...riding through the glen...

The new film of "Robin Hood" has made a big play of being historically accurate - but of course the problem is that there is virtually no history to be accurate towards. The story of Robin Hood comes to us via street ballads going back to the 14th century and beyond, and these can hardly be considered as providing an historical basis for the story. On the other hand, the story of Prince John trying to usurp power while King Richard (the Lionheart) was away at the crusades is historically accurate, although John does not seem to have acted any more badly towards the ordinary people than was the norm for the time. An interesting suggestion by the way, for which there is some arguable evidence, is that "robinhood" started out as simply a generic term for an outlaw who preyed on vulnerable travellers - a sort of early highwayman - and then took on a life of its own.