with Robin Hood — an experience that will likely prove expensive if the guest is wealthy. This is significant since the Sayles are an obscure locality which is unlikely to have been known outside the immediate area. The fact that it is included in the Gest shows that the writer knew this part of the West Riding well. Dobson and Taylor in the 1970s, on discovering an extant locality named Sayles Plantation just southeast of Wentbridge, jumped to the conclusion that this was the Sayles figuring in the Gest. However, as explained on IRHB's page on Sayles Plantation (Barnsdale) this cannot be correct, for it leads to a major, …