Robin Hood and the Beggar (I) [Child 133]

DESCRIPTION: Robin meets a beggar who asks charity. They fight. The beggar wins. Robin gives him his horse and clothes, goes on to Nottingham in the beggar's attire. There he finds three of his band are to be hanged. He blows his horn to summon his men who rescue them
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: Before 1662 (Bodleian, Wood 401(23)); 1663 (garland)
KEYWORDS: Robinhood begging execution rescue disguise
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Child 133, "Robin Hood and the Beggar I" (1 text)
Bronson 133, comments only
Ritson-RobinHood, pp. 191-195, "Robin Hood and the Beggar" (1 text)
Leach-TheBalladBook, pp. 385-388, "Robin Hood and the Beggar, I" (1 text)
Hales/Furnival-BishopPercysFolioManuscript, volume I, pp. 13-18, "Robin Hood, A Beggar, & the Three Squires" (1 text, of Child 140, with a text of "Robin Hood and the Beggar"=Robin Hood and the Beggar (I) [Child 133] in the notes)
ADDITIONAL: Stephen Knight, editor (with a manuscript description by Hilton Kelliher), _Robin Hood: The Forresters Manuscript_ (British Library Additional MS 71158), D. S. Brewer, 1998, pp. 82-85, "Robin Hood and the Beggar" (1 text,very likely a composite from the broadsides)
MANUSCRIPT: {MSForresters}, London, British Library MS. Additional 71158, the "Foresters Manuscript," item 13
Roud #3391
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Wood 401(23), "Robin Hood and the Beggar," F. Grove (London), 1623-1661;
NOTES [156 words]: For background on the Robin Hood legend, see the notes on "A Gest of Robyn Hode" [Child 117].
Fully half the Robin Hood ballads in the Child collection (numbers (121 -- the earliest and most basic example of the type), 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132, (133), (134), (135), (136), (137), (150)) share all or part of the theme of a stranger meeting and defeating Robin, and being invited to join his band. Most of these are late, but it makes one wonder if Robin ever won a battle.
Rollins, p. 199, #2312, believes that the "Robin Hood and the beggar" registered March 12, 1656 by Francis Grove is this. The Grove entry appears to be the same as STC p. 474, #20590, "Robin Hood and the butcher," which is the Bodleian broadside by Grove cited above. This is attributed to "T. R."; the STC does not suggest who this might be, but the Bodleian web site conjectures T. Robins. The STC does not list anything by a "T. Robins." - RBW
Bibliography

Rollins: Hyder E. Rollins, An Analytical Index to the Ballad-Entries (1557-1709) In the Register of the Company of Stationers of London, 1924 (I use the 1967 Tradition Press reprint with a new Foreword by Leslie Shepard)
STC: A. W. Pollard, G. R. Redgrave, et al, A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland & Ireland And of English Books Printed Abroad 1475-1640, The Bibliographical Society [of London], 1963

Last updated in version 5.3
File: C133

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography