Sherwood Forest Today

Sherwood Forest from the air

Sherwood Forest will forever be associated with the legend of Robin Hood. Every year it attracts over a million visitors. It's Robin Hood Festival attracts over 50,000 visitors from all over the world. It is certainly worth a visit even though today there is just a small area left of this once vast ancient forest. Today it is a National Nature Reserve and covers 1,045 acres around the village of Edwinstowe.

It had been a forest since the end of the Ice Age and during the medieval period the Royal Forest of Sherwood covered a quarter of the land mass of Nottinghamshire. It was set aside for the king's use. The ancient forest nearest to Nottingham was known as Thorneywood, around Mansfield Woodhouse it was known as Wolf Hunt Land and High Forest further north.


A path through Sherwood

I have visited Sherwood many times and there are now over 30 pages on this blog about its fascinating history. Once the visitor is among the ancients oaks and leafy glades it is hard not to believe in Robin Hood and his Merrie Men.


Sunrise in the ancient forest

Included on this blog are many of my own photographs taken during my visits. Together with Albie, a local historian, I have also studied it's ancient track-ways, legends and of course its association with Robin Hood. 


An ancient glade


"Sherwood in the twilight, is Robin Hood awake?
Grey and ghostly shadows are gliding through the brake,
Shadows of the dappled deer, dreaming of the morn,
Dreaming of a shadowy man that winds a shadowy horn."
Alfred Noyes (1880-1959)




The poem by Alfred Noyes is one of my favorites. But one of the most interesting ancient ‘rhymes’ on Robin Hood is the fragment discovered in Lincoln Cathedral Library in the 1940’s by George E Morris.

The fragment was found among a miscellany of grammatical texts, dating from the thirteenth and fourteen centuries. It appears that a student from the early fifteenth century hastily wrote or scribbled two rhymed couplets from a Robin Hood poem as an exercise in translating English into Latin:

Robyn hod in scherewod stod
Hodud and hathud hosut and schold
Ffour and thuynti arowes he bar in hit hondus.

Robin Hood in Sherwood stood
Hooded and hatted, hosed and shod
Four and twenty arrows
He bore in his hands.


Robyn hod in scherewod stod



Ancient trees in Sherwood Forest


Robin Hood and Maid Marian in Edwinstowe

Henry II (1133-1189) codified the laws of the forest, making them applicable to clergyman also, with his Asszie of the Forest, which was passed at Woodstock in 1184. It was lenient in the treatment of the first two offences, but the third offence could only be resolved on the body of the misdoer.

Given that Henry II was one of the 'expanders' of the Forest, the story associated with his visit to Sutton is especially ironic. King Henry is said to have lost his way when passing through Sherwood and sought shelter for the night at Sutton Mill. The miller identified as the Miller of Mansfield, provided him with an excellent meal of  a succulent venison pasty which was made from venison poached from the king's own forest!

The Major Oak


One of the main attractions of the forest is the Major Oak, which legend says was Robin Hood's hideout. It was voted Britain's favourite tree in 2002.

In 1790, Major Rooke published his book about "Remarkable Oaks in the Park at Welbeck", where he describes nine oak trees and in 1799 his ‘Sketch of the Ancient and present State of Sherwood Forest’ was published. It was during his research that he identified the brand mark of King John, eighteen inches beneath the bark of one of the Sherwood oaks during some tree felling in Birklands. About a foot from the centre of the tree the letter ‘I’ with a crown was discovered.

It was his love and enthusiasm for Sherwood that in time his army rank was conferred on the formerly known Cockpen Tree and became known as the “Major’s Oak” or as we know it today, the Major Oak.

During the 1800’s it was also known as the Queen or Queen's Oak, although there is no known connection with any royal figure, the name probably arose to describe its large size and its status as ‘lady of the forest’, because it was such a majestic tree. Gradually down the years it also became called The ‘Cockpen Tree’ because its hollow trunk (caused by fungi) was used for breeding game cocks and storing them prior to a cockfight.

Finally, after the publication of Major Hayman Rooke’s book on ‘The Remarkable Oaks’ and particularly his picture (image number 9) and description of the ‘Queen’s Oak’ the famous tree affectionately became known by locals as ‘The Major’s Oak.’


