Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GRAVE ROBIN
Outlaw’s last resting place may get buried under a warehouse
ROBIN Hood’s grave could be lost for ever under tons of concrete. The spot where the legendary outlaw is said to lie buried has been threatened by plans for a business park.
And it could vanish below industrial units on land which has remained untouched for centuries.
Council chiefs say the plans could create 3,000 jobs but critics argue priceless history is at stake. Robin and his Merry Men, who famously robbed the rich to help the poor, are usually associated with Sherwood Forest and Nottingham.
They have featured in many books and films including 1991 movie Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner.
But several other areas claim links too and tradition has it Robin died at Kirklees Priory, 60 miles away. He is supposed to have sought comfort at the priory near Brighouse, West Yorks, after falling ill in the forest.
As he lay dying he fired an arrow from a window and told old pal Little John to bury him with his bow where it landed.
Now campaigners say at the very least the spot should be marked with a plaque.
Robert Bamforth of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said: “The tragedy is this land looks just as it did back then.
“If you say to a Japanese tourist, ‘Robin Hood shot his arrow over that warehouse’ it doesn’t have the same ring.”