Robin Hood was ‘guerrilla warrior’ against French

Robin Hood did not rob from the rich to feed the poor in Sherwood Forest — he was a freedom fighter attacking French invaders in Kent, a historian has claimed.

The legendary hero, who is said to have resided in the Nottingham area, could have been William of Kensham, who conducted a guerrilla war against the French forces of Prince Louis, who invaded England in 1216.

Historian Sean McGlynn has suggested that William led a band of archers who attacked the French forces in the forests of the Kent Weald before the little- known 18-month occupation by the French of a large part of England was finally thwarted.