Robert Fitzooth (or Fitztooth),
Earl of Huntingdon
Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The medieval title (1065 creation) was associated with the ruling house of Scotland ( David of Scotland).
The seventh and most recent creation dates t ...
(alleged dates: 1160–1247), is a fictitious identity for
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
. The name was first published in
William Stukeley's ''Paleographica Britannica'' in 1746. By then the association of Robin with the earldom of
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
had become conventional, thanks to
Anthony Munday's 1598 play ''The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntingdon''; it was also generally believed that he had flourished in the reign of
Richard I of England
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
.
In actual history,
David of Scotland was Earl of Huntingdon throughout Richard's reign, succeeded by his son
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
. David did have a son named Robert but he is believed to have died in infancy. Therefore the Earl could not have been "Robin Hood". Stukeley's genealogical "researches" then turned up a descendant of Earl
Waltheof, and therefore a rival claimant to the earldom, related to the lords of
Kyme, whom he named as Robert Fitzooth, born in 1160 and dying in 1247: and he claimed that "Ooth" or Odo had become corrupted into "Hood".
This has been a popular identification for later writers of fiction, beginning at
Pierce Egan the Younger
Pierce Egan the Younger (1814 – 6 July 1880) was an English journalist and novelist. The son of Pierce Egan, the author of '' Life in London'', he associated with his father in several of his works.
Early life
He was born in London, and his mo ...
's 1840 novel ''Robin Hood and Little John''. In Egan's story there were, genealogically, two Roberts, Earls of Huntingdon between Waltheof and Robin Hood (to explain the historical time gap); had Robin Hood actually taken possession of the title, he would have been Robert III. The "disowning" according to the storyline came about because of a younger son of Waltheof and brother of Robert I, Philip Fitzooth, scheming to take over the title, disowned his baby grandnephew under the excuse that Robert II's marriage had not been recognized, thus baby Robin (named in the storyline after one of
Gilbert Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
's brothers when Gilbert adopted him) was raised as the son of Gilbert and his wife.
In
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's
The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men
''The Story of Robin Hood'' is a 1952 action-adventure film produced by RKO- Walt Disney British Productions, based on the Robin Hood legend, made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin and ...
(1952),
Roger Lancelyn Green
Roger Gilbert Lancelyn Green (2 November 1918 – 8 October 1987) was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkie ...
's 1956 novel, and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, the Earl of Huntingdon fell out with King John and was forced to flee north, taking refuge in Sherwood Forest where he spent the rest of his days. In the 1980s
'', this Robert, made older than he would historically have been, is David's eldest son and survives to adulthood but is disinherited when outlawed.
The name "Fitzooth" was not applied to Robin Hood by anybody before Stukeley, nor is it otherwise known. It is now generally believed that Stukeley forged the Fitzooth family tree and that this Robert never existed. Medieval references to Robin Hood made him a yeoman, not a nobleman, although when the idea of a "disowned noble" Robin first arose in the sixteenth century there was consensus that Huntingdon was his earldom.