The Barnsdale Secret : Robin Hood, the Forgotten Forest of Barnsdale and the Lost King of the North

by Jonathan Pile (c) 2017

Book soon to be published  in 2018 on Amazon.com

Robin Hood was a Yorkshireman. He took refuge in the famous forest of Barnsdale, and lived there for 22 years. He ambushed corrupt bishops, gave money to a needy knight and led a band of outlaws. But where exactly is Barnsdale ? And what is it's role in History.

Everyone thinks that they know the story of Robin Hood. A legendary Southern Earl who fought Bad King John and lived as an Outlaw in Sherwood Forest to be pardoned by Good King Richard. As many of us know that is a Tudor corruption of the story to make Robin Hood less of a rebellious Northern Folk Hero and more part of the mainstream narrative of the English Story. Thanks to the Yorkshire Antiquarian the Reverend Hunter we now know that Robin Hood was a real person who lived in Yorkshire, not Nottinghamshire. He was a Yeoman, son of a forester. He visited Sherwood and Cumbria but he was born, lived and died a hunted Outlaw but a free man in Yorkshire.

Barnsley and Barnsdale

It seems that no-one has ever made a connection between the name Barnsdale (Bernysdale) and Barnsley (Berneslai) only 8 miles apart ! : The first is the valley of "Beorn or Bear" and the second the "clearing in the wood of Beorn or Bear". I suggest that Barnsdale Forest stretches to Barnsley (and beyond) and that the river valley that Barnsdale describes is actually the Dearne Valley. 

The Famous Forest of Barnsdale

When Roman Emperor Julius Caesar first invaded Britain in 55BC he .exclaimed that Britain was “one horrible forest” The Forestry Commission estimate that the Holocene Wildwood was about 60% of Britain in 1000 BC and by the 1066 Norman Conquest it was reduced to 15%. In some parts of England, the Weald it was 70%. In Scotland the Great Caledonian Forest was extensive. A similar picture existed in Wales and the North, especially poor soils too heavy or rocky for the plough. The Romans cleared trees around roads and forts for protection from attack, but the dark ages saw reforrestation in parts of the North to match depopulation.

Robert Hood was born in Sheffield in the Village of Loxley in about 1290 AD. He moved to Wakefield with his father Adam Hood, a forrester and he married Matilda of Woolley at Wragby in 1315. He held the Manor of Wragby and in 1316 built a 5 room town house at Bichill in Wakefield. He was a great archer and must have competed in the Butts Archery tournament held at the Annual Fair in Merrie Wakefield, famous for it's public houses and festivities around this fair. Robert probably had a family with Matilda, he could read and write as he attended the school in Wakefield. Things then took a turn for the worse. In 1317 an aristocratic feud led to the Earl of Lancaster attacking and taking Sandal Castle. As reparations he was given Wakefield Manor and Sandal and Conisburgh Castles. He raises an army against the disliked King Edward II, including 1,000 archers with 100 from Wakefield, probably led by Robert Hood. Lancaster assembled his rebel army at Pontefract, marches south, retreats to Doncaster and while fleeing North is ambushed at Boroughbridge on March 16^th 1322. He is captured and executed , his lands are forfeit and those of bound by feudal loyalty also, including Robert Hood who is forced from his Wakefield Home and Manor House in Wragby. He seeks refuge in the great forest of Barnsdale. Matilda may have been forced to live with relatives in Woolley.

Danish Dales, Anglo-Saxon Valleys

The Viking Old Norse “dalr” meaning valley is used over Scandinavia. From this word comes Dale, and interestingly the River Names are Celtic, so Aire is from “Isara” Strong River, Calder meaning violent,rough water, Derwent from “Derva” Oak, Don from “Dana” ,Celtic Dun = fort, Wen = white, Nan=elm, ard=forest, Chevin= Ridge, so the Dearne – is similar to Oak. So Barnsdale is the Viking Valley of the Bernician Angles, whereas the Dearne Valley is the English valley of Deiran Angles. The Royd also was a clearing in the woodland.

