'Negative' attitude to Robin Hood (UK)

A Scottish expert has uncovered a medieval document suggesting negative attitudes towards Robin Hood. The story of how Robin and his men stole from the rich to give to the poor has long been part of English folklore. However, Julian Luxford of St Andrews University found a dissenting voice in a Latin inscription from about 1460 in a manuscript owned by Eton College.

The previously unknown chronicle entry says Robin"infested" parts of England with" continuous robberies". Dr Luxford, an expert in medieval manuscript studies, said:"Rather than depicting the traditionally well-liked hero, the article suggests that Robin Hood and his merry men may not actually have been 'loved by the good'."The new find contains a uniquely negative assessment of the outlaw, and provides rare evidence for monastic attitudes towards him."