The northern boundary of the Royal Forest of the Peak is shown by the main road at the top of the picture (Woodhead Pass) while Tideswell and Buxton some 47 miles to the south mark the southern boundary. East to west is 19 miles making 900 square miles, such was the size of the Royal Forest compared to Sherwood's 200 square miles and Barnsdale's 30 square miles.

The eastern boundary was the Derwent Valley which formed the Bradfield/Loxley boundary showing how easy it was for Robin Hood to hunt in the King's Royal Forest and when Dodsworth tells us he fled to the woods when he was outlawed this may be where he naturally turned. Heading north along the Derwent Valley took him to Clifton-upon-Calder. 

The River Derwent flows through Hathersage into the River Trent and on to Nottingham. The western boundary of the Royal Forest is off the map as is the southern boundary also. The Sheriff of Nottingham was responsible for this large royal forest where he had his castle at Castleton.

The Sloane Manuscript says 'Robin Hood was born in Locksley, Yorkshire which some say was in Nottinghamshire.' This has caused misunderstanding until we realise there was a boundary dispute that wasn’t resolved till the reign of Elizabeth I. A ditch across the Hallam Moors finally marked the boundary between Hathersage and Bradfield (Loxley) and a measure of the accuracy of the manuscript can be gained from the author’s obvious knowledge of the dispute.

The Northumbrian/Mercian boundary is the river Don and the brown line parallel to it is a modern railway line. The large area of woodland to the right of the Railway Line is Sir Walter Scott's Wharncliffe Side, it is dense forest and may be larger than Barnsdale, it is interesting to consider how far it extended in Robin Hood's day. Mercia where we find Nottingham came to Sheffield City Centre (the Meersbrook) and the Sheriff of Nottingham was active in modern Sheffield which then was in the ‘Shire of the Deer’ or Derbyshire as we know it today. By way of illustration in 1173 AD Robert Fitz Ranulf who was a Sheriff of Nottingham built Beauchief Abbey with its splendid Deer Park. The Abbey was given over to the White Canons of Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire and later the Abbey Lands including Strawberry Lee came into the possession of Sir Nicholas Strelley whose family were from Nottingham and were the verderer's for Sherwood and Peak Forest. The consequence was that near Loxley, on land that belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham, was the "Royal Forest of the Peak" along with the magnificent Deer Park of Beauchief Abbey and it is easy to imagine the wrath of the monks and the sheriff who would be united against Robin Hood's poaching/hunting activities.

Picture: Derwent Reservoir which was Royal Forest. Yorkshire's Bradfield and Loxley are on the right hand bank and the old Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire is on the left.