James Bond author Ian Fleming famously wrote in Goldfinger, that once is happenstance, twice is coincidence and thrice is enemy action. When Historian Robert Chasterlaine looked at the cluster of three key Robin Hood related events in the same Yorkshire West Riding district, he knew that he was onto something. The first event was the Yorkshire hamlet of Loxley in Plompton, Loxley being the reputed birthplace of Robin Hood in the ballads. The next event was the neighbouring village of Plompton, the site of Plompton Park, mentioned in numerous Robin Hood ballads. The clincher was the neighbouring village of Goldborough, the home of William of Goldborough named on the Grave of Robin Hood at Kirklees. In all the various suggested locations of Robin Hood's birthplace and activities in Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Forest), Sheffield, Derbyshire or elsewhere did such a cluster of named locations and individuals come together. When he then discovered that William of Goldsborough was the brother in law of a Yorkshire Yeoman forester named Robert whose land had been seized by a baron loyal to King John was then outlawed and accused of robbery, he knew was deep in the heart of the Robin Hood secret.
The real story of the Real man who was Robin Hood is a tale about a highly moral man who donated to the church and who venerated the French Saint Mary Magdalene. He was linked to a Christian hermit St Robert of Knaresborough who influenced the most evil of English Kings, King John to donate charity to the poor setting up a tradition that continues today by King Charles III in the form of Maundy Money. Robin's activities spanned many forests - in Yorkshire - the Forests of Knaresborough and Barnsdale andd Nottinghamshire - the Forest of Sherwood and in Derbyshire - the Peak Forest and in Lancashire - the Forests of Trawden and Rossendale. While in Cumberland - the Forest of Inglewood. Robin Hood's main target was the travel North-South route from York to London and Lincoln througn Barnsdale and he would flee to hideouts like Robin Hood's Cave at Stanage Edge on the border of Yorkshire to escape the law.
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