About Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest 

When one thinks of Sherwood Forest, it’s immediately associated with the tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. In medieval times, Sherwood Forest was an extensive royal hunting reserve, where the deer and trees were protected by Forest Law, and where outlaws and villains rubbed shoulders with kings, foresters, knights, and common folk.

At the heart of Medieval Sherwood Forest lay King John’s Palace. Although known to historians, and local people, the Palace has been overlooked as part of the history of this area. However, thanks to recent archaeological research, the secrets of the Palace are gradually being revealed and its importance to the story of Sherwood Forest is beginning to re-emerge.

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 You will be taking part in an excavation at the site of King John’s Palace. Every feature you dig, and every artefact you uncover, will add to the understanding of this once important royal site. The Sherwood Forest Archaeological Training Excavation has been running for over a decade, and forms part of the wider Sherwood Forest Archaeology Project which, among other things seeks to understand this history of Sherwood Forest and the development of the landscape there, over thousands of years of human occupation. Your work will directly contribute to this understanding and will help provide new evidence as part of this long-term research.

This tour is not suitable for children under the age of 15 years old.

15 year olds must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and that the parent/legal is a paying delegate and not free on the field school/excavation place.
 

16 & 17 year olds can come on the course by themselves but must get their parent/legal guardian to read the risk assessment (as well as themselves) and the parents to send us written confirmation that they have read and agreed to the risk assessment.