Terry asked A.E. Chandler:

In Ivanhoe, Robin was a yeoman. In more modern telling of the tale, Robin is noble born. When did that shift take place?

A.E. Chandler Robin Hood is consistently a yeoman in the extant medieval sources. The earliest he seems to have been converted to a nobleman is in the first half of the sixteenth century, during England's transition from the medieval to the modern period. John Leland, antiquary for Henry VIII, used the word nobilis instead of the traditional yeoman to describe the outlaw. In 1598, Anthony Munday's plays call Robin the earl of Huntington for the first time we know of, and historians have theorized that this transition in Robin's character mirrored a change in the primary audience for his stories, higher status people wanting to hear about someone more like themselves.

The medieval Robin Hood was a yeoman to the core of his character, in action and in theme, and the social satire he embodies only works because he is a yeoman. The medieval tales are more complex and nuanced than the modern dramas.

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