Leeds Trinity University
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Media Release
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2015
Leeds Trinity University student makes groundbreaking Robin Hood text discovery
that will challenge 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 titled Robin 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 Walpole by
Milton Percival. Percival made a reference in his footnotes to a 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 18th century 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 Trinity University 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 University offers graduates the
opportunity to undertake research study at Leeds Trinity University. The offer includes a feewaiver 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 underresearched 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
Notes to Editor
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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.
Employability
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.
Industry-leading
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.
A name, not a number
We’re proud to have some of the most satisfied students in the country, evidenced by our most
recent NSS results which revealed 88% of our 2014 graduates were satisfied with their course,
against a national average of 86%. These scores reflect our commitment to offering a truly
personalised university experience where every student is treated as a name, not a number.
This isn’t just marketing speak; it’s an ethos that underpins all that we do enabling students to
benefit from personalised one-to-one support.