# Gilbert Whitehand

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gilbert_Whitehand
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gilbert_Whitehand.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Whitehand
> Source revision: 1230492620
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Member of Robin Hood's Merry Men

This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Gilbert Whitehand" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. Find sources: "Gilbert Whitehand" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

**Gilbert Whitehand** (also **Gilbert with the White Hand**) is a member of [Robin Hood](/source/Robin_Hood)'s [Merry Men](/source/Merry_Men)[1] about whom next to nothing is known. It is possible that he is a character known from oral literature, with only allusions remaining in written literature.[2]

He is present twice in *[A Gest of Robyn Hode](/source/A_Gest_of_Robyn_Hode)*, an early Robin Hood [ballad](/source/Ballad) from the [late medieval period](/source/Late_Middle_Ages), where he is the only one whose archery skills match those of Robin.[3] In the ballad he appears along with other Merry Men during the shooting match for the gold and silver arrow, and again in [Barnsdale Forest](/source/Barnsdale_Forest) during a visit by the disguised king.[4]

It is unknown why he was referred to as having 'white hands'. It is thought that Gilbert of the Whitehand developed from Gilbert Wythehonde, a second name found in the Wakefield [Court Rolls](/source/Court_Rolls_(manorial)). Some have suggested it was because he had a withered hand, among other reasons. However, this is speculation and it is not specifically stated why. Gilbert clearly had no physical hindrance—it is stated that he is Robin's equal in [archery](/source/Archery), and together they were the best archers in all England.

## Other appearances

This section may contain irrelevant references to popular culture. Please help improve it by removing such content and adding citations to reliable, independent sources. (January 2023)

- [Gavin Douglas](/source/Gavin_Douglas) mentions him alongside Robin in his *Palice of Honure* (1501).[5]

- In the 1840 story *Robin Hood and Little John* by [Pierce Egan the Younger](/source/Pierce_Egan_the_Younger) (translated into French, divided into two parts and resumed by [Alexandre Dumas](/source/Alexandre_Dumas), published posthumously in 1872) Gilbert and his wife Margaret are Robin's foster parents (his real father according to the Egan/Dumas storyline was the Earl of Huntingdon), and Gilbert taught Robin how to use the bow.

- In *[The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood](/source/The_Merry_Adventures_of_Robin_Hood)* (1883) by [Howard Pyle](/source/Howard_Pyle), Gilbert of the White Hand appears not as one of Robin's band but as an archer of the king. In an archery contest he was the one set against Robin Hood, and although at their first shooting Robin was slightly better, a second shot was required to give Robin a clear victory.

- In *The Tale of Robin Hood and His Merry Men* (1905) by Elinor Mead Buckingham, Gilbert is a cook who worked for the [Sheriff of Nottingham](/source/Sheriff_of_Nottingham) before he joined the Merry Men. He was given the name White Hands because he had lived in town for so long that his skin had not yet turned brown from exposure to the sun and weather.[6]

- In the 1912 novel *Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band* by [Louis Rhead](/source/Louis_Rhead), Gilbert of the White Hands is a cook whose hands are whitened by flour.[7]

- In the 1956 *The Adventures of Robin Hood* by [Roger Lancelyn Green](/source/Roger_Lancelyn_Green), Gilbert of the White Hand suffered injury to his hand as punishment for poaching deer.

- In [Clayton Emery](/source/Clayton_Emery)'s *Tales of Robin Hood* (1988), Gilbert of the White Hand has a right hand withered by fire. He learned to swordfight with his left hand, which discomfits his opponents, and was knighted in the [Holy Land](/source/Holy_Land).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Child, Francis James](/source/Francis_James_Child) (2013). [*The English and Scottish Popular Ballads*](https://books.google.com/books?id=MADCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT139). Courier. p. 139. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780486152868](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780486152868).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Gray, Douglas (2015). ["Ballads"](https://books.google.com/books?id=rTODBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA78). *Simple Forms: Essays on Medieval English Popular Literature*. OUP. p. 78. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780191016295](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780191016295).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Davis, John Paul (2016). [*Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar*](https://books.google.com/books?id=DebSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT46). Peter Owen. p. 46. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780720618655](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780720618655).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["A Gest of Robyn Hode"](http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/gest-of-robyn-hode) lines 1165–8, 1600–16

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Phillips, Helen (2005). [*Robin Hood: Medieval and Post Medieval*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qPvWAAAAMAAJ). Four Courts Press. p. 35. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781851829316](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781851829316).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Buckingham, Elinor Mead (1905). *The Tale of Robin Hood and His Merry Men*. Manhattan Press. pp. 193, 214–215.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Kaufman, Alex (7 October 2016). *Gilbert with the White Hand and the Signifier of the Blank Canvas*. Southeastern Medieval Association conference 2016. Knoxville, TN.

