Robin Hood (Bassenthwaite)

From International Robin Hood Bibliography
Locality
Coordinate 54.684352, -3.199286
Adm. div. Cumberland
Vicinity c. 500 m NNW of Bassenthwaite
Type Building
Interest Robin Hood name
Status Extant
First Record 1867
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Robin Hood.
Robin Hood / Google Earth Street View.
Robin Hood with localities within and nearby / Google Earth Street View. (Click to enlarge).

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-08-29. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-07.

'Robin Hood' is the name of a vicinity c. 2 km NE of Bassenthwaite Lake and c. 0.5 km NNW of Bassenthwaite village. It is included on the 6" O.S. map of the area published in 1867 as well as subsequent revisions. Unless it originated as a name for the vicinity, 'Robin Hood' was perhaps initially used of the present Robin Hood Cottage or the adjacent Robin Hood Farm.

A Robin Hood Wood, c. 200 m SSE of 'Robin Hood', may have provided the inspiration for the name of the latter, but one would be happier to draw this conclusion if the name of the wood had been recorded considerably earlier than that of the area, yet so far the earliest record we have for either is the 1867 map. There is another, still more speculative explanation. Within the 'Robin Hood' area was a well (see the 25" maps listed below), and 'Robin Hood's Well' is one of the most frequently occurring Robin Hood place-name (cf. the page on Places named Robin Hood's Well). Perhaps the well was known as 'Robin Hood's Well' and this was then shortened to 'Robin Hood' tout court, but we have no evidence of this. For the wood and various Robin Hood-related place-names within or immediately outside 'Robin Hood', see Bassenthwaite place-name cluster.

Gazetteers

Maps

Background

Also see