TheSheriff of Nottingham is the mainantagonist in the legend ofRobin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the people ofNottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, stealing from the rich, and the Sheriff, in order to give to the poor; it is this characteristic for which Robin Hood is best known. The Sheriff is considered thearchenemy of Robin Hood, as he is the most recurring enemy of the well-known outlaw. The Sheriff appears in some of the earliest texts featuring Robin Hood, such as the fifteenth-centuryballadA Gest of Robyn Hode.[1]
It is not known upon whom this character is based. The legend of Robin Hood (which is at least as old as the 14th century) traditionally referred to the Sheriff of Nottingham only by his title. The post ofSheriff of Nottingham only came into existence in 1449. However, there has from very early Norman times been aHigh Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests, appointed by the king, which becameHigh Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1568. The character in the legend could therefore have been based on the royal appointee responsible for law enforcement in theRoyal Forests (which includedSherwood Forest).[1]
It is the task of the holder of the office ofNottingham'sSheriff to capture outlaws such as Robin Hood, either to ensure the safety of trade routes throughSherwood Forest or to keep them frompoaching the King'sdeer. In some stories, the Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed as having a lecherous desire for Robin Hood's ladyMaid Marian. He is widely considered to be the principal villain of the Robin Hood stories, appearing frequently alongside such enemies of Robin Hood as SirGuy of Gisborne orJohn, King of England (though rarely both).
In some versions, the Sheriff is a cowardly schemer while his assistant, Sir Guy of Gisborne, is a more competent and determined physical threat to Robin. In other versions, the Sheriff answers to Prince John.
If one treats the legend as having had its origins in real events (despite the fact that the earliest known version of the legend appears 200 years later), the character could have been based upon one of (or a composite of multiple of) the real life people who occupied the post of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests at the relevant time. Several historians have analysed individuals from the North of England in the medieval period who could have inspired the legendary character.[1] The earliest version of the Robin Hood legend takes place during the time of "Edward our comely king". If, as in many versions of the Robin Hood legend, the action of the story is placed during the absence of KingRichard I of England in 1190–1193 during theThird Crusade and his subsequent holding to ransom in Austria, the character could be identified with the little-knownWilliam de Wendenal, who was High Sheriff from 1191 to 1194.[2] In some versions, the Sheriff is identified withPhilip Marc, who held the office of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests from 1209 to 1221, during the later years of the reign ofJohn, King of England (who ruled from 1199 to 1216).[3][4] Philip Marc's deputy sheriff, Eustace of Lowdham, has also been proposed as a possible figure who inspired the story of the Sheriff of Nottingham.[3] Brian de Lisle, an ally of King John and later Sheriff of Yorkshire (in 1233/4) has been suggested as another possible claimant.[3]
Professor John Bellamy suggested Henry de Faucumberg as a candidate for the Sheriff of Nottingham.[1][5] Henry De Faucumberg (also known as Henry de Fauconberg) was a Yorkshire nobleman. Despite the fact that de Faucumberg had been fined for committing theft in 1314, he was given the position of Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1318, and later was made Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1326.[5] Writer P. Valentine Harris claimed the Sheriff was based on John de Segrave, the Constable ofNottingham Castle and a high-ranking forester ofEdward II's time.[5] Sir Robert Ingram, a former Mayor of Nottingham who was allied with the criminalCoterel gang, has been also postulated as the "original" for the Sheriff of Nottingham.[6] In many retellings, however, the Sheriff remains either anonymous or pseudonymous.
In the 1938 filmThe Adventures of Robin Hood, starringErrol Flynn in the title role, the Sheriff is portrayed byMelville Cooper. He is nominally characterised as a coward and a secondary to Sir Guy of Gisbourne but is actually quite intelligent. For instance, he is the one who prudently advises Sir Guy to increase their caravan's security to ward off a possible ambush by Robin Hood, which Sir Guy disregards to his sorrow, and he is the mastermind of the archery tournament trap that captures Robin Hood. When King Richard reclaims the throne, the Sheriff of Nottingham is among the followers of Prince John that are exiled from England.