v t e Robin Hood Characters and settings Characters Main Robin Hood Maid Marian The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield Sheriff of Nottingham Guy of Gisbourne Prince John Bishop of Hereford Richard at the Lee King Richard Merry Men Little John Much the Miller's Son Will Scarlet Arthur a Bland David of Doncaster Will Stutely Friar Tuck Alan-a-Dale Gilbert Whitehand Settings Sherwood Forest Major Oak Nottingham Loxley St Mary's Abbey, York Barnsdale Wentbridge Media Screen Film Robin Hood (1912) Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (1922) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946) The Prince of Thieves (1948) Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) Tales of Robin Hood (1951) The Story of Robin Hood (1952) The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954) Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) The Triumph of Robin Hood (1962) A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967) Long Live Robin Hood (1971) Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood (1973) The Arrows of Robin Hood (1975) Robin and Marian (1976) Aaj Ka Robin Hood (1988) O Mistério de Robin Hood (1990) Robin Hood (1991) Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) Princess of Thieves (2001) Robin Hood (2010) Robin Hood (2018) The Death of Robin Hood (2026) TV Robin Hood (1953) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955) The Legend of Robin Hood (1968) The Legend of Robin Hood (1975) Robin of Sherwood (1984) The New Adventures of Robin Hood (1997) Robin Hood (2006, episodes, characters) Robyn Hood (2023) Robin Hood (2025) Animated Robin Hood Makes Good (1939) Rabbit Hood (1949) Robin Hood Daffy (1958) Robin Hoodwinked (1958) Rocket Robin Hood (1966) Robin Hood (1973) Robin Hood (1990) Young Robin Hood (1991) Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse (2012) Sherwood (2019) Parody About Seven Brothers (1968) When Things Were Rotten (1975) The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984) Maid Marian and Her Merry Men (1989) Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) Alternate settings Mexicali Rose (1939 film) Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964 film) Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985 Tamil film) Nyayam Meere Cheppali (1985 Telugu film) Robin of Locksley (1996 film) Catch Me Now (2008 Chinese TV series) Alyas Robin Hood (2016 Philippines TV series) Popular culture Statue of Robin Hood Robin Hood (DC Comics character) Robin Hood (Disney character) Child ballads 8: Erlinton 102: Willie and Earl Richard's Daughter 103: Rose the Red and White Lily 115: Robyn and Gandeleyn 117: A Gest of Robyn Hode 118: Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne 119: Robin Hood and the Monk 120: Robin Hood's Death 121: Robin Hood and the Potter 123: Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar 124: The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield 126: Robin Hood and the Tanner 127: Robin Hood and the Tinker 128: Robin Hood Newly Revived 129: Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon 130: Robin Hood and the Scotchman 131: Robin Hood and the Ranger 132: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood 136: Robin Hood's Delight 138: Robin Hood and Allan-a-Dale 139: Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham 140: Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires 141: Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutly 142: Little John a Begging 143: Robin Hood and the Bishop 144: Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford 145: Robin Hood and Queen Katherine 146: Robin Hood's Chase 147: Robin Hood's Golden Prize 148: The Noble Fisherman 151: The King's Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood 152: Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow 153: Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight 154: A True Tale of Robin Hood Stage / theatre The Downfall and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington (1598 and 1601 plays) The Merrie Men of Sherwood Forest (1871 operetta) Robin Hood (1890 De Koven opera) The Foresters (1892 play) Robin Hood (1934 Tippett opera) Twang!! (1965 musical parody) Robin Hood (1998 ballet) Robin des Bois (2013 musical) Video games Robin of Sherwood: The Touchstones of Rhiannon (1985) Robin of the Wood (1985) Super Robin Hood (1986) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1991) Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood (1991) Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood (2002) Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown (2003) Robin Hood's Quest (2007) Volume (2015) Hood: Outlaws & Legends (2021) Literature A Gest of Robyn Hode (probably 15th century) Ivanhoe (1819) Maid Marian (1822) The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883) Bows against the Barons (1934) The Once and Future King (1958) The Outlaws of Sherwood (1988) Through a Dark Mist (1991) Lady of the Forest (1992) In the Shadow of Midnight (1994) The Last Arrow (1997) Lady of Sherwood (1999) King Raven Trilogy (2006) Music Legend (1984 soundtrack) "Robin (The Hooded Man)" "Love" (song) "Not in Nottingham" (song) "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (song) The Tale of Gamelyn Robin Hood (2010 soundtrack) Robin Hood (2018 soundtrack) Alan Dale Outlaw (2009) Holy Warrior (2010) King's Man (2011) The Outlaw Chronicles (2012–2016) Related Miss Robin Hood Son of the Guardsman The Son of Robin Hood The Bandit of Sherwood Forest Robin Hood's Larder Robin Hood Morality Test "Robot of Sherwood" "Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men" Once Upon a Time The Tales of Robin Hood (former Nottingham attraction) Once Upon a Studio Category

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gilbert Whitehand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Whitehand) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Whitehand?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.