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Now Mar-ga-ret confesses 
What went on between David and she
While Edmund was crusading
Blessed Be.
If Marg'ret's got her dates straight
In first series Guy is only three
No wonder he throws tantrums
Blessed Be.
Blessed Be, Blessed Be, Blessed Be, Blessed Be
He's just acting his a-ge
Blessed Be.

~ As impressive as Sir Guy's knightly wardrobe is, parts of it are actually over a century out of date. His hauberk and nasal helmet date back to the Battle of Hastings. By the 1180s at least, his helmet would have been less conical and more round, with a larger nasal bar.

He also wears stockings, when his legs and feet should have been protected by chainmail by the 1180s as well. Sir Guy's chainmail gloves weren't developed until around 1225. In reality, he should probably be sporting a pair of chainmail mittens.

---

~ In "The Witch of Elsdon," the Sheriff sarcastically hails Gisburne as the "Flower of Chivalry" when the knight marches into the great hall resplendent in his armour. However, it was Edward III who probably first earned this epithet, a king who didn't reign until more than a century after this story took place (1327-1377).

---

~ The most painfully obvious glitch is one which most ROS fans know about already, chronology. In the third season episode, "The Cross of St. Ciricus," Lady Margaret of Gisburne sets the whole RoS timeline askew -- in terms of her son anyway.

She makes her confession to Tuck, divulging the following details. When her husband, Edmond of Gisburne, went off on the Crusades (1190), she was still childless. She learned of Edmond's death that December (I'm assuming it was that December!) and acted accordingly.

In April of 1191, she married David of Huntington secretly and Guy was conceived. If they were married in April, the earliest time Guy could have been born was December 1191, or perhaps even January 1192. Why is this important? Why should we care?

The very first episode of Robin of Sherwood, "Robin Hood and the Sorcerer," begins in 1195. With the date of conception Lady Margaret gave, Gisburne would have only been three when the first series began!

---

~ This mix up in chronology leads to all kinds of interesting anomolies. In "The Children of Israel," the following exchange takes place between the Sheriff and Gisburne:

   SHERIFF:  You're too young to remember King
             Richard's coronation, aren't you?
   GISBURNE: No, my lord.  I was there with my
             father.

Gisburne's response should really have been: "Yes, my lord. I wasn't even conceived until after the coronation."

The fact that Gisburne even meets King Richard as an adult ("The King's Fool") is even more bizarre. King Richard died in 1199 when Guy would have been no older than seven or eight.

With this fact in mind, how does one explain Gisburne's presence in the hall when Prince John receives news of Richard's death in "The Prophecy?" Did a mature-looking eight-year-old lead the cheer of "God save King John!"?

---

I could probably go on, but then I risk making some glitches myself (assuming I haven't already!). In case you're wondering where I got my information on Gisburne's armour and Edward III's nickname, check out Andrea Hopkins' Knights: The Complete Story of the Age of Chivalry from Historical Fact to Tales of Romance and Poetry. The back flap of the book only describes Ms. Hopkins as a "leading scholar of the Middle Ages." I can't vouch for her veracity or credentials. I'm obviously NOT a historical scholar myself...Can you tell?