author
Joseph Ritson
1752–1803
A sharp-eyed editor of old ballads and legends, this English antiquary helped shape how later readers imagined Robin Hood and other pieces of traditional literature. He was also known for his fierce opinions, exacting scholarship, and unusually early advocacy of vegetarianism.
1 Audiobook
The Office of Bailiff of a Liberty
by Joseph Ritson
About the author
Born at Stockton-on-Tees on October 2, 1752, Joseph Ritson trained for the law and later worked in London as a conveyancer. Alongside that career, he devoted himself to studying older English and Scottish literature, especially ballads, songs, and popular traditions.
Ritson is best remembered for his careful editorial work. He published collections of early poetry and song, and his 1795 Robin Hood collection is often noted as the first scholarly gathering of the outlaw ballads. He earned a reputation for insisting on textual accuracy and for challenging other literary editors when he thought they were careless.
He was also a strikingly unconventional figure. After visiting France in 1791, he became a strong supporter of the French Revolution, and he is frequently remembered as an influential early advocate of vegetarianism. Ritson died on September 23, 1803, but his work continued to matter to later folklorists, ballad scholars, and anyone interested in the survival of popular tradition.