Sir Gosseline Denville was an English outlaw. He was much like Robin Hood in the respect that he took from the rich; unfortunately he also took from the poor, he was basically an anti-Robin. Sir Gosseline’s father was a great knight, steadfast in battle and loyal to the king, and because of this he became very rich. When he passed away however, his son Gosseline squandered his wealth on gambling, drink, lavish parties, women and things generally of that nature. After he had spent all of his money, he started a reign of terror in the North of England. He was feared by many, and soon gathered a band of ruthless outlaws like himself to do his bidding.
Sir Gosseline only attacked easy targets, and weather they were rich or poor did not seem to matter. Churches, farms, monasteries, convents, small villages and unwary travellers were all at risk from Sir Gosseline and his band of thieves and cut-throats.
The King charged the Sheriff of York to utterly destroy Denville and his men, before he became too powerful.
Sir Gosseline was cornered in the Dales of Yorkshire by the Sheriff and 600 men. The Sheriff attacked time and time again, but the men under Denville, only two or three score though they be, put the longbow to good effect. After two days of solid defence Sir Gosseline and his men were finally overcome. The Sheriff recaptured most of the stolen wealth, and returned it to the King and the church, but in the fight for it he lost over 200 men, mainly due to the longbow, which goes to show how effective this weapon was.
So, in the end the dastardly Sir Gosseline got a taste of his own medicine.