Although not a particular fan of Robin Hood I did find an interesting fact while reading a book called "Curiosities of the Peak District", I found out that Little John or John Little as he may have been known was said to be buried in Hathersage churchyard in the county of Derbyshire, U.K. which is only about an hour away from where I live. So when a dry day presented itself at last I took a ride over on my motorbike to Hathersage to try to find his grave and photograph it, which hopefully you will find of interest.
The sign in Hathersage churchyard pointing to Little Johns grave. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
Robin Hood and Little John were said to have met when both men tried to cross a river and were unable to pass each other, this resulted in a fight using quarter staffs which ended with Robin being dislodged and ending in the river, they became good friends afterwards and Little John joined Robin and His men.
The grave of Little John is about 10 feet in length and can be found by entering the churchyard through the lychgate, after about 75 yards you will see a sign directing you to his grave pointing left. Little John was said to have been a giant of a man and a 30 inch thigh bone has been unearthed in the past at this location which points to the fact that he was somewhere between 7-8 feet tall!
A view of Little John's huge grave. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
It is claimed by the small village of Hathersage that Little John lived here in the past and it is also claimed that his hat and bow hung in the porch of Hathersage church, I have also found a place called Robin Hood on my road map which is about 5 miles away, is this further evidence to support the fact that Robin and Little John were no strangers to this area? Also there are said to be two wells bearing the names of Robin Hood and Little John near Longshaw Lodge above Hathersage!
The headstone marking Little John's grave. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
This centre stone is said to record that the grave is under the care of the Ancient Order of Foresters. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
Did little John's hat and bow hang in the porch of Hathersage church up until the 17th century? Photo by Gary Tacagni.
