Sherwood Forest is the remnants of an ancient royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England, having a historic association with the legend of Robin Hood.
Sherwood Forest
Robin Hood Statue, Sherwood Forest
King John's Palace
View of the Forest looking northeast
A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood, is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term forest in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the original medieval sense was closer to the modern idea of a "preserve" – i.e. land legally set aside for specific purposes such as royal hunting – with less emphasis on its composition. There are also differing and contextual interpretations in Continental Europe derived from the Carolingian and Merovingian legal systems.
The Royal Forest of Exmoor in Devon. Royal forests do not necessarily include woodland
Medieval forest scene, from the Livre de chasse (1387)
Deer crossing the Long Walk to Windsor Castle
Image: Royal.Forests.1327.1336.annotated