Bernicia – the Northern Northumbrian Kingdom

It is suggested that Bernicia is derived from Briganticia (Brigantes) covering the North, while the Southern Northumbrian Kingdom of Deira – from the British Dobriu – the land of many rivers. These conquered Elmet & Craven in the 7^th Century. It is also hypoticated that this Bernicia occurs in Old Welsh poetry as Bryneich or Brynaich and in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum, (§ 61) as Berneich or Birneich. This was most likely the name of the native Brittonic kingdom, whose name was then adopted by the Anglian settlers who rendered it in Old english as Bernice or Beornice. So the Anglian form of Bryneich : a British kingdom of the old North. So Barnsdale is linked to Bernicia.

Deira (Old English: Derenrice or Dere) was a Celtic kingdom first recorded (but much older) by the Anglo-Saxons in 559AD and lasted til 664 AD. [1] in Northern England that was first recorded when Anglian warriors invaded the Derwent Valley in the third quarter of the fifth century.[2] It extended from the Humber to the Tees, and from the sea to the western edge of the Vale of York. It later merged with the kingdom of Bernicia, its northern neighbour, to form the kingdom of Northumbria.

Bernesdale :The Valley of the Bear/ Bear-Warrior

That is the Anglo-Saxon translation for Bernesdale. In Switzerland, the City of Berne is named for it's worship of the Celtic Bear deity. Historians felt that Barnsdale was a wooded or heath area of 50 square miles between Badsworth, Pontefract, Skellow and Wentbridge. However Leyland describes the Famous forest of Barnsdale, and it is the contention of this author along with others before that the Forest of Barnsdale existed as an Anglo-Saxon forest in size rivaling Sherwood in extent, so vast that it is chronicled that in 1194 that Richard the Lionheart was hunting a hart in Royal Sherwood who escaped into Barnsdale. This story from the records of Nottingham Castle of the Hart Royal identifies that Richard had a proclamation in the Yorkshire settlement of Tunhill in Barnsdale to protect the Hart. The only candidate for Tunhill, is Tunhill in Kexbrough near Barnsley, which shows that in 1194 Barnsdale reached as far South of an enlarged Sherwood and East of Barnsley.

An alternative version of this attributes the source and identified Tickhill as where the proclamation point which places Barnsdale and Sherwood south and North of established boundaries.

Manwood’s Treatise of the Forest Laws (1598) that mentioned Richard the Lionheart hunting in Sherwood Forest:

“I have seen many ancient records in the tower of Nottingham Castle very badly kept, and scarce legible; in which Castle the Court is usually kept for Peverill-Fee: Amongst which it appears, that in the year 1194, King Richard being hunting in Sherwood Forest, did chase a hart out of the forest into Barnsdale into Yorkshire; and because he could not recover him, he made a proclamation at Tickhill in Yorkshire, and at several other places thereabout, that no person should kill, hurt or chase the said Hart; and this was afterwards called a Hart-Royal Proclaim’d.”

( John Manwood d.1610)

Barnsley, Barnby Dun, Barnburgh

All of these Anglo-Saxon settlements share Barnsdale's name yet, no connection has been made between the names. I contend that in fact the Valley of the Bear/Bear-Warrior is in fact the Dearne Valley and Went Valleys which are bordered by the Airedale, Calderdale & Don Valley. There is a linguistic similarity into Bernedale and Dearnedale, and as Barnsley lies on the Dearne, and that Barnby Dun (Barnby upon Don) and Barnburgh all form the boundaries of the Great Forest. Barnsley means Wood Clearing of the Bear/Bear-Warrior. Now there are two interesting strands for why the settling Anglo-Saxons would have called this forest Bear Wood or Bear-Warrior Wood. The Survival of Forest Bears into Roman times is documented, they were hunted in Scotland and imported into the Roman Empire but small survival groups may have lingered in a great forest bordering the Pennines, with plentiful caves. In Sheffield, Loxley attributed as the Birthplace of Robin Hood is named after the Lynx which was extinct in England in 1700. The area of West Yorkshire was a British Kingdom of Elmet until it finally was subdued. It may well be that the Anglo-Saxon word of Berne for Bear is more closely and better described by it's Celtic origin or Artus – or Arthur – Bear-Warrior. It has been recently suggested that Camelot might have been based at Huddersfield around the Roman fort of Slack, I would point to the location of Badsworth being a potential location for the Battle of Badon. But more of King Arthur later. But the British sub-Roman Kingdom of Elmet might well have been linked to the Arthur legend and the contested forest area of Barnsdale might have carried the name of Bear Warrior by the Anglo-Saxon settlers. Also of interest is Berry Brow near Huddersfield with it's legend of Deadmanstone. Antiquarians considered the Huddersfield Iron Age fort at Castle Hill to be either Camelot or a Brigantian fortress, and the name Huddersfield a corruption of Uthersfield, Uther Pendragon being the father of Arthur. There are contenders for King Arthur among the British Kings of Elmet or British Bernicia, such as Arthwys of Elmet. The Bythronic name for Arthur is Arto-rig-ios “Bear King”

