Friar Tuck is an interesting character- often portrayed as an ale-swigging figure of fun.
Friar Tuck appears in the ballad Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar which survives in the Percy Folio.
The complexity of tracing an original Robin Hood, and dating the legend is demonstrated by the inclusion of Friar Tuck in the stories:
If as the victorian, and later hollywood traditions tell us: that Robin Hood undertook his exploits in the late 12th century whilst King Richard I was away on crusade and bad King John had usurped the throne- circa 1194...
Friar Tuck could not have been involved...
The Franciscan Friars were not formed until 1209 and did not reach England until 1221!
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