Many ballads were about crime and its punishment, and often told the stories of convicted criminals who were about to be executed and repented for thir sins on the execution scaffold. Over forty ballads were about the folk hero Robin Hood who was praised for his adventurous spirit, his sense of humour and his concern for the poor. Finally, there were ballads recounting historical events,such as battles between the English and the Scots < The Border Ballads > or natural disaster such as shipwrecks and plagues