In the 1950sITV seriesThe Adventures of Robin Hood, he is portrayed byAlan Wheatley as a competent and ruthless enemy who is not quite Robin's equal in combat. Wheatley was replaced late in the series withJohn Arnatt as the deputy Sheriff, a more treacherous, duplicitous villain who was more on par with Robin's fighting skills.
InThe Goon Show episodeYe Bandit of Sherwood Forest first broadcast on 28 December 1954, the Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed byPeter Sellers asHercules Grytpype-Thynne. When the script was rewritten asRobin Hood and his Merry Men, recorded on 2 December 1956, the part was played byValentine Dyall.
In the 1960s Canadian sci-fi seriesRocket Robin Hood, set in the year 3000, theSheriff of N.O.T.T. (the National Outer space Terrestrial Territories) is a secondary antagonist, serving Prince John and constantly outwitted by Rocket Robin Hood. In the episode "The Sad, Sad Sheriff of NOTT", Prince John orders the Sheriff's execution for his constant failure to capture Rocket Robin Hood. When Robin learns of this, wary of the idea of a new Sheriff, he and his men capture the Sheriff, as well as a cache of the Prince's jewels. They then allow the Sheriff to escape with the jewels, which redeems the Sheriff (who was unaware that Robin and his men let him escape) to the Prince. The Sheriff was voiced by Gillie Fenwick.
In Disney's 1973animated film ofRobin Hood, the Sheriff is a large anthropomorphicwolf voiced byAlabama-born comedianPat Buttram. Although still playing a prominent role, he nevertheless is reduced to the film's secondary antagonist and serves as chief enforcer to the primary antagonist Prince John, collecting unlimited taxes and hunting Robin Hood and Little John. This version is depicted as being far less smart than he realises, claiming he can see through Robin Hood's disguises when he fails to see through two of them. He briefly battles Robin inside Prince John's burning tower in the film's climax. Eventually King Richard sentences him to breaking rocks down in the Royal Rock Pile, along with Prince John and Sir Hiss. During story development, the animators considered experimenting with a different animal concept for the villain by making him a goat. However, they were over-ruled by the director who wanted to keep to traditional animal stereotypes and ordered the Sheriff be a wolf.[8]
The Sheriff of Nottingham (voiced byPat Buttram) in the 1973 Disney animated film,Robin Hood
In the 1975 BBC TV seriesThe Legend of Robin Hood, the Sheriff is played byPaul Darrow. He is portrayed as a ruthless schemer, willing to murder the Archbishop of Grantham in order to guarantee silence. He is close friends with Prince John, usually sharing his plans with him, and is frequently seen playing chess with himself.
The Sheriff is more sympathetically portrayed byRobert Shaw in the 1976 filmRobin and Marian, which also starsAudrey Hepburn as Maid Marian andSean Connery as Robin Hood.[9] He is also shown in this film to not only equal Robin physically, but also be superior to him, as he dominates Robin in a one-on-one sword fight towards the end of the film, almost killing Robin. He also shows a great deal of respect and honour towards Robin.
InRobin of Sherwood, the Sheriff is portrayed as a cynical opportunist given to violent outbursts, portrayed byNickolas Grace. His name,Robert de Rainault, comes fromEvelyn Charles Vivian's retelling of the legend. He also bears the dubious honour of being the first sheriff to kill Robin. Grace's portrayal of a moody and obsessive individual, with a sardonic sense of black humour, was a notable influence on future interpretations of the role.[10]
InRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), in which he is the main antagonist, he is portrayed byAlan Rickman. His given name is said to beGeorge. As the Prince John character is completely absent from this adaptation, this Sheriff is more ambitious than most depictions. The Sheriff's agenda is apparently to supplantRichard the Lionheart by marrying into royalty, eventually becoming king, or at least ensuring his future descendants would assume the throne. He is the leader of a cult of Devil Worshipers, that include several English barons who would support his claim, if successful. Rickman's performance would garner him theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and also earned him praise as one of the best actors to portray a villain in films.[11][12]
In the anime seriesRobin Hood no Daibōken, the main antagonist Baron Alwyn (voiced byMasashi Ebara) is based on the Sheriff of Nottingham in both character design and personality as well as actions. He taxes the people and his workers while keeping them working for him. Near the end of the series, due to Robin's constant thwarting and a near death experience by him, he seemingly starts to make a change for the better until coming across a plot that would allow him to take over the kingdom; thus changing him back to his greedy, inconsiderate self. Once again, however, his plan of action is stopped by Robin and his allies as well as King Richard.
