Robin Hood's Stride (Harthill)

From International Robin Hood Bibliography
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Locality
Coordinate 53.156982, -1.666
Adm. div. Derbyshire
Vicinity 1 km N of Elton
Type Natural feature
Interest Robin Hood name
Status Extant
First Record 1817
A.k.a. Mock Beggar's Hall
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Robin Hood's Stride

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-10-14. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-06.

Robin Hood's Stride is the name of a formation of broken gritstone rocks on Hartle Moor close to the village of Elton. There is a pinnacle at either end of the formation, that to the west being known as the Weasel pinnacle and that to the east as the Inaccessible pinnacle.[1] The formation is said to owe its name to the belief that the distance between the two pinnacles was equal to the length of Robin Hood's step or stride.[2] The alternative name of Mock Beggar's Hall is probably due to the general resemblance of the entire formation to a hall (manor house) with each pinnacle as a 'chimney' at either end of the 'building'. One of two fairly early drawings of Robin Hood's Stride, dated respectively 1794 and 1804, is accompanied by a note about a tradition relating to Robin Hood (see Allusions below). However, the note does not actually include the name 'Robin Hood's Stride', though it may be included in the title of the drawing, if it has one. Until this has been verified, the 1817 allusion cited below must be considered the earliest certain source for the name.[3]

The note to the drawing just mentioned concerns a tradition that Robin Hood and Little John each shot an arrow from Eastwood Rocks (Ashover), one of which landed at Robin Hood's Stride. Similar traditions are connected with several ofther pairs of locailties. See the page on Places connected by bowshot.

As Kenneth Cameron notes in one of the English Place-Name Society volumes on Derbyshire, this and all other Robin Hood-related place-names in Derbyshire are first recorded at a late date.[4]

Robin Hood's Stride is a popular tourist attraction which has almost certainly been visited by more climbers than outlaws. Template:PlaceNamesItemQuery

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