William of Cloudesley — Archer of Inglewood

The greatest archery test is the one no parent should be asked to attempt.

William of Cloudesley is an extraordinary bowman, an outlaw of Inglewood and a devoted companion to Adam Bell and Clym of the Clough. Confident enough to challenge the finest archers in a royal court, he once proved his skill by splitting an apple placed on his own son’s head. That astonishing shot made his name, but it also reveals his greatest failing: pride can overrule his better judgement. His family now matters more than any purse, pardon or public acclaim.

Appearance and Manner

Broad-backed and steady-handed, Cloudesley wears a weathered green travelling cloak and carries a tall longbow, spare strings, a knife and carefully kept arrows. His eyes measure distances without seeming to, and he listens longer than his companions expect. He is warm with children and old friends, but becomes severe when a stranger threatens his household.

Personality and Motives

Cloudesley is brave, boastful about his marksmanship and fiercely protective of his wife and children. He dislikes corrupt officers and responds poorly to insults against his skill. Goals: Keep his family safe, sustain the Inglewood company and secure fair treatment for those pursued under forest law. Weakness: He may accept a dangerous wager when his pride is challenged. Portrayal: Speak with quiet certainty; weigh the distance to a target before answering; become urgent and unsparing when a child is at risk.

What Is William of Cloudesley Doing Now?

A cruel officer has seized Cloudesley’s youngest boy and announced a public shooting contest. The outlaw knows it is a trap. He needs the party to enter the fortress by a route the officers have overlooked and get every child out alive.

Encounters and Adventure Hooks

• The same arrow that saved a hostage is found lodged in a murdered official a hundred miles away.
• A travelling showman challenges Cloudesley to the apple shot but substitutes a glamour for the true target.
• The sheriff offers to pardon Cloudesley’s family if he betrays Adam Bell before dawn.

Allies and Rivals

Adam Bell and Clym of the Clough share his outlaw oath. His family gives him a reason to take risks and a reason to refuse them. He has allies among woodland households that shelter the company and enemies among foresters, corrupt officers and pursuers who see an outlaw’s family as an easy means of capture. Inglewood Forest conceals their paths.

Equipment and Rewards

Cloudesley carries a longbow, spare strings, a hunting knife, broadhead arrows, a weathered cloak and a carved toy given by his son. In Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e his bow is a masterwork composite longbow rated for a +1 Strength bonus. He can offer guidance through Inglewood, a concealed place to camp, skilled archers as escorts or a favour from the outlaw company; he is cautious about putting his family at risk for strangers.

Other Encounters

Cloudesley can be encountered watching a public archery contest from the shadows instead of competing. A sheriff’s man has put a boy among the targets to provoke him into revealing himself. If the party exposes the trick without shooting, Cloudesley may guide them into Inglewood; if they boast of their own skill, he demands they prove it first by sparing a life.

Connections and Sources

British Isles NPCs · Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough and William of Cloudesley

This NPC is a campaign adaptation. Literary characters, historical individuals from previous centuries, supernatural survivals, game statistics and newly invented events are distinguished in the text.

Mythical and Historical Context

William of Cloudesley belongs to the ballad cycle of Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough and William of Cloudesley, not to a securely documented 1454 outlaw register. The famous apple-shot episode and his devotion to his family come from the legendary tale. Here the outlaw trio are living people in Inglewood, and the dangers of forest law give their heroics immediate consequences. Read about the ballad and its transmission.