Mansfield

The Miller of Mansfield. Henry II. was one day hunting, and lost his way. He met a miller, who took him home to his cottage, and gave him a bed with his son Richard. Next morning the courtiers tracked the king to the cottage, and the miller discovered the rank of his guest. The king, in merry mood, knighted his host, who thus became Sir John Cockle. On St. George’s Day, Henry II. invited the miller, his wife and son to a royal banquet, and after being amused with their rustic ways, made Sir John “overseer of Sherwood Forest, with a salary of £300 a year.” (Percy: Reliques.)