Who Poached the King’s Deer? A Study in Thirteenth Century Crime
By Jean Birrell
Midland History, Vol.7 (1982)
Introduction: Robin Hood, poaching the King’s deer and feasting on venison with his merry men in their forest hideouts, must colour everybody’s picture of medieval deer poachers. And we may still see Robin as typical even though we can no longer believe in his historical existence. Recent research is telling us more about medieval crime and criminals; in particular the existence of bandit gangs who resorted to the forest when life became too dangerous outside has been amply demonstrated for the 14th and 15th centuries. But were such men typical of those of those who poached the king’s deer?
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Tags: Economics - Rural, England, Social History
