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New book claims Robin Hood stole from the rich and lent to the poor

A new book has claimed that Robin Hood was not as selfless as he is often depicted, suggesting he stole from the rich and lent money to the poor as an early kind of loan shark.

By stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, Robin Hood gained legendary status as a selfless re-distributor of wealth.

But a new book claims that the outlaw of Sherwood Forest was in fact something of a loan shark, who operated a sophisticated lending scheme for those short of cash.

Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar, points to several passages in an old English ballad that depict Robin loaning £400 to an impoverished knight.

The claim threatens to tarnish the image of a hero of English folklore who has been played on screen by actors including Errol Flynn and Kevin Costner, and who even has even has an airport, in Doncaster, named after him....
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)