Barnsdale, or Barnsdale Forest, is a relatively small area of South Yorkshire, England which has a rich history. The region is steeped in folklore. Barnsdale is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Barnsdale lies in the immediate vicinity north and north-west of Doncaster, and which was formerly forested and a place of royal hunts, and also renowned as a haunt of the outlaw Robin Hood in early ballads.