21 Apr 2026
Did Robin in the Hood, the original outlaw hero, have his origins here in St Albans?
That’s the fascinating premise behind a talk being given at St Albans Cathedral by Alan Cooper, associate professor of history at Colgate University in upstate New York.
He has linked the Sherwood Forest bowman to stories about the real-life William FitzOsbert.
FitzOsbert, aka Longbeard, died in London in 1196, brutally executed for political sedition. His story was a sad and mostly futile one, but in the centuries that followed it was retold again and again. Most frequently, it was cast as a morality tale, of pride and foolishness, and the evils of rebellion.
One writer, however, made it into a tale of heroism: of telling truth to power, fighting for the poor against the rich, of accepting martyrdom, and weirdly of English resistance to Normans. That writer was St Albans chronicler and polymath Matthew Paris, and his version would eventually contribute to the story of Robin Hood.
Professor Cooper explained: “Although I teach at a university in New York, I am English, and, indeed, this is a homecoming because I went to St Albans School and many of my best friends still live in town.
“In fact, the first seeds of becoming a medieval historian were probably planted by spending time in and around the Abbey.
“This talk comes out of my new book, The Homecoming of William Longbeard, which will hopefully be coming out from Boydell and Brewer later this year or next. William FitzOsbert, aka Longbeard, was—in the usual telling of his story—a rebel in London in the 1190s.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but I will be arguing there is a connection between his story and modern legends of Robin Hood, and that the crucial moment of inspiration happens at St Albans.
“By the way, it helps that my favourite St Albans pub is the Robin Hood, so they will definitely get a shout-out!”
The talk is on April 22 from 7.30-9pm, and for tickets click here.
