E X T EFrankenstein N S I O N BARNSDALE, SHERWOOD FOREST AND THE ROYAL FOREST Most of the Robin Hood stories are set in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire and Barnsdale, South Yorkshire. The earliest ballads place Robin in Barnsdale. It is 8 miles northwest of Doncaster, along the Great North Road. It was only a small (about five miles square), lightly wooded area that was never legally a forest. It was famous, though, in the Middle Ages because of the numerous robbers who waylaid1 travellers on the Great North Road. There isn t much to see there now that can remind2 us of Robin Hood, except for Wentbridge, a small medieval village, which is mentioned in the tales. Later ballads place Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, which, conversely, was one of the most famous forests in England. The first historical records of Sherwood date back to 958; after the Norman Conquest, Sherwood was designated as a royal forest and was most favoured by English kings in the XIII and XIV centuries. King John and his successors, Henry III, who probably reigned during Robin s supposed lifetime, and the three Edwards used to go hunting in Sherwood. Edward I probably even held a parliament there. One of the tourist attractions in Sherwood Forest now is a massive oak tree3, the Major Oak, which is known as the place where Robin and his men held council. In reality, the oak can t be more than 500600 years old and, therefore, its connection with Robin Hood is impossible; it is, anyway, worth4 seeing it. Places such as Robin Hood s Cave and Robin Hood s Stable were named after Robin Hood only later, as their existence can t be traced back5 to the Middle Ages. There are a few surviving monuments, though. One is King John s Palace, built in 1160 and later enlarged by Henry III and Edward I. It was a hunting lodge6 used by the kings when they were in Sherwood. Royal Forests and woodland areas were protected by special laws and those who violated them incurred severe punishment. The Norman conquerors had created a dozen Royal Forests in England: they included woodland, open glades7, wasteland8, 1. 2. 3. 4. waylay: tendere agguati. remind: ricordare. massive oak tree: enorme quercia. be worth: valere la pena. 5. 6. 7. 8. 49 trace back: far risalire. hunting lodge: padiglione di caccia. open glades: radure. wasteland: terre incolte.