Lady of Verysdale

The Loan
When Sir Richard and the Lady of Verysdale's son young Sir Henry of the Lea accidentally killed a knight from Lancaster in a joust the Sheriff of Nottingham arrested the Verysdale heir and sentenced him to death. He offered to release the lad if his parents paid an outrageous bail of four hundred pounds. The young knight's desperate parents, who had little money despite their title and lands, took out a loan from the unscrupulous Abbot of St. Mary's Abby in York in order to post their son's bail. They was given only a few days to repay the loan or their lands would go to the Abbot. While they knew they would be unable to repay the loan they had no other recourse to save their son. Unbeknownst to them the Abbot and the Sheriff were plotting to to use this loan in order to confiscate Sir Richard's lands and divide them up between them. Luckily her husband was taken by Robin's Merry Men and after learning he had nothing worth stealing and hearing his story Robin gave him a loan to be repaid at his leisure in order to save their son without turning him outlaw.

Sheltering Robin and the Merry Men
In some versions of the aftermath of the archery competition Richard and his fair wife sheltered Robin and several of his Merry Men in their castle at Lee while the Sheriff was searching for them.

Ballads:

 * A Gest of Robyn Hode

Literature:

 * 1839 Robin Hood and Little John; or, the Merrie Men of Sherwood Forest by Pierce Egan the Younger (book form 1840) (as Godreda)
 * 1883 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
 * 1912 Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band: Their Famous Exploits in Sherwood Forest by Louis Rhead

Television:

 * The Adventures of Robin Hood (as Lady Leonia)
 * 1955 "The Challenge" played by Patricia Burke
 * 1955 "The Betrothal" played by Patricia Burke
 * 1956 "The Byzantine Treasure" played by Patricia Burke
 * 1956 "Blackmail" played by Patricia Burke
 * 1958 "Castle in the Air" played by Patricia Burke
 * BBC's Robin Hood's Beatrice played by Fernanda Dorogi marries John of York who is based on Sir Richard.