Barnside in Holmfirth

The Wakefield Court Rolls show that in 1274 this case came from "HOLNE--Richard de Rodes gives 2 s to have license of concord with Elias del Barneside in a complaint that he called him a robber; pledge, Richard the Grave.

The same Richard de Rodes gives 2 s. to have license of concord with Thomas son of Elias del Barnedeside in the same plea. Same pledge.

Elias del Barnedeside and Thomas his son give 2 s. to have license of concord with Richard de Rodes Same pledge.

William son of William, one of the ilnquiisition presented at the preceding Court, as there appears pays fine of 4 s pledge Richard the Grave.

Presented by Thomas de Fenton, the forester, that a stag was found killed in the forest. An inquisition was held thereupon by the townships of Holne Alstanley, Thwnge and Cartewrth who are on their oath that they know not who is guilty thereof but that they believe that the stag was wounded outside the liberty of the Earl and then entered the liberty, and died of the wound The flesh is putrid."

Barnsdale and Elmet

'This hilly limestone region, between the Wharfe and the Aire, was once a great forest of elm-trees. It was the Elmet of remote times...' So Elmet was indeed an elm forest. The modern Welsh word for elm is 'llwyfen' ('llwyfanen'). The 'f' in the word was once an 'm', and the 'll' was once a single 'l', giving 'lwymen', a sequence similar to the Irish Gaelic. But modern Welsh is descended from Gaulish speech, not from Belgic, so perhaps the Belgic used a German loan word. Combine the two parts above and Elmet would mean simply 'elm forest'. 

Forested areas under estimated by modern analysts

Modern analysis of woodland coverage largely based on woodland pasture recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book has suggested only 15% forest cover in Medieval England, while analysis of Anglo-Saxon/Danish Placenames mapped with this shows larger coverage in earlier times and perhaps a significant under estimate of woodland cover, only listing woodland that had been put to management. While clearly there had been deforestation of areas relating to specific agriculture in Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Times, specific soil and Rock deposits which favoured tree cover rather than agriculture  means that concentration of woodland landscapes persisted in areas like the Weald, the Chilterns and Barnsdale as well as those protected Royal Forests such as Sherwood. Just as it was a gross simplification to think that Prehistoric Britain was Wildwood, so too a simplification to class all of Medieval England as managed agriculture or managed woodland.

Barnsdale and the Battle of Brunanburh

Historian Michael Wood has identified Robin Hood's Well as the site of the 937 Battle of Brunanburh which he translates as the battle of Bruna's Fort - Bruin being "brown" and linked to "Bear". This most important battle of English History highlights the importance of Barnsdale Forest and the Great North Road (A1) in History. 
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/was-doncaster-lay-by-site-of-a-bloody-battle-that-saved-england-from-the-vikings-1-000-years-ago-1-8869176

Just how big was Barnsdale?

In short at one time bigger than Sherwood, and once part of a great forest which included Sherwood. The Antiquarian Writer John Leland did a tour of Yorkshire in 1553 wrote that travelling South of Sherburn in Elmet "along the left hand  three miles betwixt Milburne and Ferrybridge I saw the wooded and famous forest of Barnesdale where Robin Hood lived as an outlaw". This puts Barnesdale north of the River Aire, and occupying the forest which the British had called Elmet.

