| Ten things you never knew about
the Major Oak |
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| The Major Oak - Sherwood Forest |
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The Major Oak has recently (November
2002) been nominated as the one of the top 50 trees in Britain by
The National Tree Council. Below are some facts showing why the tree
is rated so highly. |
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| 1 |
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The famous old tree stands at the heart of 450-acre Sherwood
Forest Country Park and Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre, run
by Nottinghamshire County Council to provide a tourist attraction
and educational site to match the reputations of both Robin
and the Major Oak. |
| 2 |
| The
Major Oak is a Quercus Robur, an English or pedunculate oak.
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| 3 |
| The
Major Oak vital statistics are impressive – it weighs around
23 tons, has a girth of ten metres (33ft) and a spread of 28
metres (92ft) - this make it the biggest oak tree in Britain. |
| 4 |
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is debatable how old the Major oak is. Some say 800 years old,
while others reckon over 1000 years old - the trunk conceals
the truth. Some say the Major Oak would have only been an acorn
when Robin Hood is meant to have been gallivanting around Sherwood
Forest. |
| 5 |
| The
Major Oak's first recorded name was the Cockpen tree, a reference
to its use as a cockerel pen to hold the birds before a cockfight.
However, the tree became better known as "The Major's Oak"
after it was described in 1790 by a local historian, Major Hayman
Rooke. Throughout the 19th century it was also known as the
Queen or Queen’s Oak. |
| 6 |
| The
Major Oak needs a bit of support to hold its green head high
these days. At present wooden poles are used to keep up the
branches of the tree. |
| 7 |
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a good year it can produce 150,000 acorns. However, good crops
are cyclical. Generally, the tree has a good acorn crop, sometimes
known as mast, every 3-4 years, depending on weather in spring
and summer and the health of the mother. It is guessed that
the next bumper year for acorns from the Major Oak will be 2004. |
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| The
oak actually has a great hollow interior. This is not man-made.
It is actually caused by fungi. |
| 9 |
| John
Palmer, formerly of Worksop, Notts, has 300 two-year old saplings
grown from the acorns of the Major Oak, which he plans to plant
in seven acres of land near his house. John must be the Major
Oak's biggest fan. Please note, John has had special permission
to collect the acorns from the Major Oak! |
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| A
researcher from London University has collected leaves from
many saplings grown from the Major Oak's acorns to conduct a
DNA search to discover who the fathers were and how far away
they were situated from the mother (the Major Oak). |
Other famous Nottinghamshire trees
The Major Oak is not the only famous tree in Nottinghamshire. The
original Bramley hails from Southwell, Nottinghamshire. The first
Bramley seedling apple tree was grown from pips planted by a young
girl in her garden in 1809. In 1856 the son of a local nurseryman
was given permission to take graftings from the tree and sell the
apples, provided he called them after the tree’s then owner — Matthew
Bramley.
Another famous Nottinghamshire tree is The Parliament Oak. It is found
at the edge of Clipstone Forest, just off the A6075 between Edwinstowe
and Mansfield.
King John is said to have taken counsel with his advisers under the
oak in the 13th Century. However, at the moment (8th April 2003) the
area around the tree has turned into an illegal dumping ground.
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| Parliament Oak |
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| Parliament Oak |
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| Parliament Oak |
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