US & Canada Versions: 141. Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutly
[Only one traditional version of this ballad has been found in Virginia.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
CONTENTS: (Text and Notes are below on this page)
1) The Rescue of Will Stutly- Davis (VA) 1888 Davis
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[From Arthur Davis, Jr., Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929.]
ROBIN HOOD RESCUING WILL STUTLY [Notes by Arthur Davis, Jr, Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929
(Child, No. 41)
For a general.introduction to the Robin Hood cycle, see the head-note to No. 30, preceding. The story of the ballad as recounted by Child is as follows: " Robin Hood learns that Will Stutly has been captured and is to be hanged the next day. Robin and his men go-to the rescue, and ask information of a palmer who is standing under the wall of the castle in which Stutly is confined; the palmer confirms the news. Stutly is brought out by the sheriff, of whom he asks to have a sword and die in fight, not on the tree. This refused, he asks only to have his hands loosed. The Sheriff again refuses; he shall die on the gallows. Little John comes out from behind a bush, cuts Stutly's bonds, and gives him a sword twitched by John from one of the sheriff's men. An arrow shot by Robin Hood puts the sheriff to flight, and his men follow. Stutly rejoices that he may go back to the woods."
The thirty-eight Child stanzas are represented by but twenty-one in the Virginia text. Except for stanzas omitted or combined in the Virginia version, the two texts are very close together. One significant deviation of the Virginia text, however, is that the eight stanzas of Will Stutly's address to the sheriff and the sheriff's reply are omitted, and in their place Little John when he appears asks the sheriff, or permission to speak with Will and is curtly refused by the sheriff. The relations of the two may be more minutely indicated as follows: Child 1 and 2 are like Virginia 1 and 2; Child 3 is omitted in Virginia; Child 4 and 5 are like Virginia 3 and 4; Child 6 to 9 are omitted in Virginia; Child 10 to 15-16 are like Virginia 5 to 10; Virginia 11 does not appear in
Child at this point, but is like Child 6; child 7 is like Virginia 12; Child 18 to 25 are omitted in Virginia; Child 26 to 18 correspond to Virginia 18 to 2 with the difference stated above; Child 29 to 32-33 are like Virginia 16 to 19; Child 34 is like Virginia 20; child 35 and 36 are omitted in Virginia; child 37-38 are combined into Virginia 21. The Child burden is omitted in Virginia.
Neither the Child nor the Virginia text has much of the popular quality or traditional style. Both are evidently ballads "made for print." The air, however, is much more in the traditional style.
The only American references would be to Bulletin, No. 2, p. 6, where this find was first announced, and to C. A. Smith, p. 4, where one stanza of it is used to illustrate word-substitution.
"The Rescue of Will Stutly." Collected by Miss Martha M. Davis. Dictated by her grandmother, in 1882. Rockingham County. April 9, 1913 with music. Miss Davis throughout has spelled the name Stutely, not Stutly. But the Child spelling has been adopted here, in the belief that no difference of pronunciation is indicated by Miss Davis's spelling, and to avoid needless confusion.
1. As Robin Hood in the green wood stood
Under a green wood tree
Sad tidings came to him with speed
Tidings for certainty
2. That Stutly he surprised was,
In Aiken prison lay.
Three varlets whom the king had hired
Did basely him betray.
3. When Robin Hood these news did hear,
He grieved was full sore
And likewise his brave bowmen bold,
Who all together swore
4. That Stutly he should rescued be,
Unto the woods again
Return with them to hunt the deer,
Or in his cause be slain.
5. "Will send one forth the news to hear
From yonder palmer there,
Whose cell is near the castle wall;
Some news he may declare."
6. Then stepped forth a brisk young man,
Of courage stout and bold,
And straight unto the palmer went,
Saying, "Ye palmer old,
7. "Tell me, if you can rightly tell,
When must Will Stutly die,
Who is of Robin Hood's brave men
That here in prison lie?"
8. "Alas, alas," the palmer said,
"That ever woe is me,
This day Will Stutly must be hung
Upon yon gallows tree.
9. "But did his noble master know,
He soon would succor send;
A few of his brave bowmen bold
Would save him from this end."
10. "That is true," the young man said,
"He soon would set him free;
So fare thee well, thou good old man,
With many thanks to thee."
11. Then Robin dressed himself in red,
His merry men all in green,
With swords and buckles and long bows
Most glorious to be seen.
12. Not long from jail the young man went
The gates were open wide
When from the castle Stutly came,
Guarded on every side.
13. Not far from castle they had gone,
When appeared Little John,
And straight unto the sheriff went
And said to him, " Anon,
14. "Mr. Sheriff, with your leave,
I'll speak with him a while."
"No," said the sheriff, "you'll me seize;
Thou art an outlaw vile.
15. "I'll not consent," the sheriff said,
"But hanged he shall be,
And so shall his vile master be
When in my custody."
16. Then in haste did Little John
Away cut Stutly's bands,
And from a man he twisted soon
The sword out of his hands.
17. Saying, "Will, take you this sword a while,
You can it better sway,
And now defend thy life from harm
For aid will come straight way."
18. And then they turned them back to back
And fought with valor good,
Until at length approached near
The valiant Robin Hood.
19. Then quick an arrow Robin sent
Which near the sheriff flew
And quickly made him for to run
And all his coward crew.
20. "O stay a while," said Will Stutly
"And do not from us start;
O stay and hang up Robin Hood
Before you do depart.
21. "Thanks, o thanks, my master dear,
We'll in the green woods meet
Where we will make our bowstrings twang
Music for us most sweet."
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[From Coffin 1950: A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America]
141. ROBIN HOOD RESCUING WILL STUTLY
Texts: Davis, Trd Sid Fa, 397 / Musical Quarterly, II, 4 / 7a FLS Bull, #2.
Local Titles: The Rescue of Will Study.
Story Types: A: Robin Hood learns that Will Stutly has been captured and is to be hung the next day. Robin Hood and his men go to the rescue and have news of the capture confirmed by a palmer standing under the wall of the castle in which Will is confined. Stutly is brought out, and Little John asks the sheriff for permission to speak to Will. He is curtly refused. Then Little John cuts Will's bonds and gives him a sword stolen from one of the sheriffs men. Robin Hood puts the sheriff to flight with an arrow, and Will rejoices.
Examples: Davis.
Discussion: The Virginia version has been abbreviated to twenty-one stanzas from the thirty-eight in Child, but is, nevertheless, very close to the Child text. There is one notable difference, however. In the latter Stutly, not Little John, 'addresses the sheriff, and he asks for a sword that he may die fighting rather than, having to be subjected to hanging. Refused, he asks only to have his hands freed. Again he is refused. Little John then frees him.
The American and British texts of the ballad are obviously from print, and the story itself is an imitation of Child 140 in many respects. Davis, Trd Bid Va, 397 prints a detailed stanza comparison of his text with Child's.