Origin []
Will Scarlet as "Young Gamewell" meets his uncle Robin Hood in the ballad Robin Hood Newly Revived which is a newer version of the older ballad The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood where Robin meets a cousin of his who introduces himself as Gamble Gold. While the even earlier ballad Robyn and Gandeleyn is often not considered a Robin Hood story the Gandeleyn of that tale has been suggested to be an earlier appearance of Gamble Gold who in turn became Will in a later tale. One of the earliest surviving appearances of Will Scarlet is in an early copy of Robin Hood's Death where he beseeches Robin to take a bodyguard with him.
Name[]
Will's surname was given variously as Gamwell, Gamewell, Scarlet, Scarlett, Scarlock, Scadlock and Scatheloke, though in some tales Will Scathelock is a separate character. He is sometimes conflated with Alan a Dale who also wore scarlet and was a fashion conscious member of Robin's band, a trait some later versions of Will adopts. Whether Will and Gamble are separate characters, in which case they are family, or one and the same is also subject to the whims of various authors.
Meeting Robin[]
After he killed his father's steward Will Gamwell had been exiled and outlawed and his mother urged him to go to the Greenwood and seek out Robin. As he wanders through the forest he is approached by the rouge himself either due to his rich robes of scarlet silk or his killing of a deer though Robin does not identify himself or appear to recognize his kin, as Will is variously his nephew or cousin and in some more recent versions he's even Robin's half-brother. Will does not comply with the outlaw's demands and refuses to identify himself first leading to duel. He wins enough of Robin's respect through his talent with a broadsword for Robin to offer him a place in among the Merry Men, once again asking Will to identify himself.
When Will finally relents and tells Robin his name and reason for being in the greenwood Robin gleefully informs him that he is the very individual Will was seeking and tells Little John of their relation. The impetuous youth is then rechristened Will Scarlet as he joins the Merry Men.
In a very different meeting with Robin he is named as the bride's usually unnamed fiance in one copy of the bride's tale from before Alan a Dale's introduction into the stories.
One of the Merry Men[]
As one of the Merry Men it was he who informed Robin of the Curtial Friar who Robin then sought out to invite into his band and who was later conflated with Friar Tuck who entered the Robin Hood canon at a later date. Will was accompanying Little John and Robin when the three were set upon by three foresters and had to outwit them in Robin Hood's Delight. He was also one of the Merry Men who insisted they make sure Richard at the Lee was properly outfitted as a noble when they sent him to repay his debt to the corrupt Abbot of St. Mary's in Gest.
Captured[]
While Sir Guy of Grisbourne was in the Sheriff of Nottingham's employ to kill Robin Hood Will and found himself outnumbered and outmatched alongside two other Merry Men who are killed in a confrontation with the Sheriff's men and his life is only saved by the intervention of Little John who ends up captured.
Later Life[]
Legend tells that Will may not have survived to see the rightful King returned to England and be granted a royal pardon, instead there are tales which state he was killed by the Sheriff's men or in the unusual Prince of Aragon ballad was pardoned almost immediately after joining for saving a princess whom he later married.
Alterations in Modern Adaptations[]
In Pierce Egan the Younger's 1838 serials Will was given a love interest and eventual wife in the form of the bride's handmaiden Maude Lindsay. His family at Gamwell Hall was also expanded with the addition of the sisters Barbara Gamwell and Winifred Gamwell, the later of which became love interest to Little John. All the aforementioned women also appeared in Alexandre Dumas' two Robin Hood tomes published in 1873 and Maude appeared again in the 1948 film Prince of Thieves.
The 2012 book Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen turns the character into a cross dressing nobleman's daughter whose primary weapon is a throwing knife. The animated French children's show Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood from 2014 also turns Will into a girl who goes by Scarlett.
