The Forest of East Derbyshire was, in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, an area of wooded heath between the rivers Derwent and the Erewash in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. Unlike the

Forest of High Peak The Forest of High Peak was, in medieval times, a moorland forest covering most of the north west of Derbyshire, England, extending as far south as Tideswell and Buxton. From the time of the Norman Conquest it was established as a royal hunting ...

and

Duffield Frith Duffield Frith was, in medieval times, an area of Derbyshire in England, part of that bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers (or Ferrars) by King William, controlled from his seat at Duffield Castle. From 1266 it became part of the Duchy of Lancaster ...

it was not taken over by

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, but became a royal forest in the reign of Henry II. Stretching as it did over practically the whole length of the present-day county it was much larger than the other two. Bordering on

Sherwood Forest Sherwood Forest is a royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England, famous because of its historic association with the legend of Robin Hood. The area has been wooded since the end of the Last Glacial Period (as attested by pollen sampling cor ...

, it made a continuous area stretching from the River Derwent to the

Trent Trent may refer to: Places Italy * Trento in northern Italy, site of the Council of Trent United Kingdom * Trent, Dorset, England, United Kingdom Germany * Trent, Germany, a municipality on the island of Rügen United States * Trent, California, ...

. The custodians were the Cauz family of Laxton in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, who had inherited it from

Geoffrey Alselin ''Geoffrey Alselin'' was an Anglo-Norman, who at some time after the Norman conquest of England received Elvaston, Derbyshire and Laxton, Nottinghamshire. Alselin began the construction of the motte-and-bailey castle that stood at Laxton, Nottingh ...

who was related by marriage to Gerard de Normanville, who it is believed had been made custodian of Sherwood Forest by William I. Matilda de Cauz had married Ralph fitzStephen,

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

to Henry II. On his death in 1202, King John seized the manor of Laxton and her custodianship of the forest, which were restored to her in 1217 after his death. Custodianship of Sherwood Forest passed to John de Birkin, then to his son, and finally by marriage to Robert de Everingham. However, in 1225 East Derbyshire was disafforested. It may be about this time that William de Ferrers II extended Duffield Frith to the east of the River Derwent to build a new hunting lodge at Belper.

References

Turbutt, Gladwyn (1999) ''A History of Derbyshire. Volume 2: Medieval Derbyshire,'' Cardiff: Merton Priory Press {{coord, 53.0241, -1.4814, display=title, region:GB, format=dms History of Derbyshire

Forests and woodlands of Derbyshire