Character
The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting…
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Investigate this subjectThe Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes.
The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, stealing from the rich, and the Sheriff, in order to give to the poor; it is this characteristic for which Robin Hood is best known. The Sheriff is considered the archenemy of Robin Hood, as he is the most recurring enemy of the well-known outlaw. The Sheriff appears in some of the earliest texts featuring Robin Hood, such as the fifteenth-century ballad A Gest of Robyn Hode.
It is not known upon whom this character is based. The legend of Robin Hood (which is at least as old as the 14th century) traditionally referred to the Sheriff of Nottingham only by his title. The post of Sheriff of Nottingham only came into existence in 1449. However, there has from very early Norman times been a High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests, appointed by the king, which became High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1568. The character in the legend could therefore have been based on the royal appointee responsible for law enforcement in the royal forests (which included Sherwood Forest).
It is the task of the holder of the office of Nottingham's Sheriff to capture outlaws such as Robin Hood, either to ensure the safety of trade routes through Sherwood Forest or to keep them from poaching the King's deer. In some stories, the Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed as having a lecherous desire for Robin Hood's lady Maid Marian. He is widely considered to be the principal villain of the Robin Hood stories, appearing frequently alongside such enemies of Robin Hood as Sir Guy of Gisborne or John, King of England (though rarely both).
The legends are generally set far from Nottingham; this fits the historical position of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests (from 1068 until 1568). In the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the Sheriff's influence outside the region of Nottingham has grown so great, he attempts to take control of the throne.
In some versions, the Sheriff is a cowardly schemer while his assistant, Sir Guy of Gisborne, is a more competent and determined physical threat to Robin. In other versions, the Sheriff answers to Prince John.
If one treats the legend as having had its origins in real events (despite the fact that the earliest known version of the legend appears 200 years later), the character could have been based upon one of (or a composite of multiple of) the real life people who occupied the post of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests at the relevant time. Several historians have analysed individuals from the North of England in the medieval period who could have inspired the legendary character. The earliest version of the Robin Hood legend takes place during the time of "Edward our comely king". If, as in many versions of the Robin Hood legend, the action of the story is placed during the absence of King Richard I of England in 1190–1193 during the Third Crusade and his subsequent holding to ransom in Austria, the character could be identified with the little-known William de Wendenal, who was High Sheriff from 1191 to 1194. In some versions, the Sheriff is identified with Philip Marc, who held the office of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests from 1209 to 1221, during the later years of the reign of John, King of England (who ruled from 1199 to 1216). Philip Marc's deputy sheriff, Eustace of Lowdham, has also been proposed as a possible figure who inspired the story of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Brian de Lisle, an ally of King John and later Sheriff of Yorkshire (in 1233/4) has been suggested as another possible claimant. Chronicler Matthew Paris described the hanging of 28 boy hostages from the walls of Nottingham Castle in 1212 on the instruction of the king.
Professor John Bellamy suggested Henry de Faucumberg as a candidate for the Sheriff of Nottingham. Henry De Faucumberg (also known as Henry de Fauconberg) was a Yorkshire nobleman. Despite the fact that de Faucumberg had been fined for committing theft in 1314, he was given the position of Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1318, and later was made Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1326. Writer P. Valentine Harris claimed the Sheriff was based on John de Segrave, the Constable of Nottingham Castle and a high-ranking forester of Edward II's time. Sir Robert Ingram, a former Mayor of Nottingham who was allied with the criminal Coterel gang, has been also postulated as the "original" for the Sheriff of Nottingham. In many retellings, however, the Sheriff remains either anonymous or pseudonymous.
He was portrayed on Broadway in 1891 in The Sheriff of Nottingham by H. C. Barnabee.
In the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn in the title role, the Sheriff is portrayed by Melville Cooper. He is nominally characterised as a coward and a secondary to Sir Guy of Gisbourne but is actually quite intelligent. For instance, he is the one who prudently advises Sir Guy to increase their caravan's security to ward off a possible ambush by Robin Hood, which Sir Guy disregards to his sorrow, and he is the mastermind of the archery tournament trap that captures Robin Hood. When King Richard reclaims the throne, the Sheriff of Nottingham is among the followers of Prince John that are exiled from England.
In the 1950s ITV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, he is portrayed by Alan Wheatley as a competent and ruthless enemy who is not quite Robin's equal in combat. Wheatley was replaced late in the series with John Arnatt as the deputy Sheriff, a more treacherous, duplicitous villain who was more on par with Robin's fighting skills.
In The Goon Show episode Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest first broadcast on 28 December 1954, the Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed by Peter Sellers as Hercules Grytpype
Source: Sheriff of Nottingham (CC BY-SA)
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