Jim Lees

A very irritating book. Written by a man who is dedicated to proving that Robin Hood belongs to Nottingham (and thus needing to prove that Barnesdale in the early ballads has nothing to do with Yorkshire) and also that Robin was a real person.

I started with no view on the subject in either direction, but found Lees' slanting of some evidence so annoying that I was tempted to overlook his more valid points and start cheering for Yorkshire!

He does make some interesting points about Maid Marian and I find his connection of her with a personification of the Virgin Mary to be very plausible, in keeping with the early ballads and an interesting riff on Robin's devotion to the Virgin. (Think of her as a form of May Queen - she had a long association with the May Games)

Lee's claim that many Robin Hood place names come from association with the May Games is also one I find convincing.

However, Lees' is often too quick to reject evidence that he disagrees with, especially in fields that he knows little about. Morris dancing being one of those areas...… (mais)