Local Legends, Places and Walks Within 2.5 Miles of Kings Clipstone

Robin of Sherwood "Lythe and listin, gentilmen, That be of frebore blode; I shall you tel of a gode yeman, His name was Robyn Hode." -A Gest of Robyn Hode Local legends, places and walks within 2.5 miles of Kings Clipstone Includes maps of the local path network and Sherwood Pines Forest Park The Robin Hood legends may be just story telling, but they are still important historically because they were the popular culture of the late mediaeval period. In 1377 the first written reference was made to rhymes about Robin that already existed. Outlaws were just that, outside the law and its protection; they could be hunted by anyone. According to different versions Robin had been a yeoman, a knight and an earl before becoming an outlaw. Walter Bower, a chronicler in the early 1400’s, calls Robin a “cut-throat”. By the 1460’s Robin and his band are said to have “infested Sherwood and other law-abiding areas of England with continuous robberies.” In the early tales Robin's main targets were not the ruling classes, but figures of medieval corruption, like bishops, abbots and the sheriff. It was the mediaeval ‘May Games’ that turned Robin into a mythological figure. At the May Games, Robin was often portrayed as the King of the May or Summer King, leading the procession. King ‘Robin’ and his followers from the town or church would go to another community and collect money. Perhaps the church gave the money collected to the poor, giving rise to the tales of that Robin and his merry men robbing ‘from the rich to give to the poor’. Clipstone Old Quarter an area of Forest near St Edwin’s Chapel, contains a wealth of old oaks that would have been alive during the time of Robin Hood. In mediaeval times the Sherwood (old English Shirwood – the wood of the shire) was 20 mile long and 8 miles wide. The land was poor and sandy so it was sparsely populated with most of the villages on its boundary making it an ideal place for outlaws. One of only two villages completely within the forest, Kings Clipstone and its Royal Palace and Hunting Park were at the heart of the Forest. The map above shows the modern forest, but in Robin’s day it would have been a mixture of woods, wet and dry heathland and scrubby trees (shrogges). King John’s Palace To make it an important provincial royal palace, Henry II added the Great Hall in 1180. He also enclosed the Royal Hunting Park with a 7 mile long pale(fence). Local legend is that this may have given rise to some of the tales of Robin Hood. It was already a difficult place to make a living because of the poor sandy soil and the fierce forest laws controlling hunting, gathering timber and firewood, grazing animals and even gathering bracken. Villagers must have found the loss of so much forest pasture a savage blow. Some may decided to break the law. Discovered, they may have fled and become outlaws. Even a Vicar of Edwinstowe and a Bishop of Lincoln were caught poaching. Compare the ink sketch by Hieronymus Grimm of 1773 with the ruins before the recent stabilisation work. Legend has it that Robin Hood and his men released peasants imprisoned in the Palace undercroft by King John. Robin tricked the King by letting it be known that he was hiding in the caves at Creswell Crags. Once the King led his men off to capture the outlaw, Robin and his men raided the palace and released the peasants. Another Palace tale has Robin either proposing to Maid Marion through, or rescuing her from, an upstairs window of the palace. One of the earliest pieces of land to be enclosed in the village, close to the ruins, was called Robin Hood’s Close to celebrate the connection. The 1766 map of Kings Clipstone showing Robin Hoods Close, now the western part of Castle field (the Palace site). Sherwood Pines Forest Park – Robin Hood’s Whetstone Whetstones were used for sharpening blades and arrow tips. Robin Hood’s Whetstone was recorded on the 1630 estate map of the parish as a boundary marker or ‘meer stone’. The stone can be found next to the old Mansfield to Tuxford (Great North Road) coach road shown below. Right The old 18 th century Mansfield to Tuxford coach road where it crosses Whetstone ridge. Below Pittance Dale - it is easy to imagine Richard the Lionheart meeting Robin and his men here as he rode from Nottingham to the Palace in Kings Clipstone. Archway House – the Duke of Portland’s Lodge Straddling the Green Ride through the forest, the lodge was sited so that