The Cowthorpe Oak was an oak tree in

Cowthorpe Cowthorpe is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated north of Wetherby, east of Harrogate, from Knaresborough and from York. History The name of Cowthorpe comes from Old Norse and is a combination of ...

, North Yorkshire, England. Renowned for its age and size it was sketched by the artist

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

. At its greatest extent its canopy was said to cover of land. The tree declined in the late 18th century and lost several of its leading branches. By 1822 many of its branches were almost completely rotten and it had been supported with wooden props. The tree fell in 1950, apparently after having been struck by lightning.

History

19th century oil painting of Cowthorpe Oak by unknown artist

La Nature - 1873 - Durée de vie des arbres- Le vieux chêne de Cowthorpe - p041

The oak has been said to date to the era of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

or even early

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. It was already ancient when

Alexander Hunter Dr Alexander Hunter (1729–17 May 1809) was a Scottish physician, known also as a writer and editor. Life Born in Edinburgh in 1729 (the ''Memoir'' says 1733), he was eldest son of a prosperous druggist. He was sent to the grammar school at ...

, in his 1776 edition of

John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's diary, or memo ...

's '' Sylva'', wrote of it, "The dimensions are almost incredible... The foliage is extremely thin, so that the anatomy of the ancient branches may be distinctly seen in the height of summer. When compared to this, all other trees are but children of the forest". Cowthorpe's St Michael's Church was constructed nearby and a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

was named Ye Old Oak Inn after the tree. At its greatest extent its canopy was said to cover of land. In the early 19th century the tree was owned by

Charles Stourton, 17th Baron Stourton Charles Philip Stourton, 17th Baron Stourton (1752–1816) was the son of William Stourton and Winifred Howard, a great-granddaughter of the 6th Duke of Norfolk and a leading Roman Catholic. The seventeenth Baron succeeded his father in 1781, a ...

and then The Honorable Mr Petre. The tree was sketched by

Decline and death

The tree's leading branch fell in 1718 and was found to be thick and to weigh . It is said to have decayed greatly between 1773 and 1804; in 1794 another leading branch fell, causing alarm to nearby residents. In 1806 its circumference measured at a height of from the ground was and in 1822 it was measured at at ground level. By this time many of the branches are said to be completely rotten and held up only by the bark; the leading branch extended some from the trunk and had been supported by wooden props. The hollow trunk was said to be large enough to hold 70 people, if children were carried on the adults' shoulders. The Cowthorpe oak was photographed in 1904 and appeared to be in good health, though it was heavily propped. The tree died in 1950, apparently having been struck by lightning. At this time it was said to be England's oldest tree. The remains of the tree were removed by Ian Watson as it had become unsafe. The tree's lineage survives as several of its acorns were sent to New Zealand to be planted there. One of these, planted at Drury in the 1870s, is now known as the Runciman Oak and has a circumference of almost measured at a height of from ground level. The Runciman Oak also has many descendants, planted in an avenue nearby.

References

{{Reflist Individual trees in England Individual oak trees 1950s individual tree deaths

History

Decline and death

See also

References