Edwinstowe 4.91

Edwinstowe is a large village in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England, with associations to the Robin Hood and Maid Marian legends. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 5,188.HeritageThe village name meaning Edwin's resting place recalls that King Edwin of Northumbria's body was hidden in the church after he was killed in the Battle of Hatfield Chase, near Doncaster, probably in 633. The battle against King Penda of Mercia occurred near the present-day hamlet of Cuckney, some five miles north-west of modern Edwinstowe.Edwinstowe is referenced twice in the Domesday Book. It records that there were five households, in addition to one priest and his four bordars, living in the hamlet in 1086.Legend has it that Robin Hood married Maid Marian in St Mary's Church. Edwinstowe's present-day popularity is due mainly to the presence near the village of the Major Oak, a feature in the folklore of Robin Hood.EconomyThoresby Colliery served as Edwinstowe's main source of employment until July 2015, when the mine was permanently closed.