the Centre Tree, a mile and half away, could be seen through the arch. The design is based externally on Worksop Priory Gatehouse. The gatehouse is an important building because it still has the original mediaeval sculptures adorning the outside, very rare survivors of the Reformation. The Lodge’s niches contain statues of the forest’s folklore heroes. On the south side(front) there are figures of Robin Hood, Little John and Maid Marion. On the north King Richard, an old friar, and Allen-a- Dale appear. On the ground floor were two homes for Estate workers, one either side of the arch. The upper storey started life as a banqueting room but was quickly converted to a schoolroom, the first school for children on this part of the estate. St Mary’s Church St Mary’s church, Edwinstowe Each year hundreds of visitors flock to Edwinstowe parish church, drawn by the legend that Robin Hood and Maid Marion married at the church door. There is a sculpture of the pair outside the library. The church, built by Henry II, slightly predates the Great Hall of King John’s Palace but a lot of rebuilding was carried out in the 19 th Century. Inside the church there is a decorative screen commemorating Forest folk-law. The Major Oak - Robin's secret hiding place? 'The Major Oak' or Major’s Oak was called the Queen Oak during the 19 th century. The tree was named after Major Hayman Rooke, an important 18 th century historian and early archaeologist, who surveyed many Roman & mediaeval sites. He also surveyed and recorded all the ancient oaks of Sherwood and often walked to the tree from his Mansfield Woodhouse home. According to tales Robin and his men met under the tree to make their plans. It was also claimed that the hole in its enormous split trunk provided a secret hiding place for Robin Hood and his merry men. The truth is that the tree would only have been a sapling in Robin’s day. Route RH1 about 7miles 1. Starting at the Dog & Duck (Kings Clipstone) follow the National Cycle Route south until you reach Vicar Water Country Park. Until the new village was built this area was called Flixter Breck (Flixter Halz in the 14 th century). It is said that Robin Hood and his men used to practice on the Lawndes around Ann Bower’s Hill, which is now under the former pit tip. Lawndes comes from the Celtic and Old French for a grassy place in heathland 2. When you reach Vicar Pond (Vicar Water is the stream) follow the path along the left hand side of the pond. Then keep the old pit tip (the large hill) on your right. There are excellent views across Sherwood from the top of the hill. Ignore the path across the first old railway bridge. 3. Where the path leaves the park and meets the trail high from Mansfield turn left across Clipstone Heath, The Heath hill and the Golf Course on your right are heathland SSSIs. x 4. Cross the old railway bridge – this track is part of the old Mansfield to the Tuxford coach road. Go under the next bridge into Sherwood Pines Forest Park. Continue on this track until it forks, bear right up the hill. You are on the ‘Long Stoop’ part of the coach road. At the next cross roads carry straight on. 5. The track continues to rise all the way to the Whetstone hence the name. At the present time Robin Hood’s Whetstone is just beyond a stretch of open heath scrub on the right hand side amongst the trees at the next junction. The water pipe sign is easier to find. The stone is about 3 or 4metres off both heath roadways . 6. The old coach road slopes gently down crossing tracks, then becomes much rougher as it crosses another track. As the downhill slope increases and curves to the left you should have the Rufford Parish bank and ditch on your right. At the bottom of the hill you come to High Park Dale. Turn right and follow the track into Pittance Dale. Imagine Richard the Lionheart meeting Robin here . 7. Go left down Pittance Dale (cycle route) until you come to the Center Parcs corner. Turn left up the old Kings Clipstone to Bilsthorpe coach road. Follow the track all the way to the Sherwood Pines entrance on the B6030. 8. Walkers should use the wide verge – at the Kings Clipstone sign take the path to the left that drops away from the road towards the hedge. This avoids the section of road with high banks and no footway. Route RH2 --- about 8 miles 1. At the Dog & Duck, cross Main Road and follow Archway Road north until you come to Archway House (statues of Robin Hood & his band).

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