The Real Sheriff of Nottingham?

Every Robin Hood story needs its villain, and for centuries that villain has worn one title above all others: the Sheriff of Nottingham. Cruel, greedy, complicit in every injustice done to the poor of Sherwood while good King Richard bled for Christendom on crusade and wicked Prince John schemed at home. It's one of the most durable double acts in English folklore.

But strip away the ballads and pantomime, and the officeholders behind that legendary title were real men, doing a real and often thankless job. One of the strongest candidates for the historical figure behind the "bad" sheriff of the Robin Hood tales is a man called William de Wenneval (his name also appears as Wendenal, Wendeval, or Wendenall, depending on which chronicle or charter you're reading: spelling in the 1190s was a moving target). He is a minor figure in the great chronicles, mentioned only in passing by Roger of Howden.

But the little that survives of his story is enough to suggest he paid an appalling price for his loyalty.