Listed amongst the followers of Simon De Montford at this battle was a certain Roger Godberd. We know from other documents that Roger grew up living on a manor (farm) in Swannington in Leicestershire. Not a lot is known about his family, but Roger was probably born around 1230 and held his lands from one Robert de Ferrers, Earl of Derby.
The gang was led by Roger Godberd, one of the most remarkable gangsters or mob bosses of the thirteenth century. Roger was a prominent Montfortian outlaw during the 1260s and led a gang of robbers in the forests of Charnwood and Sherwood. Finally, after several years of plaguing the Midlands, he was hunted down and captured by Reynold Grey, High Sheriff of Nottingham.
Roger Godberd is one of the people thought to be the inspiration behind the Robin Hood legend. In some ways, he certainly fits the bill, operating as an outlaw around Sherwood Forest and being caught and imprisoned by the Sheriff of Nottingham. In many ways, however, he is very unlike the Robin Hood of myth. Roger Godberd Born in the village of Swannington, northwest Leicestershire sometime around 1260, Roger Godberd was a thirteenth-century outlaw whose life and career bore an uncanny resemblance to Robin Hood- even down to the area of his activity. Roger Godberd was a medieval outlaw who has been suggested as a possible historical basis for the legend of Robin Hood. Roger Godberd Between 1266 and 1272, Nottinghamshire and the neighbouring counties of Derbyshire and Leicestershire, were the target of a crime spree led by Roger Godberd, who was identified as ‘leader and master’.
Unsurprisingly, Roger the Dodger has been suggested as the inspiration for the later Robin Hood ballads. He appears as a supporting player in my new novella, Longsword (IV) The Hooded Men, and I will post more on him in the near future.
- Roger Godberd was a thug and arsonist who led a band of highwaymen who robbed wealthy travellers
Half covered in moss and with no headstone, this Warwickshire grave gives no sign of its importance.
But an historian has claimed this is the grave of one of the most famous men in English folklore.
This, he says, is the final resting place of Robin Hood.
David Baldwin claims it is the grave of Roger Godberd, and it was he - a 13th century farmer who committed burglaries, arson and murder - who became the basis for the Robin Hood legend.
Mr Baldwin's book claims that a stone coffin in Loxley, Warwickshire, belongs to Roger Godberd, who he has unmasked as the real Robin Hood
Godberd's name has previously been put forward as the outlaw's true identity, and Baldwin now says that all the evidence points to this being accurate.
His list of crimes would certainly make him fit the idealised description of the legend.
Godberd was a real-life outlaw who robbed the rich and was even captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham and held in Nottingham Castle for his crimes.
He led a band of merry men who ambushed wealthy travellers across Sherwood Forest and was even helped by a friendly knight who helped him evade the law.
Historians have spent years trying to identify Robin Hood - even using medieval court papers - but Mr Baldwin has claimed to have finally solved the mystery after decades of research.
He has written a book setting out the evidence in favour of his claim that Godberd was Robin Hood.
According to his research, Godberd lived from the early 1230s to the 1290s and was accused of an array of crimes across the country.
He led a gang of outlaws, believed to be responsible for assaults on travellers and churchmen, as well as burglaries, arson and even murder.
Unmasked: After decades of film and TV incarnations, including Kevin Costner as Robin Hood in 1991, an historian has claimed to have finally unmasked the man behind the legend
Medieval court documents show that his band of men ranged across Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire terrorising the wealthy and that he was eventually imprisoned for his crimes.
He was even accused of poaching deer in Sherwood Forest along with his companion Walter Devyas - believed to be the Little John of popular legend.
Mr Baldwin, a 64-year-old retired university lecturer and author from Leicester, said: 'The story of Robin Hood is a mystery which has captured people's imaginations.
'Some of the individuals who have been identified as Robin in the past have something to be said for them but none are entirely convincing.
'Robin Hood is a composite character in that stories told of other outlaws have been borrowed over the years and added to his legend.
'There are probably several outlaws whose deeds have contributed to the modern-day stories of Robin Hood.
Jonas Armstrong plays Robin Hood in the 2006 BBC TV series, accompanied by Joanne Froggatt as Kate and David Harewood as Tuck
Russell Crowe's 2010 portrayal of the folk legend is the most recent attempt to recreate Robin Hood's life
'But I believe there is one man whose career underpins the stories. His name is Roger Godberd and he was an outlaw who was active in the late 1260s.
'Quite a number of his activities seem to be replicated in the stories found in the earliest Robin Hood ballads.
'He poached deer in Sherwood Forest, was captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham, was imprisoned in Nottingham Castle and had the assistance of a friendly knight who helped him stay one step ahead of the law.
'He certainly robbed churchmen, just as the legendary Robin Hood did.
'The similarities in the surviving stories about them suggest that one character could be based on the other.
'It has been claimed that the legendary Robin Hood figure lived as early as the reign of Richard the Lionheart and as late as that of Edward II - a period of up to 140 years.
The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men from 1952, starring Richard Todd in the lead role, is one of the earliest screen portrayals of the legendary outlaw
'But Walter Bower, one of the earliest writers to mention Robin Hood, says that he was forced into outlawry after being involved in Simon De Montfort's rebellion in the 1260s.
'Roger Godberd was one of Simon de Montfort's supporters which ties in with this very well.
Robin Hoods Gang
'His name has been mentioned in some of earlier books about Robin, but the evidence has never been fully examined before.'
After evading the authorities for years, Godberd was eventually captured in the early 1270s and jailed.
But he was pardoned at his trial at the Tower of London and returned to his farm where he lived until his death.
The spirit of Robin Hood lives on in Nottingham thanks to this statue
The legend of Robin Hood has captured the imagination of film producers, TV writers and authors for decades.
Roger Godberd Robin Hood
The earliest ballads written about the folk figure date back to 1450, while film studios have recreated the legend countless times since the first Robin Hood film feature in 1922.
In recent years, Kevin Costner's 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Several TV shows and even a Disney animated version appeared later, before 2010's most recent reincarnation starring Russell Crowe in the lead role.
Mr Baldwin said: 'I believe Godberd's career inspired some of the early ballads, and I hope the book will encourage people to re-examine what they believe they know about Robin Hood.'