Sherwood Forest | |
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![]() Sherwood Forest | |
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Geography | |
Location | Nottinghamshire, England |
Coordinates | 53°12′16.09″N 1°4′21.94″W / 53.2044694°N 1.0727611°W |
Sherwood Forest is the remnants of an ancient royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England, having a historic association with the legend of Robin Hood.
The area has been wooded since the end of the Last Glacial Period (as attested by pollen sampling cores). Today, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve encompasses 424.75 hectares (1,049.6 acres),[1] surrounding the village of Edwinstowe and the site of Thoresby Hall. Its name is derived from its status as the shire (or sher) wood of Nottinghamshire, which extended into several neighbouring counties (shires), bordered to the west by the River Erewash and the Forest of East Derbyshire.
When the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, the forest covered perhaps a quarter of Nottinghamshire (approximately 19,000 acres or 7,800 hectares) in woodland and heath subject to the forest laws. The forest gives its name to the Parliamentary constituency of Sherwood Forest (formerly Sherwood before the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies).[2]
Mansfield anciently became the pre-eminent in importance among the towns of the Forest.[3]