In the footsteps of Robin Hood
The Merry Men
In the earliest version of the Robin Hood story, Little John is mentioned from the very beginning, and is then joined by a few others, including Much the miller's son and Will Scarlet. Friar Tuck comes in later. But the outlaw band remains much smaller than the one in the stories, which sometimes seems to number the same as a small city.
Little John
We all know Little John as the giant who joins the Merry Men after
fighting Robin on a bridge. But in the early stories, there is no fight
and John plays a much more central role. It is actually Little John who
starts the whole feud with the sheriff of Nottingham, and his relationship
with Robin is much more democratic than in our modern version –
this Little John isn't afraid of telling Robin what to do.
Little John is traditionally said to be buried in Hathersage in Derbyshire, so people assume that he came from there. But the ballads say he comes from Holderness, an area near Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire. And Little John is just an alias: his real name is Reynald Greenleaf.
In Holdernes, sir, I was borne,
Iwys al of my dame;
Men cal me Reynolde Grenelef
Whan I am at hame.
There are records from 1318 and 1323 showing a 'John Le Little' being charged with crimes in Wakefield and Beverley. It could be that Little John was already a criminal when he joined Robert Hood of Wakefield in Barnsdale after the Lancastrian revolt.
One intriguing suggestion is that the John de Faucumberg who in 1295 was disinherited by his father, William de Faucumberg of Catfoss manor in Holderness, was actually 'Little John'. His younger brother was Henry de Faucumberg, the future sheriff of Nottingham and high sheriff of Yorkshire, who we last saw on the winning side of the battle of Boroughbridge in 1322. When John was disinherited, Henry assumed control of the Catfoss estate and was 'given' the manor and estate of Cukeneye by his brother. Could this have been the basis of the feud between the men of the greenwood and the wicked sheriff?
Will Scarlet
Of the other outlaws mentioned in the Geste, we don't have
a record of Much the miller's son, but there are some fascinating clues
about Will Scarlet.
'Will Scarlet' is an odd name. In the earliest texts, he is called 'Scathelock' or 'Scathlock', which means 'lock smasher'. Does this mean that he was a breaking-and-entering merchant?
There is evidence of a Will Scathlock who, in the late 13th century, was a monk at the very St Mary's Abbey in York that appears in the ballad. For unknown reasons, he was thrown out of the abbey at the end of the 13th century. If this real Will Scathlock harboured a grudge against St Mary's, it could help explain why the abbot ended up as a villain in the story.
What you can see now
Catfoss, East Riding of Yorkshire
The Holderness area, in which Catfoss is located, is flat and agricultural.
Catfoss itself was the site of a World War II airfield, which finally
closed in 1963. Nothing of the manor that may have been Little John's
family home remains.
'Locality' 2 miles north-east of Brandesburton, 9 miles north-east
of Beverley. OS ref: TA1448.
Little John's grave
Little John died soon after Robin Hood had been buried at Kirklees
Priory. According to tradition, after burying his comrade he made
his way sadly to Hathersage, where he spent his last remaining days. He
dug his own grave under the old yew tree in the graveyard, near the old
preaching cross, and directed that his cap, bow and arrows be hung in
the church. In 1784, the burial site was opened, revealing a grave 13.5
feet (4 metres) long plus a human thighbone allegedly measuring 29 inches
(74 centimetres), indicating a man who would have been 8ft (2.4m) tall.
(The bone later disappeared.) In about 1930, Little John's grave was taken
into the care of the Ancient Order of Foresters. By 1935, iron railings,
a headstone and a small stone at the side of the grave had been erected.
The inscription on the headstone reads: 'Here lies buried Little John,
the friend and lieutenant of Robin Hood. He died in a cottage (now destroyed)
to the west of the churchyard.'
In Hathersage, Derbyshire, about 8 miles north of Bakewell. The grave
lies between two yew trees opposite the church porch in the graveyard
on the hill overlooking the village. OS ref: SK2381.
Will Scarlet's grave
In the graveyard of St Mary's church in the mining village of Blidworth
in Sherwood Forest is an odd-shaped stone. Set in the middle of three
yew trees, it is traditionally said to mark the grave of Will Scarlet.
He was reputedly killed by one of the sheriff of Nottingham's men and
immediately avenged by Little John. In fact, the stone is the apex stone
from the old church tower, which was deposited in the graveyard. However,
within the church itself is buried a Sherwood Forester who, although not
an outlaw, often found himself at odds with authority and was eventually
killed – possibly the origin of the story that Scarlet is buried
here. It is also said that Maid Marian left her home at Blidworth to marry
Robin, and that on the hill on which the village stands is a cave where
the outlaws stored their food.
In Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, on the B6020, 5 miles south-east of
Mansfield. OS ref: SK5956.
