麻豆社

Sherwood in the traditional era of Robin Hood was never the impenetrable jungle often portrayed in film and television; it was a managed purposely-developed area to suit the King's hunting forays and in addition give a financial return through its resources.

The word 'forest' was a legal term brought over by the Norman-French and applied to a special area containing not just woodlands, but lakes, rivers, streams, moor and heath.

However, within Sherwood - as there are today - deeper and darker spots existed. These areas were popular with outlaws and robbers as they offered concealment from the authorities, who would have to commit men and resources to finding them.

If a threat remained small, it was often more convenient for the Royal Forest administration and the Sheriff to ignore it.

The establishment of monasteries in the Royal Forest from 1088 to 1189 based themselves in the wool trade and their growing prosperity was targeted by outlaws until the complaints from priors and abbots forced the Sheriff to do something about it.

Most medieval outlaws were captured through being betrayed by someone they knew rather than being hunted out by the Sheriff's men.

The Foresters and Rangers knew their forest 'keepings' very well - if any band of itinerant outlaws tried to settle and feed themselves out of it they would very quickly be noticed by a regular patrol.

Surviving in Sherwood would be very difficult on a 12-month basis - but never impossible. Stone Age man did it with far less knowledge and tools than a medieval outlaw would have access to.

Sherwood Forest along with Nottingham are two of the four main places mentioned in the oldest Robin Hood ballads and stories; today known world-wide as being synonymous with the famous English outlaw, Robin Hood.

Blacke Dickon's tour of Robin Hood's county

One of the Sherwood Foresters, Blacke Dickon, takes us to Sherwood Forest.

Blacke Dickon: "In front of me is what would have been the deepest, darkest part of Sherwood Forest. If half a dozen men didn't want to be found in there a 1000 men wouldn't be able to find 'em."