The Major Oak

There is a possibility that the ‘Major Oak’ is more than one tree! This could be due to the consequence of two or even three trees growing close to one another. Another theory put forward, to try and explain its massive size, is that the tree has been ‘pollarded’. This was a system of tree management that enabled the foresters to grow more than one crop of timber from a single tree. This was repeated over decades, causing the trunk to grow large and fat, the tops of which became swollen after several centuries of this cropping. ‘Pollarding’ allowed trees to grow longer than unmanaged trees. Could the ‘The Major Oak’ have been spared from the final forester's axe because of its hollow rotted trunk?

The exact age of this giant tree can only be estimated, and is open to wild speculation. It could be anywhere between 800 – 1000 years old. Its large canopy, the leaves and branches, with a spread of 92 ft seems to indicate that it has grown up with little or no competition from oaks nearby. Its height is 52 feet (19 meters) and the main trunk has a girth of 10 meters (33 feet), it weighs approximately 23 tons. The Major Oak still produces good crops of acorns every three or four years, sometimes over 150,000!

This tree had always been well known by local people, but during Victorian times, the Major Oak became a popular visiting place. Tourists started coming to Edwinstowe by train and then by carriage to see the magnificent tree. Today, it attracts over 900,000 people a year, who come from all over the World to see ‘Robin Hood’s tree’; one of the reasons why it has to be fenced off!

Some of the famous visitors who are known to have visited the legendary giant oak include the botanist David Bellamy, Cilla Black, Bernard Miles, Jack Palance and Maureen Lipman. The list also has a merry bunch of ‘Robin Hoods’, such as Richard Todd, Michael Praed and Jason Connery.



To read more about the fascinating history of Sherwood Forest please click here.

The Sheriff in the Outlaws' Camp

The Sheriff (Peter Finch) at the head of the table of outlaws

This very rare image taken from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) was sent to me by Christian.
In this scene the Sheriff of Nottingham (Peter Finch) has been captured by Robin Hood and his men and brought to the outlaws' camp in Sherwood Forest.

The outlaw camp was part of the magnificent sent designed by Carmen Dillon on one of the huge sound stages at Denham Studios in Buckinghamshire. The picture above shows her legendary attention to detail and is an example of why Walt Disney chose her to be the art director (a rare position for a woman in those days) on The Story of Robin Hood. Information about her life and work can be read here.

Below is a list of some of the actors that played Robin Hood's Merrie Men:

John Brooking: - Merrie Man

Ivan Craig: - Merrie Man

John French: - Merrie Man

Richard Graydon :- Merrie Man

Geoffrey Lumsden: - Merrie Man

John Martin: - Merrie Man

Larry Mooney: - Merrie Man

Nigel Neilson: - Merrie Man

Charles Perry: - Merrie Man

Ewen Solon: - Merrie Man

John Stamp: - Merrie Man

Jack Taylor: - Merrie Man

If you know of any other actors that appeared in the movie as Merrie Men or have any anecdotal stories about their experiences on set please get in touch.

Disney's Robin Hood Comic Strip 5.


Here is the fifth instalment of the Robin Hood comic strip that appeared in the Belgian Mickey Magazine. It was based on Walt Disney's live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) and the images were kindly sent in by Matt Crandall.

 
 
 

 

To see previous pages of this comic strip please click here.

Joan Rice Marries David Green


This site is dedicated to the memory of film actress Joan Rice (1930-1997) and down the years I have managed to piece together her life story. She was personally picked by Walt Disney to play the part of Maid Marian in his live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

Below is a press image I have recently discovered taken after her wedding at Maidenhead Registry Office on February 16th 1953. Notice the snow on the path, it must have been a cold day!


David Green and Joan Rice

After a whirlwind romance Joan married David Green. David had been a heavyweight champion of Harrow School and later a travelling film salesman for a Hollywood film company. Joan and David had met at a Christmas party in 1952 and were engaged the following month. Their wedding was a month after that!

I have discovered a very rare silent film clip of Joan Rice starting the Appleford Steam Traction Engine Race in Oxfordshire in 1953. It can be seen here.

Included along with the many pictures and memories of Joan Rice are over 73 pages of information about her life. So please click on the relevant links on this page or in the task bar if you wish to know more about her 'Cinderella-like' rise to fame.

Polite Notice: If you wish to use any images please give credit to this site. Thank you.


Story of Robin Hood Montage


Isn't this a fabulous montage of our favourite film!

It was sent in to me this week by Laurence and shows the main characters from Walt Disney's live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).This colourful depiction of a forest scene has already become very popular on our Facebook Page.

Four years ago Laurence also created a wonderful picture strip of the whole movie. His skilful adaption was hugely popular with the readers and ran to forty two separate pages. The first page of the strip can be seen below.

Page one of Laurence's picture strip of the movie.

To see the complete picture strip of Disney's Story of Robin Hood please click here. Or click on Picture Strip in the task bar.

The Betrayal of the Sheriff


One of the most exciting scenes in Walt Disney's live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) is Robin's escape from Nottingham Castle after rescuing Maid Marian (Joan Rice). 

Sheriff De Lacy (Peter Finch) has gone back on his word as a knight and prevents Robin Hood (Richard Todd) from re-joining Marian and the outlaws in Sherwood Forest. As Robin reaches the drawbridge the treacherous Sheriff seizes a spear from a castle warden and launches it at the outlaw, wounding his shoulder.




There are many stills from this dramatic moment in the film. But one of the most unusual was the picture (below) that appeared in a 1950's magazine. I wonder where the photographer was during this scene?



If you know of any other unusual images from this movie, please get in touch.

Disney's Robin Hood Comic Strip 4.


This is the fourth edition of the comic strip adaption of Walt Disney's live action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

The comic strip appeared in the Belgian Mickey Magazine during the early 1950's and Matt Crandall has kindly sent me copies of the artwork.




To see previous pages of the comic strip please click here.

Richard Todd and Joan Rice

Richard Todd and Joan Rice

Above is a lovely publicity still of Richard Todd as 'Robin Hood' and Joan Rice as 'Maid Marian' in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men. I discovered this on Ebay recently. The picture seems to have been taken either on set at the outlaws camp or during the romantic Whistle My Love sequence.

After the release of Robin Hood in March 1952, Joan Rice (1930-1997) was at the height of her popularity. In June of that year she spent eight days in Hollywood and then flew on to Fiji for the filming of His Majesty O'Keefe with Burt Lancaster. But sadly her film career soon declined. This site is dedicated to her memory and if you want to read more about her 'Cinderella-like' rise to stardom please click here.

Richard Todd's film and stage success would of course, continue. He made two more live-action films for Disney, Sword and the Rose (1953) and Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953) and his acting career extended into the 1980's. He was named a Disney Legend in 2002.

A little-known fact is that Todd was author Ian Fleming's first choice to play 'James Bond' in Dr No, but due to previous commitments the role eventually went to Sean Connery.

There is now over 49 pages on this blog about Richard Todd (1919-2001) here and a vast collection of images from the movie here.

Clement McCallin (1913-1977)



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Clement McCallin in The Story of Robin Hood


Christian has been extremely busy researching another of the actors that had a short role in Walt Disney's live action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). This time he investigates the life and career of Clement McCallin:

Clement McCallin plays the Earl of Huntingdon in The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). A sadly underrated actor, his appearances could have been more developed in the film. As a matter of fact, he only appears in the first scenes before the departure for the Holy Land. I imagine the script writer Lawrence Watkin could have planned his return, together with his King. We only hear from him by Richard at the end of the movie when he tells Maid Marian that her father has returned and waits to greet her at Huntingdon. Happily, he sets the tone for the movie, being the first actor (with Louise Hampton) to appear in the first shot, as he prepares his horse before the departure. Clement does a very reliable, if too short, performance, both as Richard’s most trusted and noble knight and Marian’s father.
I have not found much about this distinguished-looking actor, except on IMDb, whose extracts appear below. It seems, according to his filmography, that he worked mostly for TV, with very few appearances in theatre and feature films.


