Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham

The Sheriff of Nottingham became one of Robin Hood’s most recognisable opponents in the evolving ballad and dramatic tradition. His role as a figure of authority is important to the stories, but individual episodes belong to different textual periods.

The office of sheriff was historical; the ballad conflicts are literary evidence, not straightforward court records. Evidence: ballad tradition. Source trail: British Library Robin Hood ballad holdings; Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Journal context.