The Southern Limit of Barnsdale in 1194 was as far south at Tickhill Castle, as identified in the chasing of a Stag from Sherwood by Richard the Lionheart. 

I would point to the Anglo-Saxon settlement names of -Leah which marks a clearing into the wood, ie a deforrested area cut into a forest.

Barnsdale is marked on the outskirts by Wolmersley, Whitley, Knottingley, Arksley, Bentley, Cadeby, Wheatley,Tankersley, Barnsley, Ardsley,Woolley, Midgley, Emley, Whitley, Shelley, Shepley, Wortley, Wadsley, Loxley, Bramley, Tinsley, Wickersley. Even these Anglo-Saxon settlements were once part of the uncleared great forest in Roman and Celtic Britain and formed part of the pre-neolithic great Wildwood. Certainly at the time of Robin Hood in 1322, it was much diminished because it lacked the Royal protection that was granted to Sherwood. But certainly it ws large enough and wild enough to offer safe haven for an outlaw for 22 years. At Nostell, St Oswald's Wood which gave rise to Nostell Priory is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having woodland pasture 1 league (3 miles) long and 1 league wide.

In 1086 both Forests were granted to Roger de Busli, who then gave over the Southern portion closest to Nottingham (Sherwood) to be enclosed Royal Forest while Barnsdale was gradually deforrested over the next centuries.

John Leland in 1533 travelling through Yorkshire noted that "betwixt Cawoode and Rotheram be good plenti of wood, yet the people burne much yerth cole, bycawse hit is plentifully found ther, and sold good chepe" while travelling South from Pontefract he noted "From Pontfraict to St. Oswauls, [d] a veri fair and wel buildid howse of chanons, iii. mile be much woddy grounde. Atte St. Oswalds is a mervelus fair conduct of water and castelid hard againe the front of the howse. The soile therabout riche of wood, pasture and corne."

Forests in Henry II Patent Rolls 

Further evidence for Barnsdale can be found in the Book the Royal Forests of England which mentions the Wakefield Forest in the reign of Henry II

The Hound Hunting wood ?

The berner (bernarius] was the title of the man in charge of 
running hounds ;

Survey of Game in Forests

In 1538-9, an interesting return was made of all the "kinge 
his game," both red and fallow, north of the Trent, arranged 
under counties and parks (Misc. Bks. 77). The parks of the 
duchy are not included. 

Nottingham. 

Bestwood Park . . 700 fallow, 140 red. 

Clypston Park . . 60 ,, 20 ,, 

Grynley Park . . 150 ,, 

Sherwood Forest . . about 1,000 red. 

Yorkshire. 

Galtres Forest . . 800 fallow. 

Haitfeld Chase . . 700 red. 

Gredling Park . . 60 fallow. 

Pontefract Park . . 434 ,, 

Wakefield New Park . 200 ,, 

Ackworth Park . . 21 ,, 

Rypax Park . . . 45 ,, 

Eltoftes Park . . 15 ,, 

Wakefield Old Park . 40 ,, 

Conisborough Park . . 440 ,, 

Raskell Park . . 120 ,, 

Bristwick Park . . 160 ,, 

Likenfeld Park . . 429 ,, 

76 



LATER FOREST HISTORY 

Yorkshire continued. 

Calton Park . . 30 fallow. 

Wressel Park . . 50 ,, 

Newsome Park . . 72 ,, 17 red. 

Topcliff Great Park . . 435 ,, 

Topcliff Little Park . . 247 ,, 

Spofforth Park . 175 ,, 

Wensdale Forest . . 610 ,, 60 red. 

Pickering Forest . . 140 ,, 50 ,, 

The Last Wolf and Wild Boar killed 

The last documented Wolf was killed in 1400 at John of Gaunt Hill from Leeds to Pontefract, the last Wild Boar was killed by John of Gaunt at Stye Hill at Rothwell in 1350.

