From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times with the existence of the police force, the position is entirely ceremonial and sustained to boost tourism due to the legendary connection to the tales of Robin Hood. However the historical position goes back to Anglo-Saxon times. The office is sometimes confused with that of the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. Before this, during 1068 until 1449 the position existed as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests.

Contents 1 Historical 2 Present sheriff 3 Past sheriffs 4 The Robin Hood stories 5 The Sheriff of Nottingham in modern fiction 6 External links

There is no record of an official with the specific duty of enforcing the law and keeping the peace in Anglo-Saxon England (although there undoubtedly was one). After the Norman Conquest, specific counties were appointed sheriffs to enforce the law (such as Yorkshire for example), although sometimes the duties of these sheriffs would cross the border of their respective counties. Nottingham would have come under the "High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire" after the Norman Conquest.

In 1449, the city of Nottingham itself was appointed its own sheriff for the first time (although the post was held simultaneously between two men; William Sadler and Thomas Lyng). The sheriffs at that time may have been responsible for "the delivery of prisoners to the courts, the collection of rents and taxes and generally keeping the ‘King’s Peace’".

From 1450 until 1835, the office was shared between two people, one of whom may have been chosen by the Mayor, the other by the town council. The change to a single sheriff was explained by Lincoln city website merely as "Local Government changes". The article can be seen here (possibly the Municipal Corporations Act 1835).

The current Sheriff of Nottingham is Councillor Jeannie Packer who was sworn in during May 2006.

Past Sheriffs of Nottingham include Councillor Derek Cresswell, Labour Party. The office is considered largely ceremonial, promoting the city in tourism and business. There are interviews with Joan Casson and John Hartshorne both recent sheriffs, describing the role of the present-day Sheriff of Nottingham. There have been five female sheriffs, the first being in 1931, and the most recent in 2006.

In the legend of Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham is the chief official whose task it is to capture outlaws such as Robin Hood, either to ensure the safety of trade routes through Sherwood Forest, or to arrest outlaws for poaching the King's deer. In some stories, the Sheriff of Nottingham is portrayed as having a lecherous desire for Robin Hood's lady, Maid Marian. He is widely considered to be the main villain of the Robin Hood stories, appearing in all of them, alongside such enemies of Robin Hood as Sir Guy of Gisbourne or Prince John (though rarely both).

The legends are generally set far from Nottingham, one explanation being that a short-staffed King of England placed the Sheriff of Nottingham in charge of law enforcement for much of northern England. This is the case in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in which the Sheriff's influence has grown so great he attempts to take control of the throne.

In some versions, the Sheriff is more a cowardly schemer while his assistant, Sir Guy of Gisbourne is a more competent and determined physical threat to Robin. In other versions the Sheriff answers to Prince John who is the main villain.

It has been suggested that the historical sheriff upon which the stories are based on was William de Wendenal, Roger de Laci, or William de Brewer.

In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, he is played by Alan Rickman as a dry cynical villain who takes people's livestock to try and meet his goals, after Robin Hood takes his horse. A similar characterisation to Rickman's was brought to television by Keith Allen in the BBC series Robin Hood, from 2006.

In the Disney version of Robin Hood, the Sheriff is a fat gray wolf with a thick Southern United States dialect, voiced by Alabama-born comedian Pat Buttram, best known for his role as Mr. Haney on Green Acres. He was originally intended to be a stupid goat.

The Richard Kluger novel The Sheriff of Nottingham gives a positive portrayal of the real-life 13th century sheriff Philip Mark as a good man doing a thankless task. (The same sheriff appeared as a ruthless but camp despot in an episode of the Robin of Sherwood TV series.)

The usual Sheriff in Robin of Sherwood was a cynical opportunist given to violent outbursts, played by Nickolas Grace. His name, Robert de Rainault, comes from Evelyn Charles Vivian's retelling of the legend.

The Sheriff of Nottingham is spoofed as "The Sheriff of Rottingham" (played by Roger Rees) in Mel Brooks' 1993 movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

The Sheriff was parodied in the children's television series Maid Marian and her Merry Men as a foolish schemer played by Tony Robinson with a goatee.

A film entitled Nottingham is in production which revolves around the Sheriff of Nottingham attempting to solve the mystery of a series of murders for which Robin Hood is the suspect which the help of his loyal assisstant, Guy of Gisbourne.

• Nottingham City Council page on the sheriff's office here
• A list of historical sheriffs can be seen on a Robin Hood research site here