Arden, Warwickshire: Difference between revisions
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'''Arden''' is a district in [[Warwickshire]], [[England]], traditionally regarded as stretching from the [[River Avon, Warwickshire|River Avon]] to the [[River Tame, West Midlands|River Tame]]<ref>http://www.solihull.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/9/ArdenSummary.pdf</ref>. The area was formerly heavily wooded and known as the '''Forest of Arden.''' Located in the geographical centre of England, the Forest of Arden was bounded by the Roman roads [[Icknield Street]], [[Watling Street]], [[Fosse Way]], and Salt Road. It encompassed an area corresponding to the north-western half of the traditional county of Warwickshire, stretching from [[Stratford-on-Avon]] in the south to [[Tamworth]] in the north, and included what are now the large cities of [[Birmingham]] and [[Coventry]], in addition to areas that are still largely rural with numerous pockets of woodland (even |
'''Arden''' is a district in [[Warwickshire]], [[England]], traditionally regarded as stretching from the [[River Avon, Warwickshire|River Avon]] to the [[River Tame, West Midlands|River Tame]]<ref>http://www.solihull.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/9/ArdenSummary.pdf</ref>. The area was formerly heavily wooded and known as the '''Forest of Arden.''' Located in the geographical centre of England, the Forest of Arden was bounded by the Roman roads [[Icknield Street]], [[Watling Street]], [[Fosse Way]], and Salt Road. It encompassed an area corresponding to the north-western half of the traditional county of Warwickshire, stretching from [[Stratford-on-Avon]] in the south to [[Tamworth]] in the north, and included what are now the large cities of [[Birmingham]] and [[Coventry]], in addition to areas that are still largely rural with numerous pockets of woodland (even today, Birmingham has more trees per person than any other UK city). The most important and largest settlement in the forest was [[Henley-in-Arden]], the site of an [[Iron Age]] hillfort. |
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Thorkell of Arden, a descendant of the ruling family of [[Mercia]], was one of only two native English landowners in the whole of England who were not disposessed by the [[Normans]] after [[1066]], and his descendants continued to hold land in the area for centuries thereafter. One such descendant was [[Mary Arden]], mother of [[William Shakespeare]]. |
Thorkell of Arden, a descendant of the ruling family of [[Mercia]], was one of only two native English landowners in the whole of England who were not disposessed by the [[Normans]] after [[1066]], and his descendants continued to hold land in the area for centuries thereafter. One such descendant was [[Mary Arden]], mother of [[William Shakespeare]]. |
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Revision as of 13:36, 11 February 2007
Arden is a district in Warwickshire, England, traditionally regarded as stretching from the River Avon to the River Tame[1]. The area was formerly heavily wooded and known as the Forest of Arden. Located in the geographical centre of England, the Forest of Arden was bounded by the Roman roads Icknield Street, Watling Street, Fosse Way, and Salt Road. It encompassed an area corresponding to the north-western half of the traditional county of Warwickshire, stretching from Stratford-on-Avon in the south to Tamworth in the north, and included what are now the large cities of Birmingham and Coventry, in addition to areas that are still largely rural with numerous pockets of woodland (even today, Birmingham has more trees per person than any other UK city). The most important and largest settlement in the forest was Henley-in-Arden, the site of an Iron Age hillfort.
Thorkell of Arden, a descendant of the ruling family of Mercia, was one of only two native English landowners in the whole of England who were not disposessed by the Normans after 1066, and his descendants continued to hold land in the area for centuries thereafter. One such descendant was Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare.
This forest is thought by some to be the setting for Shakespeare's As You Like It. However, the play is set in France, and so should not be thought of as taking place in a real forest in Arden. (According to the Oxford Shakespeare, Shakespeare's "Forest of Arden" is likely an anglicization of the French Ardennes forest.)
Towns in the area include: