Leeds Trinity University
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Media Release
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2015
Leeds Trinity University student makes groundbreaking Robin Hood text discovery that willchallenge world view of folklore hero
A PhD student from Leeds Trinity University has discovered a forgotten 18th century Robin Hood text which appears to show that the fearless outlaw may not have been as popular with people in the past as stories today would lead us to believe.
The forgotten text reads almost as though it were a sequel to the legend. The year is 1202 and Robin has been pardoned by King John. He has also become one of King John’s Ministers of State. He is not, however, the noble and generous man we know him as today. Instead, he has become one of the most corrupt and embezzling of all government ministers and the ballad recounts the Duke of Lancaster’s efforts to expose Robin Hood’s corruption to King John.
The text was discovered by Stephen Basdeo,a Leeds Trinity University PhD student from Leeds. Stephen is working on a thesis provisionally titledRobin Hood: Representations of the Outlaw during the 18th and 19th Centuries and came across a reference to the text while reading a book called Political Ballads Illustrating the Administration of Sir Robert Walpoleby Milton Percival. Percival made a referencein his footnotes toa Robin Hood ballad called Little John’s Answer to Robin Hood and the Duke of Lancaster.Little John’s Answer was understood, by 20th century antiquaries, to be a plagiarism of the Robin Hood and the Duke of Lancaster, therefore nobody has looked for it or analysed it before.
Stephen commented: “As soon as I read the footnote, I tracked down the text and found it at the Special Collections of the Brotherton Library in Leeds.The discovery is significant because, combined with my other research into 18thcentury Robin Hood texts, it nuances our understanding of how the legend developed over time, and illustrates that the famous outlaw was not as popular with people in past ages as he is today.”
Following his discovery, Stephen has been asked to produce an edited version of the text for a new peer-reviewed journal which the International Association for Robin Hood Studies (IARHS) is launching next spring, entitled The Bulletin of the International Association for Robin Hood Studies.
Leeds Trinity University is becoming increasingly renowned for research excellence, particularly in the Arts and Humanities, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Psychology, Education and Social Policy. A selection of the University’s research outputs were recently rated as 4*, world-leading, in the Research Excellence Framework which assesses all the research published by UK institutions.Leeds TrinityUniversity is also expanding its postgraduate research provision and, like in Stephen’s case, offers a number of fully-funded PhD Studentships each year. This significant investment across the Universityoffers graduates the opportunity to undertake research study at Leeds Trinity University. The offer includes a fee-waiver and a tax free annual stipend for three years, equivalent to the standard Research Council rate.
Stephen adds: “The one-to-one support I’ve received from my supervisors at Leeds Trinity University, Professor Paul Hardwick and Dr Rosemary Mitchell, has been excellent. It was my supervisors who encouraged me to look into 18th-century texts, given that this is an under-researched area in Robin Hood Studies.I then made this discovery,which in turn may change the mind-set of many Robin Hood scholars and academics around the world. If it wasn’t for my supervisors’ encouragement, I’d never have found this text.”
ENDS
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About Leeds Trinity University
In fewer than 50 years, Leeds Trinity University has transformed itself from two small Catholic teacher training colleges to an acclaimed university with an excellent track record for launching the careers of its students.
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One of the first universities to include compulsory professional work placements with every degree, Leeds Trinity now work closely with over 2000 businesses across all sectors, regionally and nationally, who offer students placements that are relevant to their degrees. These partnerships also ensure that the University embeds into its curricula the skills required for students to secure graduate-level jobs in their field. The results speak for themselves, with 95% of our graduates employed or in further study within six months of graduating.
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Whilst maintaining a reputation for excellence in the training of teachers, the University has diversified to offer Foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a range of subjects including Business, Education, Humanities, Media, Psychology and Sport. In particular, the University has a long-established reputation for being one of the leading providers of journalism training in the country.
Research excellence
The University is becoming increasingly renowned for research excellence, particularly in the Arts and Humanities, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Psychology, Education and Social Policy. It is home to the internationally-acclaimed Leeds Centre for Victorian Studies, and has also enhanced its reputation in pedagogic research by creating an Institute for Childhood and Education. By pooling the expertise of its acclaimed departments of Primary Education, Secondary Education and Children, Young People and Families, the Institute will collaborate with sector agencies operating in Children’s Services and Education to develop innovative, research-based approaches to practice in this challenging area. Leeds Trinity is also expanding its postgraduate research provision and offers a number of fully-funded PhD Studentships each year.
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