Changes

Very little evidence exists to support a real Robin Hood; in fact he may have been a composite.  The earliest tale is a ballad written in the 1320s known as ''A Gest of Robyn Hode'' [http://www.boldoutlaw.com/realrob/realrob2.html#1320], describing an individual who was pardoned by [[Edward II]], and serving in that monarch's court for a number of months before returning to his outlaw ways.  In 1852 one Joseph Hunter, a clergyman and keeper of records in Britain, discovered the possibility that the ''Gest'' matched several of the records for Edward, including a servant named "Robyn Hode" who was a porter for the king between March 24 and November 22, 1324; he further went on to claim that his Robyn and a fugitive named Robert Hood of Wakefield - involved in a rebellion against the king under Thomas of Lancaster in 1322 - were the same man.  Hunter subsequently offered his conclusions for an historical Robin based on that evidence.

Very little evidence exists to support a real Robin Hood; in fact he may have been a composite.  The earliest tale is a ballad written in the 1320s known as ''A Gest of Robyn Hode'' [http://www.boldoutlaw.com/realrob/realrob2.html#1320], describing an individual who was pardoned by [[Edward II]], and serving in that monarch's court for a number of months before returning to his outlaw ways.  In 1852 one Joseph Hunter, a clergyman and keeper of records in Britain, discovered the possibility that the ''Gest'' matched several of the records for Edward, including a servant named "Robyn Hode" who was a porter for the king between March 24 and November 22, 1324; he further went on to claim that his Robyn and a fugitive named Robert Hood of Wakefield - involved in a rebellion against the king under Thomas of Lancaster in 1322 - were the same man.  Hunter subsequently offered his conclusions for an historical Robin based on that evidence.

There are records of a Robert Fitzhooth, the Earl of Huntington [http://books.google.com/books?id=sN0wjxyotFwC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=Robert+Fitzhooth&source=bl&ots=qfx5QiMnCC&sig=IyMmt-aRjxsF8ooD0C-OoyTdp18&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result], who was the subject of two plays as Robin by Anthony Munday in 1599.  The real Earl of Huntington, a man named David, was brother to King William the Lion of Scotland, and chronicled in ''Earl David of Huntingdon 1152-1219 A Study in Anglo-Scottish History'' by K.J. Stringer, with some very Robin Hood-like elements, including a rebellion against King John I.

There are records of a Robert Fitzhooth, the Earl of Huntington [https://books.google.com/books?id=sN0wjxyotFwC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=Robert+Fitzhooth&source=bl&ots=qfx5QiMnCC&sig=IyMmt-aRjxsF8ooD0C-OoyTdp18&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result], who was the subject of two plays as Robin by Anthony Munday in 1599.  The real Earl of Huntington, a man named David, was brother to King William the Lion of Scotland, and chronicled in ''Earl David of Huntingdon 1152-1219 A Study in Anglo-Scottish History'' by K.J. Stringer, with some very Robin Hood-like elements, including a rebellion against King John I.

Rivalry between the two counties in which Robin had operated is strong, with most modern representations of the legends placing him in Nottinghamshire, but most of the scarce historical evidence supporting Yorkshire's claim. In fact, Sherwood (''Shire Wood'') Forest, Robin's base of operations at the time, stretched unbroken over much of both counties, and the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] who features prominently in the tales, would also have had authority over the Forest of Barnsdale in South Yorkshire. One legend maintains he is buried at Kirklees, now a highly populated Metropolitan District, having selected his burial place by the shooting of an arrow.

Rivalry between the two counties in which Robin had operated is strong, with most modern representations of the legends placing him in Nottinghamshire, but most of the scarce historical evidence supporting Yorkshire's claim. In fact, Sherwood (''Shire Wood'') Forest, Robin's base of operations at the time, stretched unbroken over much of both counties, and the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] who features prominently in the tales, would also have had authority over the Forest of Barnsdale in South Yorkshire. One legend maintains he is buried at Kirklees, now a highly populated Metropolitan District, having selected his burial place by the shooting of an arrow.

==Historical Revisionism==

==Historical Revisionism==

The original stories of Robin Hood have him offset against classic characters such as King John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and at at times even the Bishop of Hereford.  These characters are all directly representative of government agency, including the Bishop, considering the Church of England's historical relationship as an extension of the Monarchy.  In short, Robin Hood stole from the government and gave to the poor.  This changed around the late 1700s by a man named [[Joseph Ritson]],<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=rM06VlGFlPkC&pg=PA126&dq=%22It+was+Ritson,+too,+who+is+largely+responsible%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5dH3VM3QKtDisASazYLYBg&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22It%20was%20Ritson%2C%20too%2C%20who%20is%20largely%20responsible%22&f=false Retrieved March-4-15</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Waltz|first1=Robert|title=The Gest of Robyn Hode: A Critical and Textual Commentary|date=2013|publisher=Self}}</ref><ref>Prof. Sir J. C. Holt, ''Robin Hood'', Thames and Hudson, 1989, pp.184-185.</ref> who was sympathetic to the [[Jacobins|Jacobin]] cause.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burd|first1=Henry|title=Joseph Ritson: A Critical Biography|date=1916|publisher=University of Illinois}}</ref><ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=UDZxAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA177#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>  Joseph Ritson is responsible for revising Robin Hood into "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", from his original form.

The original stories of Robin Hood have him offset against classic characters such as King John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and at at times even the Bishop of Hereford.  These characters are all directly representative of government agency, including the Bishop, considering the Church of England's historical relationship as an extension of the Monarchy.  In short, Robin Hood stole from the government and gave to the poor.  This changed around the late 1700s by a man named [[Joseph Ritson]],<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=rM06VlGFlPkC&pg=PA126&dq=%22It+was+Ritson,+too,+who+is+largely+responsible%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5dH3VM3QKtDisASazYLYBg&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22It%20was%20Ritson%2C%20too%2C%20who%20is%20largely%20responsible%22&f=false Retrieved March-4-15</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Waltz|first1=Robert|title=The Gest of Robyn Hode: A Critical and Textual Commentary|date=2013|publisher=Self}}</ref><ref>Prof. Sir J. C. Holt, ''Robin Hood'', Thames and Hudson, 1989, pp.184-185.</ref> who was sympathetic to the [[Jacobins|Jacobin]] cause.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burd|first1=Henry|title=Joseph Ritson: A Critical Biography|date=1916|publisher=University of Illinois}}</ref><ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=UDZxAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA177#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>  Joseph Ritson is responsible for revising Robin Hood into "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", from his original form.

When Ritson first introduced the "new" Robin Hood, the revised character was not popular with all.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barczewski|first1=Stephanie|title=Myth and National Identity in Nineteenth-Century Britain: The Legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood|date=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0198207283}}</ref>

When Ritson first introduced the "new" Robin Hood, the revised character was not popular with all.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barczewski|first1=Stephanie|title=Myth and National Identity in Nineteenth-Century Britain: The Legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood|date=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0198207283}}</ref>