Robin Hood

Abstract

The legend of Robin Hood and his exploits in Sherwood Forest date back to about 1350. There have been several attempts to show that the legends were based on real historical people, but none have met with general acceptance. In a new attempt to identify the source of the Robin Hood legends, we propose that the stories are based upon the activities of the Coterel Gang in Sherwood Forest in the period 1328-1333. The gang contained several members of the Coterel family and was lead by James Coterel. All the Coterels and their exploits are firmly established in the historical records of the region.