Robhodway (Walsham le Willows)
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-08-02. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-08-07.
The road name Robhodway occurs in two entries in the Walsham le Willows (Suffolk) court rolls for 1344 (see Evidence below). "Robhood" is recorded as a family name in Walsham le Willows from 1283 to 1628.[1] As is the case with other surnames of the "Robinhood" type, the etymology is unknown, and it is not entirely certain that this surname has anything to do with Robin Hood. Although it seems more likely Robhodway was named after the local Robhood family than vice versa, this also cannot be regarded as certain. It is, however, difficult to imagine what circumstance or natural or manmade feature could have given the road its name if not the simple fact that it was the road where the Robhood family lived. Whether Robhodway is in any way a Robin Hood-related place-name therefore depends on whether it meant 'the road where the Robhoods live' and whether the surname has anything to do with Robin Hood. However, if this place-name is thus of dubious relevance, this is something it may share with many other apparently Robin Hood-related place-names. In many cases where we do not know the history behind a "Robinhood" or "Robin Hood" place-name, it is possible that it originally referred to a perfectly law abiding citizen named Robin or Robert Hood or surnamed Robinhood. Robin Hood's Grave at Kirklees Priory is perhaps an example of this. Template:PnItemQry
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.
Sources
Background
Notes
- ↑ See the page on the Robhoods of Walsham le Willows. By 1577 and probably already by the mid-15th century, "Robwood" had become the standard form of the name.