Local heroes & villains close to the Bird in Hand

Local heroes & villains live close to The Bird in Hand in the heartland of Robin Hood Country & close to the Major Oak

Robin Hood & his merry men

There are many stories about the infamous Robin Hood & his Merry Men. Though they were reputed to have lived in & around the Major Oak at Edwinstowe, there are a surprising number of historical facts which tie in with the local legends & beliefs that Robin Hood and his men spent much of their time here in Blidworth - here are just a few of them:

The Grand Archery Tournament

Remember the stories & films where the Sheriff of Nottingham sneakily set a trap to capture Robin Hood by calling upon the greatest archers of the land to come to a grand tournament to prove their skills? Then much to the annoyance of the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood won the competition by splitting the arrow of his opponent in half

If you look out of one of our large bay windows in the dining area towards the left, you will see a large area of wood and grass-land known as Haywood Oaks

It is historically recorded that there actually was a grand tournament called by the Sheriff of Nottingham & held at Haywood Oaks

Will Scarlet

Will Scarlet is buried in the graveyard of Saint Mary’s Church of the Purification in Blidworth & is just a couple of minutes walk away from us. Although his grave itself is not marked, it is believed that a peculiar shaped stone that is embedded in the ground, shows where his grave is

Who Was ‘Little John’?

According to some writings, Little John was in fact a member of the landed gentry & his real name was John De Faucumberg of Catfoss Manor in Holderness which is in Yorkshire

The family also owned the Manor and Estate of Cuckeneye – now known as Cuckney - which is only a few miles from the Bird in Hand & it would appear that this is where ‘Little John’ was living

However, it is recorded that his father, William De Faucumberg, disinherited his eldest son ‘Little John’ in 1295, leaving the younger brother Henry De Faucumberg to assume control of the Catfoss estate & he was also given the Manor & Estate of Cuckeneye

As a result John De Faucumberg would have been made homeless & with the shame of being disinherited, would probably not have wanted anyone to know his real name

Little John & Fountain Dale

Within the same period of history, many historical writings tell of a ‘Little John’ living as a hermit, next to a stream, in his ‘cell’ (a cave like dwelling) in Fountain Dale which is only a couple of miles north of us in 'Thieves Wood' which was the main truck road between north & south now known as the main A60

There was a footbridge over the stream nearby & it is thought that this is where the famously depicted battle over the river took place between Robin Hood & Little John on their first meeting

Sherrif of Nottingham

Just to add to the intrigue, John De Faucumberg’s brother Henry De Faucumberg later became the Sheriff of Nottingham in the early 1300’s. Is it all just a coincidence?