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Sheriff of Nottingham

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For the official position, see Sheriff of Nottingham (position).

The Sheriff of Nottingham is an important figure in the legend of Robin Hood, and the archenemy of Robin and his Merry Men. The holder of the office of Nottingham's Sheriff, it is his task to capture outlaws such as Robin Hood, either to ensure the safety of trade routes through Sherwood Forest, or to keep them from 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 principal villain of the Robin Hood stories, appearing frequently, 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 was William de Wendenal, Roger de Laci, or William Brewer.

In modern fiction

  • In the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn in the title role the Sheriff is played by Melville Cooper. In this version, the character is a cowardly subordinate to the noble Sir Guy of Gisbourne, but he is also notably prudent in dealing with the outlaw, which Sir Guy ignores to his embarrassment. Furthermore, he is also the mastermind of the archery tournament trap that manages to capture Robin Hood, although the outlaw later escapes.
  • A similar characterisation to Rickman's was brought to television by Keith Allen in the BBC series Robin Hood, from 2006 who plays the Sheriff, named Vaisey, as a psychopath: amoral and brutal, self-absorbed, but with a flippant sense of humour about his misdeeds. Allen brought a dry sarcasm to the part, with such key catch-phrases such as "la-di-dah" and "a clue: no".
Sheriff of Nottingham, as depicted by Disney.
  • 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 despot in an episode of the Robin of Sherwood TV series.)
  • In Robin of Sherwood, the Sherrif is portrayed as 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 an animated character in the computer game Stronghold: Warchest who can be challenged in skirmish play.
  • Sheriff of Nottingham, because he was a Sheriff in Nottingham (that's what makes it funny ahhhhhhhhhhhhh). Not a ham. SEABEES RULE, AIR FORCE DROOLS!!!!
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