Robin Hood's Larder (also known as the Butcher's Oak, the Slaughter Tree and the Shambles Oak) was a

veteran tree A veteran tree is one that has ancient features but not the great age of an ancient tree, and is a tree of great cultural, landscape, or biodiversity value due to its ecological and habitat features. Definition Ancient trees exist in many forms a ...

Sherwood Forest Sherwood Forest is the remnants of an ancient royal forest, Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, within the East Midlands region in England. It has association with the legend of Robin Hood. The forest was proclaimed by William the Conqueror and ...

that measured in circumference. The tree had long been hollow and is reputed to have been used by the legendary outlaw

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

and others as a larder for poached meat. It was badly burnt by fire in the late 19th century and again in 1913. The tree fell in a

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .

in 1961 and no trace of it remains.

Location

The oak tree was located in Birklands, part of

that was first mentioned in 1251 and in continual ownership by the crown for 600 years. It was situated approximately west of the village of

Ollerton Ollerton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ollerton and Boughton, in the Newark and Sherwood district, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. The p ...

and west of the

Major Oak The Major Oak is a large English oak (''Quercus robur'') near the village of Edwinstowe in the midst of Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England. According to local folklore, it was Robin Hood's shelter where he and his Merry Men slept. It we ...

. The site is currently in the ownership of the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...

and the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre, run by Nottinghamshire County Council, is nearby.

In legend

The tree's name derives from an association with the legendary figure of

. It is reputed that Robin Hood used the hollow trunk of the tree as a temporary store for

venison Venison refers primarily to the meat of deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, including the internal organs. Venison, much like beef or pork, is categorized into spe ...

poached from the royal forest. The use of such trees for storing game was common in the times before refrigeration and regardless of the veracity of the Robin Hood legend it is likely that at some point the tree was used for this purpose by poachers. It is said that in earlier times hooks used for the hanging of meat could still be seen affixed to the inside of the tree; these had vanished by 1913. Because of this legend the tree has also been known as the Butcher's Oak, the Slaughter Tree and the Shambles Oak, the latter because it was the traditional name for an area of town where butchers and abattoirs were located.

History

An 1874 guidebook to the region mentions the tree and states that it was used formerly by a thief named Hooton to hang the carcasses of stolen sheep. At this point, the hollow trunk was big enough to accommodate 12 people. The tree was later reinforced with iron bars and cables. Towards the end of the 19th century the tree was badly burned in a fire originating from a group of schoolgirls boiling a kettle within the hollow. It was again damaged by a fire set by picnickers in 1913. In the same year, it was mentioned in a book of

Robert Murray Gilchrist Robert Murray Gilchrist (6 January 1867 – 1917) was an English novelist and author of regional interest books about the Peak District of north central England. He is best known today for his decadent and Gothic short fiction. During his li ...

who described the tree as "an old, old man who will be brave to the end". Gilchrist noted the foliage was scanty but the tree retained live upper branches until after 1938. In 1938, the trunk measured in circumference and the hollow accounted for approximately one quarter of this. Robin Hood's Larder fell by a gale in 1961 and no trace of it remains today.

References

{{Robin Hood 1961 disestablishments in England Individual oak trees Individual trees in England 1960s individual tree deaths Robin Hood Sherwood Forest

Location

In legend

History

See also

References