Arden, Warwickshire prominent in the area for centuries. Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare, was a member. Shakespeare's play "As You Like It" is set in the Forest of Arden, however it is an imaginary version incorporating elements from the Ardennes forest in Thomas Lodge's prose romance "Rosalynde" and the real forest (both as it was then, subjected to deforestation and enclosure, and the romanticized version of his youth). Towns in the area include Hampton-in-Arden, Henley-in-Arden, and Tanworth-in-Arden. The Countryside Commission considered creating a new national forest in the area in 1989, but the proposal was not taken up. A national forest
Mary Arden, Lady Arden Mary Arden, Lady Arden Mary Howarth Arden, Lady Arden of Heswall, , known as Lady Arden (born 23 January 1947), is an English judge. She currently serves as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Before that, she was a judge on the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. Mary Arden was born in Liverpool, the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Cuthbert Arden, T.D., of Heswall, Cheshire, a solicitor who had served with the Royal Garrison Artillery, and Mary Margaret (née Smith). Her grandfather was a partner in Gamon Arden and Co., a Liverpool firm of solicitors.