Bernesdale - linked to British Saint Brynach or Irish Druid Warrior Brennach 

The Link to the Northern British Kingdom of Brynaich  may also have a connection with the 6th Century British Celtic Church Saint Brynach who is linked in Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain to Brennach the Irishman of the North [of Britain] who was given an Eagle, his name being based on the Irish Bernach and may be identified with Fernach the Irish Cheiftain who came from Ireland into Wales. https://tinyurl.com/ya72ajda

The Battle of the Trees

In the Welsh poems , Gydion the magician wins the battle of Cad Godden through sorcery getting the trees to win the battle at Caer Venir

Adams Oak

The Giant Oak tree at Ringston Hill marking the boundary between Brierley and South Kirkby stood in 1854 with a girth of 27 feet making it 675 years old, and a tree that Robin Hood would have known traversing to Sherwood Forest from Barnsdale. This was a notorious meeting place for footpads and outlaws. In the 1680's the owner of the Inn at the foot of the hill Adam Hawsworth had his pub sign removed for giving sanctuary to a highwayman, would be Robin Hood called Nevison in the time of Charles II.

The Cat and the Man

In Barnburgh, there is a monument to the Knight who was ambushed by a Lynx in the 15^th Century heavily wooded area around Barnburgh, he managed to kill the lynx before he died.

Barnsdale's Strategic Position

Robin Hood was able to use Barnsdale's Strategic position to prey upon the rich clergy travelling up and down the Great North Road (A1) but the forest communities across Barnsdale offered sanctuary. Only the Castles of Pontefract, Sandall and Conisburgh upheld the Kings Law, along with Towns like Wakefield. Barnsdale could allow access to Sherwood and also the Peak District and Pennines and to Inglewood in Cumbria, and the sea at Robin Hood's Bay. Barnsdale was the location for many strategic battles , such as Badon in 540, Beranburgh in 936, & Wakefield in 1460. In all these occasions the ability of the winning side to hide troops in the forest played a key part in the victory.

The Sherriff of Nottingham and Yorkshire

At the time of Robin Hood, events led to the Sherriff of Nottingham having his writ extended into Yorkshire, much to the resentment of the people of the Shire.

Hooten Pagnell & Hooton Roberts, Hooten Leveritt, Hooton Stanton

These Domesday Book villages in the West Riding may have given the surname to Robin Hood to denote his family came from these villages ie Robert of Hooton

Which Robin Hood ?

Archives show a number of people who were called Robert Hode or Robin Hood. We know that by 1377 - the Legend of Robin Hood was a popular working class story to tell. The dating from the Chroniclers places Robin Hood around 1160 or 1220. A Yorkshire record places a Robin Hood in 1225. However the Gest of Robin places him in the Reign of  King Edward. If we are to accept that Robin Hood was a champion archer skilled in the Longbow in the reign of Edward, so we have to date him from 1280-1300 or later because the Welsh Longbow was not adopted by the English Army until after the conquest of Wales. So Clearly the Wakefield Robin born in 1290 and listed in the Court Rolls fits this criteria, the strongest. Clearly the Richard the Lionheart and King John story line feeds into the false idea of a Southern aristocratic Robin Hood generated by Anti-Yorkshire, Anti-Catholic Elizabethan Spymaster Playwright who manufactures Robert of Huntingdon. The  Golden Age of the Longbow was from 1280-1450, which runs the Reigns of the 3 Edwards 1272-1377.


Robin Hood's Brother ?

The miraculously survived Wakefield Court Rolls stretching from 1274-1925 show that Robert Hood was a Yorkshire man who lived at Wakefield, son of a forrester Adam Hood. He may have had a brother Peter Hode who was fined 12d along with William Whighe at in  November 1332 for "shedding the blood of William Capon & Thomas Fogauld" (Wakefield Rolls) while his brother Robert Hode was fined 2d for "not coming to the Town" on 25 October 1331.

Lower Domesday Population levels show Forrestation

By comparing average population counts from the Domesday Book of 1086 with three existing forests of the New Forest, Sherwood Forest and the Chilterns Forest we can see that population levels are comparible with Forested landscapes, in fact Barnsdale at 6.2 households per settlement has a lower level than Sherwood (10.8) & Chilterns (28.1) with only the densely forested New Forest at 5.5 having lower population counts.

