The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times with the existence of the police force, the position is purely ceremonial and sustained to boost tourism due to the legendary connection to the tales of Robin Hood. However the historical position goes back to Anglo-Saxon times. The office is sometimes confused with that of the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. Before this, during 1068 until 1449 the position existed as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests. Law and order is a political term, used most notably in the United States, to refer to crime and punishment as a political issue. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A ceremony is an activity, infused with ritual significance, performed on a certain occasion. ... Robin Hood memorial statue in Nottingham. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... . ... Events Emperor Go-Sanjo ascends the throne of Japan William the Conqueror takes Exeter after a brief siege Births Henry I of England (d. ... Events January 6 - Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor. ...

Historical

There is no record of an official with the specific duty of enforcing the law and keeping the peace in Anglo-Saxon England (although there undoubtedly was one). After the Norman Conquest, specific counties were appointed sheriffs to enforce the law (such as Yorkshire for example), although sometimes the duties of these sheriffs would cross the border of their respective counties. Nottingham would have come under the "High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire" after the Norman Conquest. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... Originally, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count (in Great Britain, an earl, though the original earldoms covered larger areas) by reason of that office. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In 1449, the city of Nottingham itself was appointed its own sheriff for the first time (although the post was held simultaneously between two men; William Sadler and Thomas Lyng). The sheriffs at that time may have been responsible for "the delivery of prisoners to the courts, the collection of rents and taxes and generally keeping the ‘King’s Peace’". Events January 6 - Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... William Sadler as Luther Sloan on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine William Sadler (born April 13, 1950 in Buffalo, New York) is an American actor. ...

From 1450 until 1835, the office was shared between two people, one of whom may have been chosen by the Mayor, the other by the town council. The change to a single sheriff was explained by Lincoln city website merely as "Local Government changes". The article can be seen here (possibly the Municipal Corporations Act 1835). | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Shown within Lincolnshire Geography Status: City Region: East Midlands Admin. ... The Municipal Reform Act 1835 required members of town councils (municipal corporations) to be elected by ratepayers and councils to publish their financial accounts. ...

Present sheriff

The current Sheriff of Nottingham is Councillor Jeannie Packer who was sworn in during May 2006.

Past sheriffs

Past Sheriffs of Nottingham include Councillor Derek Cresswell, Labour Party. The office is considered largely ceremonial, promoting the city in tourism and business. There are interviews with Joan Casson and John Hartshorne both recent sheriffs, describing the role of the present-day Sheriff of Nottingham. There have been five female sheriffs, the first being in 1931, and the most recent in 2006. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the main democratic socialist [1] political party in the United Kingdom. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Robin Hood stories

In the legend of Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham is the chief official whose task it is to capture outlaws such as Robin Hood, either to ensure the safety of trade routes through Sherwood Forest, or to arrest outlaws for 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 main villain of the Robin Hood stories, appearing as an antagonist in all of them, alongside such enemies of Robin Hood as Sir Guy of Gisbourne or Prince John (though rarely both). A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ... Robin Hood memorial statue in Nottingham. ... Sherwood Forest is a country park surrounding the village of Edwinstowe in Nottinghamshire, England, the remnant of a much larger forest historically associated with the legend of Robin Hood. ... Butch Cassidy, a famous Western American outlaw An outlaw, a person living the lifestyle of outlawry, meaning literally outside of the law. ... For other uses, see Poaching (disambiguation). ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... Maid Marian is the female companion to the legendary figure Robin Hood. ... Sir Guy of Gisburne (also spelled Gisbourne, Gysborne or Gisborn) is a villain in the Robin Hood legends. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ...

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. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was a 1991 film directed by Kevin Reynolds. ...

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 on was William de Wendenal. William de Wendenal was a Norman baron probably born during the mid-1100s, and was one of the highest officials left in charge of England when King Richard the Lionheart of England was away at the Kings Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Saracens. ...

The Sheriff of Nottingham in modern fiction

In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, he is played by Alan Rickman as a dry cynical villain who takes people's livestock to try and meet his goals, after Robin Hood takes his horse. A similar characterisation to Rickman's was brought to television by Keith Allen in the BBC series Robin Hood, from 2006. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was a 1991 film directed by Kevin Reynolds. ... Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born February 21, 1946) is an English stage and screen actor. ... This article is about the comedian. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... Robin Hood is a British television programme, produced by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC One, with co-funding from the BBC America cable television channel in the United States. ...

In the Disney version of Robin Hood, the Sheriff is a fat gray wolf with a thick Southern United States dialect, voiced by Alabama-born comedian Pat Buttram, best known for his role as Mr. Haney on Green Acres. He was originally intended to be a stupid goat. Robin Hood is an animated film produced by the Walt Disney Studios, first released in the United States on November 8, 1973. ... Southern United States The states shown in dark red are usually included in the South, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Southern United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... Pat Buttram (born June 19, 1915 in Addison, Alabama; died January 8, 1994 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor, famous for his many movies as a sidekick of Gene Autry playing the role of Smiley. In Gene Autry movies, Pat Buttram played a variety of sidekicks with different... Mr. ... Green Acres was an American television series that was produced by Filmways, Inc. ...

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 an over-the-top psychotic in an episode of the Robin of Sherwood TV series.) Richard Kluger worked as a journalist before becoming an accomplished Pulitzer Prize-winning author and book publisher. ... Robin of Sherwood, retitled Robin Hood in the US, was an acclaimed 1980s British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. ...

The usual Sheriff in Robin of Sherwood was a cynical opportunist played by Nickolas Grace. His name, Robert de Rainault, comes from Evelyn Charles Vivian's retelling of the legend. Robin of Sherwood, retitled Robin Hood in the US, was an acclaimed 1980s British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. ... Nickolas Grace is a British actor, best known for his roles on television - including Anthony Blanche in Brideshead Revisited and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin of Sherwood. ...

The Sheriff of Nottingham is spoofed as "The Sheriff of Rottingham" (played by Roger Rees) in Mel Brooks' 1993 movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Roger Rees Roger Rees (born on May 4, 1944) is a British-American actor. ... Mel Brooks in the 2005 film of The Producers Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer best known as a creator of broad film farces and comedy parodies, or as he says, spoofs. ... // March 31 - Actor Brandon Lee is accidentally killed during the filming of The Crow. ... Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) is a film parody of the story of Robin Hood, particularly parodying Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. ...

The Sheriff was parodied in the children's television series "Maid Marian and her Merry Men" as a foolish schemer played by Tony Robinson with a goatee. Maid Marian and her Merry Men was a UK childrens television series created and written by Tony Robinson and directed by David Bell. ... Tony Robinson as Baldrick in Blackadder. ...

External links

• Nottingham City Council page on the sheriff's office here
• A list of historical sheriffs can be seen on a Robin Hood research site here