It is the Holy Grail of many historians to unearth a famous or infamous ancestor, someone to pep up what might otherwise be a humdrum genealogy. If not the bastard son of a lord or king, then perhaps a murderer or a highwayman, or perhaps a petty felon transported to Australia for his sins.

The reality is that the great majority of us come from humble stock and struggle to trace our ancestors beyond the 1700s simply because their lives were of no great significance in the scheme of things. If we're lucky, we can trace a plausible thread into the 1600s, but only if the family stayed put for long enough and parish records allow.

I say this so that you understand that I am not given to flights of fancy, so when an email droped into my inbox suggesting that my wife's family might be descended from one of the candidates for the Robin Hood legend, well I had the salt cellar handy. But I have recorded the information as it was sent to me that begings with my wife's gg-grandmother, Rebecca Higginbotham, and leads all the way back to the 14th century and Thomas Loxley in 1340.

I have tried to verify the information through the IGI where I could and it has to be said there are odd discrepancies. The most telling for me is William Marshall. There was indeed someone of that name baptised in 1594, but according to the IGI he died two years later. But that said, the IGI also records that a William Marshall married Alice Bromhead at St Nicholas, Bradfield, in 1618.

The Loxley connection is recorded in an 'Account of the Loxleys of Hallamshire' in the Sheffield Archives and the Local Studies Library. The Loxleys of Hallamshire claim descent from the Earl of Huntingdon and also claim Robertus de Loxley, better known as Robin Hood if you believe the legend.

The bloodline is convoluted, so follow the • red dots from Rebecca.