The legend of Robin Hood is a major part of British history and folklore, but the legend is nothing more than a myth and a fireside fairytale.
Robin Hood was born Barry Arkwright in Manchester around the end of the twelfth century. He got involved in petty crime when he was only a small child and by the time he’d reached his early teens he was well known in and around many of the city’s housing settlements. Nothing was safe if it wasn’t nailed down when he was around as Robin and his best mate Allan-a-Dale regularly twocked horses and carts then finished the night off drinking mead and sniffing tree sap on the local common, wearing their trademark baggy hooded tops. The great enjoyment he gained from his stealing and thieving, along with his clothing, earned him the nickname Robin Hood.
When he was about 13-14 years old they made the mistake of stealing the wrong horse and cart. After a hard session on the sap they came across the best horse and cart that they had ever seen, it was a top of the range model. Without thought, care or self-control they took the vehicle and ragged it around the settlement, but they were unaware of who it belonged to. In fact the horse and cart belonged to none other than twins and local hardmen Guy and Jezza Gisbourne. Robin and Allan wrecked it completely then torched the whole thing before legging it. It wasn’t until the next day that they found out who it belonged to and they realised that they were in big trouble. The word was on the street that the Gisbournes were very angry and they wanted revenge. The only thing left for Robin and Allan to do was to flee Manchester otherwise they would end up dead. Robin had a cousin in Nottingham and thought this was an ideal time to pay him a visit.
They made their way to Nottingham and met up with Terry, Robin’s cousin, who had also made a bit of a name for himself as a young tearaway and the three of them started to terrorise Terry’s neighbourhood. They were getting older and wiser and even more daring. It wasn’t only horses and carts, now they had moved on to stealing money, gold and jewels. They started to form a little gang and Robin, the highly intelligent natural leader amongst them, was in charge.
The tales tell of Robin stealing from the rich and giving to the poor and it is true that he did steal from the rich, but he also stole from the poor and kept everything for his gang and himself. His reputation grew and along with it so did his gang of thieves with the likes of Friar Tuck, Little John and Will Scarlett joining his criminal outfit. He was also a hit with the ladies who always fell for his charm and his roguish character. The one who was his favourite and most often seen on his arm was a young beauty called Maid Marian, whose beautiful face he had tattooed onto his massive forearms which were the size of tree trunks.