Appearances in Media[]
Ballads:[]
- c. Robin Hood's Death
- c. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne (story dates from at least 1450)
- c. 1500 A Gest of Robyn Hode - as "Willyam Scarlok"
- c. Robin Hood and the Newly Revived
- c. Robin Hood and the Bride
- c. Robin Hood's Delight
- c. Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
- c. Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
Plays:[]
- 1598 The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington by Anthony Munday
Literature:[]
- 1420s Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland by Andrew of Wyntoun
- 1883 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
- 2010 The Time Hunters by Carl Ashmore
- 2012 Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Board Games:[]
- 2016. Sheriff of Nottingham, Merry Men Expansion (Arcane Wonders)
Comics:[]
- 1948 Robin des Bois (Éditions Pierre Mouchot) #49
- 1952 Walt Disney's Robin Hood (W. G. Publications/Wogan Publications) #1
- 1975 DC Special (DC Comics) #24
- 1978 Marvel Classics Comics (Marvel) #34
- 2012-13 Grimm Fairy Tales presents Robyn Hood (Zenescope Entertainment) #3-5
- 2013 Grimm Fairy Tales presents Robyn Hood: Wanted (Zenescope Entertainment) #1-5
- 2014 Sherwood Texas/Boondock Saints Double Feature (12-Guage Comics) #1
- 2015-16 Merry Men (Oni Press) #3-4
- 2016 Robyn Hood 2016 Annual (Zenescope Entertainment) #1
Character Filmography[]
Film:[]
- 1912 Robin Hood played by George Larkin
- 1912 Robin Hood Outlawed played by Edouard Durand
- 1913 In the Days of Robin Hood played by Cecil Dereham
- 1922 Robin Hood played by Bud Geary
- 1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood (as "Will o' Gamwell") played by Patric Knowles
- 1945 The Bandit of Sherwood Forest played by John Abbott
- 1948 The Prince of Thieves played by Syd Saylor (uncredited)
- 1950 Rogues of Sherwood Forest played by Billy Bevan
- 1951 Tales of Robin Hood played by Robert Bice
- 1954 The Men of Sherwood Forest played by John Van Eyssen
- 1958 Son of Robin Hood played by Jack Lambert
- 1964 Robin and the 7 Hoods (as "Will") played by Sammy Davis Jr.
- 1967 A Challenge for Robin Hood played by Douglas Mitchell
- 1969 The Ribald Tales of Robin Hood played by Paul Smith
- 1970 Il magnifico Robin Hood played by Luciano Conti
- 1971 Long Live Robin Hood played by Manuel Zarzo
- 1975 Robin Hood Junior played by Keith Jayne
- 1976 Robin and Marian played by Denholm Elliott
- 1991 Robin Hood played by Owen Teale
- 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves played by Christian Slater
- 1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights (as "Will Scarlet O'Hara") played by Matthew Porretta
- 1994 Robin Hood: Prince of Sherwood (direct to video) played by Brad Letson
- 1996 Robin of Locksley played by Billy O'Sullivan
- 2001 Princess of Thieves played by Crispin Letts
- 2007 Splitting the Arrow played by Austin Tooley
- 2009 Beyond Sherwood Forest played by Richard de Klerk
- 2010 Robin Hood played by Scott Grimes
- 2012 Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood played by Dennis Zachmann
- 2012 VeggieTales: Robin Good and His Not So Merry Men voiced by Phil Vischer
- 2018 Robin Hood played by Jamie Dornan
Television:[]
- 1955-1959 The Adventures of Robin Hood as "Will O'Winchester" played by Ronald Howard & Paul Eddington
- 1966-1969 Rocket Robin Hood voiced by Chris Wiggins
- 1968-1968 The Legend of Robin Hood played by Harvey Jason
- 1975-1975 The Legend of Robin Hood (mini-series) played by Miles Anderson
- 1984-1986 Robin of Sherwood played by Ray Winstone
- 1991-1992 Young Robin Hood voiced by Sonja Ball
- 2006-2009 Robin Hood played by Harry Lloyd
- 2014-2016 Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood voiced by Eileen Stevens
—Shows not centered on Robin Hood—
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
—1991 "Qpid" played by Michael Dorn - Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
—2013 "Forget Me Not" played by Michael Socha - Once Upon a Time
—2014 "Rocky Road" played by Michael Socha - Doctor Who
—2014 "Robot of Sherwood" played by Joseph Kennedy (Episode on Tardis Wikia)
Video Games:[]
- 1987. Defender of the Crown
- 1991. Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood
- 1991. The Adventures of Robin Hood
- 1991. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
- 2002. Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
- 2003. Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown voiced by Adrian Neil
Gallery[]
