Uttoxeter Online Magazine

The stories relating the exploits of Robin Hood and the village of Doveridge may well owe more to romantic fancy than to historical fact. The legend however remains, fired by local names such as Robin Hoods Butts in Uttoxeter and the hamlet of Loxley where Robin is reputed to have been born, and Needwood Forest which may well have been the scene of many of his exploits. Certainly Needwood was a popular source of hunting for the Kings of England and as such presented rich pickings for outlaws.

 The Doveridge connection hinges on the story of Robin's marriage to Clorinda beneath the great yew in the churchyard. In reality if we are to believe what little information exists it would appear that the marriage was conducted at Tutbury by "Roger" vicar of Doveridge.

Francis Redfern in his ‘History of Uttoxeter' refers to an old chronicle dated 1621 although he omits the source of the documents. A more likely source is given by the Rev N Edwards in his history of Medieval Tutbury. The Rev Edwards relates that the earliest references to Robin Hood appear in "The Vision of Piers Plowman" written about the middle of the 14th century.

Even then the facts may have lost some of their authenticity, the events taking place some 150 years earlier.

The reference to Doveridge occurs in a ballad sung by the Tutbury Minstrels, the words supposedly passed down from the fiddler who played at Robin's wedding.

The ballad "The Pedigree, Education and marriage of Robin Hood with Clorinda Queen of the Tutbury Feast", tells of Clorinda's meeting with Robin, of how she killed a buck and of how Robin asked her to be his wife. The marriage took place after the Tutbury feast.

On the way to Tutbury they defeated eight Yeomen who demanded surrender the buck.

The ballad continues,

"This battle was fought near Tutbury town
when the bagpipes baited the bull.
I am King of the fiddlers and swear ‘tis the truth,
and call him, that doubts it a gull.

For I saw them a fighting and fiddled the while,
and Clorinda sang ‘Hey, derry down'.
The bumpkins are beaten, put up thy sword Bob,
and now lets dance into town.

Before we came in we heard a strange shouting,
and all that were in looked madly,
and some were a black bull, some dancing a morrice,
and some singing Arther a Bradley.

And there we saw Thomas our justice's clerk,
and Mary, to whom he was kind,
and Tom rode before her and calle'd Mary madam,
and kissed her full sweetly behind.

And so may your worship - But we went to dinner
with Thomas and Mary and Nan.

They all drank a health to Clorinda and told her Bold Robin was a fine man.
When dinner was ended, Sir Roger, the parson of Dubbridge, was sent for in haste.
He brought his mass book and bid them take hands, and he joined them in marriage full fast.
And then as Bold Robin and his sweet bride, went hand in hand to the sweet bower,
The birds sung with pleasure in merry Sherwood, and it was a most joyful hour.

( Extract from a book published locally by Alan Gibson - a revised, larger and more detailed version of which is due out in 2010.)

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