Simon Mattacks
speaker
2,981 appearances
17 recordings
3 series
first heard Dec 2024
last heard 13 Sep
Simon Mattacks’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 14 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 3.
Appearances
It's no wonder that Robin Hood stories fit right in.
There's no existing Robin Hood broadside ballad that dates earlier than the 17th century, but these printed pieces seem to have really overtaken the oral tradition during the 1600s.
By the time the 18th century dawned, printed Robin Hood stories were the main vehicle for the legend.
and consider how his popularity in the broadside ballads shaped his character.
The popular audience wasn't interested in a lofty, highborn Robin.
Rather, they liked reading about a rowdy commoner who wasn't always very mature.
As a result, Robin's character went through a period of flirting with comedy
He was, for lack of a better description, a Robin Hood of entertainment and cheap thrills.
The popularity of the broadside ballads continued to shape this character through the 18th century.
In the latter half of the 18th century, Thomas Percy published the aforementioned Percy Folio,
And an antiquary named Joseph Ritson published a landmark collection of Robin Hood literature called Robin Hood, a collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads now extant relative to that celebrated outlaw.
Although the title could use some work by today's standards, the Ritson publication brought the more ancient version of Robin Hood to a new audience as the 19th century dawned.
In doing so, he opened the door for fresh interpretations and visions for Robin Hood and his cast of characters.
Ritson also delved into some dubious sources and claimed to have identified the real Robin Hood as a man named Robert Fitztooth, who had come from a place called Loxley and who was born around 1160, during the reign of Richard I. He also stated that this Robin had some claim to the title of Earl of Huntington,
Historian Matt Philpott also credited Ritson with positioning Robin Hood as a righteous defender of the poor.
In an article about the emergence of modern rogues, he said, Ritson's interest in Robin Hood stemmed from his political opinions and fitted into the context of his times.
He then further explained that Ritson had returned from a trip to Paris with an admiring view of the government of post-revolutionary France.
His view of Robin Hood was a sign of that admiration.
In 1819, Ritson's friend Walter Scott published the classic medieval romance Ivanhoe,
This celebrated novel has been credited with helping inspire a 19th century fascination with chivalric romance and medievalism.
Showing 1681–1700 of 2,981 · page 85 of 150
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