In the animated seriesYoung Robin Hood, The Sheriff of Nottingham (voiced by A.J. Henderson) is a harsh man and good swordsman. He serves as one of the show's main antagonists and works for Prince John.
The Sheriff of Nottingham is spoofed asThe Sheriff of Rottingham (portrayed byRoger Rees), inMel Brooks' 1993 movieRobin Hood: Men in Tights. This depiction of the Sheriff appears to suffer from a form ofaphasia, often mixing up his words. When the Sheriff of Rottingham is badly wounded by Robin Hood, the witch Latrine saves him by giving him a magical Life Saver in exchange for marriage.[13]
He was portrayed byKeith Allen in theBBC seriesRobin Hood, from 2006. Allen plays the Sheriff, namedVaisey, as apsychopath with a manipulative, sarcastic nature. In the show's third series, Vaisey is deposed byPrince John as a result of his failure to assassinateKing Richard, whereupon he fakes his own death. He is temporarily replaced by his seeming killer,Guy of Gisborne, for one episode before Gisborne is outlawed; Gisborne's sister Isabella becomes Sheriff for several episodes before Vaisey returns, planning to regain Nottingham by force, in theseries finale.
In the 2010Ridley Scott filmRobin Hood, a cowardly, inept and lecherous Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed by actorMatthew Macfadyen. The originalspec script from which the film developed,"Nottingham", the Sheriff, based onRobert of Thornham, is the protagonist in the story, working to solve a string of murders for which anantihero Robin Hood has been falsely accused.[14]
The Sheriff of Nottingham appears as an antagonist in the series of young adult fantasy booksThe Sisters Grimm, where he is depicted as a law enforcer in Ferryport Landing, still harbouring a deep hatred for Robin Hood, his sworn enemy.
Richard Kluger's novelThe Sheriff of Nottingham (1992) gives a positive portrayal of the real-life 13th-century sheriffPhilip Mark as a good man doing a thankless task. (The same sheriff appeared as a ruthless despot in an episode of theRobin of Sherwood TV series.)
The Sheriff is portrayed as the main antagonist in the board gameSheriff of Nottingham by Arcane Wonders, where players take turns in his role while the other players try to smuggle goods past his notice.
In the 2001 video gameStronghold Crusader, the Sheriff of Nottingham appears as an AI character. He is portrayed as a cruel lord who will use every dirty trick in the book to increase his power.
^abcdDobson, J.; Taylor, John (1997). "Foreword".Rymes of Robyn Hood: An Introduction to the English Outlaw. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. pp. xiii–xxx.ISBN0750916613.
^Olly, Mark (2015).The Life & Times of the Real Robyn Hoode. Winchester: Chronos Books. p. 56.ISBN978-1785350597.
^abcCrook, David (1996). "The Robin Hood Names and the Origins of the Outlaw Legend". In Rigby, Stephen H. (ed.).Historians on Robin Hood: The Outlaw's Legend in the Later Middle Ages. Cambridge: D. S, Brewer. pp. 72–92.ISBN9781843846697.
^Pictorial History of the American Theatre:1860-1985 p.40 c.1985(this version updated to 1985) by Daniel Blum;Crown Publishers
^Thomas, Frank, Johnston, Ollie (1986).The illusion of life: Disney animation. Disney Book Group. p. 344.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