Overview

Date of Birth 6 March 1913, London, England UK

Date of Death 7 August 1977, London, England UK

Mini Bio

Clement McCallin was born on March 6, 1913 in London, England.
He was an actor known for Good Friday (1950), The Rossiter Case (1951) and The Wooing of Anne Hathaway (1938).


Spouse 
Phillippa Anne Gurney (? - ?) Brenda Bruce (? - 7 August 1977) (his death). 

Trivia 
Studied at R.A.D.A. Educated at Stowe.


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Clement McCallin in 'Edward My Son' (1949) with Spencer Tracey and Leueen McGrath


Filmography
1976
Sykes (TV Series)
Dr. Parker
- Bath (1976) ... Dr. Parker
1968
Happy Deathday
Prof. Esteban Zoltan
1967
The Revenue Men (TV Series)
Hardcastle
- A Sleeping Partner (1967) ... Hardcastle
1964-1966
Dr. Finlay's Casebook (TV Series)
Dr. Masters / Mr. MacFarlane / Dr. McCulloch / ...
- They Do It in Africa (1966) ... Dr. Masters
- The Vision (1965) ... Mr. MacFarlane
- Off the Hook (1965) ... Dr. McCulloch
- The Doctor Cried (1964) ... Magistrate

1965
ITV Play of the Week (TV Series)
Gen. Saint-Haye
- The Corsican Brothers (1965) ... Gen. Saint-Haye

1965
Front Page Story (TV Series)
Colonel Coteston
- Background Only: Not for Publication (1965) ... Colonel Coteston

1963-1964
The Plane Makers (TV Series)
Marlow / Mr. Bentley
- A Lesson for Corbett (1964) ... Marlow
- One of Those Days (1963) ... Mr. Bentley

1963
Kidnapped (TV Mini-Series)
- The Bass Rock (1963)
1963
Suspense (TV Series)
The Rev.
- The Men from the Bush (1963) ... The Rev.

1963
Ghost Squad (TV Series)
Police Inspector
- The Menacing Mazurka (1963) ... Police Inspector
1962-1963
The Old Curiosity Shop (TV Mini-Series)
Mr. Marton
- Episode #1.13 (1963) ... Mr. Marton
- Episode #1.12 (1963) ... Mr. Marton
- Episode #1.11 (1963) ... Mr. Marton
- Episode #1.4 (1962) ... Mr. Marton

1962
BBC Sunday-Night Play (TV Series)
John Cumnor
- The Aspern Papers (1962) ... John Cumnor

1954
Beau Brummel
Footman (uncredited)

1953
Rough Shot
1953
Folly to Be Wise
Colonel (uncredited)

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Clement McCallin (second from left) as the Earl of Huntingdon in The Story of Robin Hood


1952
The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men
Earl of Huntingdon


1951
Cry, the Beloved Country
First reporter

1951
The Lady with a Lamp
Richard M. Milnes

1951
The Boy with a Cart (TV Movie)
Narrator (voice)

1950-1951
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (TV Series)
Henry V / Cassius / The Captain / ...
- Henry V (I) (1951) ... Henry V
- Julius Caesar (1951) ... Cassius
- The Secret Sharer (1950) ... The Captain
- Men of Darkness (1950) ... Jean Cordeau
1951
The Rossiter Case
Peter Rossiter

1951
Meurtre dans la cathédrale
2nd Priest - prior
1950
The Tragedy of King Richard II (TV Movie)
Bolingbroke
1950
Good Friday (TV Movie)
Pontius Pilate

1949
The Queen of Spades
Officer in the gaming room

1949
Edward, My Son
Sergeant Kenyon

1939
The Swiss Family Robinson (TV Movie)
Fritz, their eldest son

1939
Stolen Life
Karal Anderson

1939
England's Shakespeare (Documentary short)
Henry V

1938
The Wooing of Anne Hathaway (TV Movie)
Will Shakespeare

1938
Laugh with Me (TV Movie)  
Martin Kerry


Special thanks to Christian for the images and all this information on Clement McCallin. I agree with Christian, it is a pity that Clement didn't appear at the end of the movie as the Earl of Huntingdon and accompany his king into Sherwood Forest. It did seem rather odd that the monarch traveled alone. What do you think?

To read more about the lives of the actors and actresses in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood please click here.