Was Robin Hood from Sheffield? New book uncovers 'real' outlaw, including role in king's assassination

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Sheffield’s claim to be Robin Hood’s true home is strengthened by a new book, purporting to uncover the real man behind the legend.

Nottingham has long laid claim to the famous outlaw, said to have roamed Sherwood Forest with his band of merry men.

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Peter Staveley's new book, Robin UnHOODed and the Death of a King claims to unmask the man behind the legend, revealing more about his links with SheffieldPeter Staveley's new book, Robin UnHOODed and the Death of a King claims to unmask the man behind the legend, revealing more about his links with Sheffield
Peter Staveley's new book, Robin UnHOODed and the Death of a King claims to unmask the man behind the legend, revealing more about his links with Sheffield | Peter Staveley

Now an explosive new book offers further evidence of his links to Sheffield, including the site of his death and his burial place.

ROBIN UnHOODed and the Death of a King, by Peter Staveley, proposes an entirely new candidate as the real Robin.

Peter’s account places Robin Hood a century before the era of Richard I and the outlaw’s supposed adversary Prince John, with which he has traditionally been associated.

Ecclesfield link to real Robin Hood

It suggests he was the assassin who killed William II with an arrow, in a supposed hunting accident in the New Forest in 1100, conveniently clearing the way for William’s younger brother to seize the throne as Henry I.

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The book, Peter says, busts long-held myths about the real Robin Hood, while placing him ‘deep within the geography of South Yorkshire’, in the historic Hallamshire district of Sheffield.

The church yard of St Mary's Church, in Ecclesfield, Sheffield, which author Peter Staveley suggests in his new book is the final resting place of the real Robin HoodThe church yard of St Mary's Church, in Ecclesfield, Sheffield, which author Peter Staveley suggests in his new book is the final resting place of the real Robin Hood
The church yard of St Mary's Church, in Ecclesfield, Sheffield, which author Peter Staveley suggests in his new book is the final resting place of the real Robin Hood | Picture Sheffield

It suggests Robin died in Ecclesfield Priory and was buried in the adjacent church yard of St Mary’s Church - not the site of the ‘spurious’ grave which exists at what was Kirklees Priory in West Yorkshire.

It also offers fresh insights into the identities of the legend’s characters, including the ‘evil prioress’ and her lover, ‘Red Roger’, said to have been responsible for Robin’s death.

Peter is keen not to give away too many of the book’s new revelations but he says it proves Robin’s connections with historic Hallamshire, Loxley, Bradfield, Ecclesfield and other areas of modern day South Yorkshire.

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It shows, he adds, that ‘Yorkshire and Sheffield need to reclaim Robin from Nottingham’.

‘A much rougher man than people believe’

“I’ve always felt Robin Hood should be identified as a Yorkshireman rather than being from Nottingham, though clearly the area in which he lived incorporated part of Sherwood Forest as well,” says Peter.

“As the late Professor Holt, renowned Robin Hood expert, once stated ‘the closer Robin gets to Nottingham the less authentic he becomes’.

“My book suggests a totally new candidate, from the historic Hallamshire district of Sheffield, for the original, real Robin Hood.

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“It explores the likelihood that he was part of the plot and also the assassin of King William II, Rufus, an act which changed history and saved England - and a century prior to the era of Richard the Lionheart and Prince John!

“And it shows he was a much rougher man than people believe, much more religious and without a girlfriend called Marian - Hollywood has a lot to answer for.”

ROBIN UnHOODed and the Death of a King is available to order via Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Barnes & Noble, or various other retailers.

You can also order direct from the publisher at: https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/robin-unhooded

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