Anglo Saxon Wood names show forrestation

If a population comparison is made between Wooded areas in the Chiltern Hills and Sherwood, the wooded villages in Barnsdale have lower population levels in 1086 than these recognised wooded and Forested areas. For example ; in the Chilterns, Wigginton (12) Pendley (7),Aldbury (15), Wendover (33), Tring (62), Great Missenden (12), Berkhamsted (88), Chesham (59), Amersham (43), High Wycombe (60), Desborough (444), Great Hampden (6), Marlow (107). In Sherwood, Nottingham had a population of 165, while Clipstone (15), Edwinstowe (5), Rufford (10) and Bilsthorpe (19)

Woodland Pasture in the Domesday Book

The Domesday book records many villages in Barnsdale with greater woodland cover than comparible Forest Villages in Sherwood. For example at Nostell Priory in Barnsdale the woodland was measured at stretching from 1 league in length by 1 league in Width. This is double the amount at Edwinstowe which was half a league by half a league.

HS2 and Robin Hood's Forests in Barnsdale and Sherwood

Now in the Twenty-first century Robin Hood's communities face a threat from the South that looks a lot like the Norman Yoke. People forced from their lands, destruction, taxes and poverty visited upon the yeomanry. Ancient Woodland which formed part of Barnsdale and Sherwood faces destruction from High Speed Two which has been moved East to the Heart of Barnsdale and affects the Western Part of Historic Sherwood. Once again, the modern Sheriffs of Nottingham are pushing this unwanted villainy against the common people. The Barnsdale wood of Robin Wood in Robin Lane is directly affected by HS2

The Local importance of St Helen

There are parish churches at Barnburgh, Burghwallis, Sandal Magna and Hemsworth dedicated to this Saint.

Barnsdale and the Battle of Wakefield

In 1460 the famous Wars of Roses Battle of Wakefield at Sandal Castle was in part the result of the remaining forest cover, playing a part - remembered in the rhyme "the grand of duke of York" where Richard Duke of York took his men out of the castle to be ambushed by the Lancastrians who used the forest cover to hide their true strength. An Elizabethan Sketch of Sandal Castle shows the local tree cover.

Mapping Barnsdale from 16th Century Maps 

It can be seen from this 1583 map of Yorkshire that the forest south of the River Went was cleared between 1323 and 1583 but that much woodland cover existed between the Went and the Aire and between the Skell and the Dearne/Don. At one time according to report in 1194, Barnsdale and Sherwood were co-joined at Tickhill. These two forests form part of the earlier Celtic Forest of Elmet. Clearly the guesses of antiquarians that Barnsdale was just a small wooded area between Badsworth, Hampole and Wentbridge doesn't begin to do justice to Robin Hood's famous forest and perhaps an earlier Celtic Forest with links to King Arthur of the North.

Conclusion

The Great Forest of Barnsdale played a vital part in English History which has been overlooked by London-centric historians. It not only was the birthplace and hiding place for Robin Hood and his Merry Men (from Merry Wakefield) but also the stronghold of the British Resistance in the North to the invading Angles then Vikings over the Dark Ages. The Lost King of the North, the Legendary King Arthur was remembered by the later Germanic and Scandinavian settlers who named the forest in this honour, taking also the name for the Angle Kingdom of Bernicia. Great battles were fought at Wakefield and BurghWallis and it may well be that Badsworth is the fabled Mount Badon where Arthur won his great victory before defeat at Camlann. But sadly the Great Forest was not given the protection from the Norman conquerors after 1066, and unlike Sherwood was gradually deforrested in Tudor Times. While the real story of Robin Hood was stolen to suit the Tudor political agenda centred on Southern Power. The wicked Clergy would be despoiled by the King and the Monasteries destroyed but Barnsdale and the Arthurian Legend was woven into the Tudor Welsh Rose of Lancaster and York.

Writers have guessed at Barnsdale size being 15-30 square miles while Sherwood was 250 square miles, in fact perhaps 450 square miles - the core being South of the Aire and Calder and North of the Dearne and the Don. But it did stretch North and South of these rivers too.