22/03/2026
"The Waits and Robin Hood: A Surname’s Journey into Legend"
Your surname can open a door to the past. Mine—“Wait”—derives from the medieval waits, England’s official town musicians from the 13th to 17th centuries, who served civic leaders as night watchmen and later as performers at festivals, public occasions, and especially Christmas; the name likely comes from the Old French guet, meaning “watch.” So it was a genuine surprise to uncover a connection to Robin Hood, a legend that has fascinated me since childhood. The earliest known reference to a Robin Hood play appears in Exeter in 1427, where civic records note a small payment to performers staging the tale during celebrations for the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist (24 June), likely before the mayor, his household, and council, with music provided by the waits. The following year, another payment records a performance—again involving the waits—outside the mayor’s house, then owned by the merchant Thomas Eston, probably a lively retelling of Robin Hood and his companions, rewarded with a modest fee.
