The Caton Oak (also known as the Druid's Oak) was an ancient
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
tree that stood in
Caton, Lancashire, reputedly dating from the time of the
druid
A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...
s. The oak tree stood atop a set of steps known as the "Fish Stones" that were used by medieval monks to display salmon for sale. The tree declined during the 20th century and was reinforced with a metal support; an acorn from the tree was planted in 2007 to grow a replacement. The original Caton Oak fell on 20 June 2016.
History
The Caton is reputed to have been the focus of the village since the era of the druids, for whom the oak was a sacred tree which often formed the centre of religious rites.
For this reason the tree is also known as the Druid's Oak.
[ There was activity in the village during Roman times, as evidenced by a millstone found nearby.]River Lune
The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.
Etymology
Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic languages, Brittonic ...
and the trunk protrudes above a set of old sandstone steps known as the "Fish Stones". In medieval times monks from Cockersand Abbey
Cockersand Abbey is a former abbey and former civil parish near Cockerham in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. It is situated near the mouth of the River Cocker. History
It was founded before 1184 as the Hospital of St Mar ...
used the steps to display for sale salmon that had been caught in the river.[ The tree can be seen to be in good health in a photograph of 1905.][ By the 1940s the tree was the site for a portable blacksmith's forge where a smith from nearby Hornby regularly set up to shoe horses for Caton's agricultural community.][ A sign affixed to railings around the tree states that it has been listed as a historic site by the ]Department of National Heritage
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It holds the responsibility for culture and sport, and some aspects of the media throughout the UK, such as broadcasting. I ...
.[ A Caton-with-Littledale parish councillor said in 1996 that "the tree is the most important landmark in Caton and we should try to preserve it as long as there is any life in it at all".]Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells and formerly the Chase of Bowland, is an area of gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England, with a small part in North Yorkshire (however ro ...
area of outstanding natural beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
.[
]
Death and replacement
The tree declined during the later 20th century and was said to have become dangerous by 1996. Specialists were consulted who recommended that the tree be felled but it was saved by the villagers and the parish council who erected metal props to the branch in question.[ The improvements were carried out in 1998 under the Parish and Community Environment Scheme funded by Lancashire County Council, Caton-with-Littledale Parish Council, Rural Action and public contributions.][Plaque affixed to railings at the site (see for exampl]
photograph here
/ref>
By 2007 the trunk, which measured in circumference, was hollow through decay.[ On 27 April 2007 an acorn from the tree was planted within the hollow by the ]High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient office, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...
(Ruthe Winterbottom) so that a replacement tree could grow. The new tree would have killed the old tree as it grows within it.[
]
See also
* List of individual trees
The following is a list of individual trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as we ...
References
{{Reflist
Individual oak trees
Individual trees in England
Forest of Bowland
City of Lancaster
2010s individual tree deaths