Wyndham's Oak

Wyndham's Oak
The oak in October 2018
Map
SpeciesPedunculate oak (Quercus robur)
LocationSilton, Dorset, England
Coordinates51°03′47″N 2°18′34″W / 51.063153°N 2.309385°W / 51.063153; -2.309385
Custodian[In private ownership]

Wyndham's Oak (sometimes Judge Wyndham's Oak and also known as the Silton Oak or stumpy Silton) is an historic pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) tree in Silton, Dorset, England.[1][2][3][4] It was one of a number of oaks that historically marked the boundary of between Selwood Forest and Gillingham Forest, a medieval hunting ground.[1][5]

The tree is up to 1,000 years old,[5] and is the oldest tree in the county of Dorset.[6] As of April 2008, its trunk measured 38 feet (12 m) in circumference—the greatest of any tree in the country—and the bole was 26 feet (7.9 m) high.[1] It is named after Sir Hugh Wyndham, a Judge of the Common Pleas who used to sit in its shade to relax while contemplating cases,[1][5] and was reputedly used as a gallows from which to hang rebels convicted of participation in the Monmouth rebellion.[5]

It was the subject of an engraving during the reign of George III,[2] and a drawing by the artist Mark Frith, which was commissioned by publisher Felix Dennis and bequeathed by him to the charity he founded, the Heart of England Forest.[7]

It was one of ten candidates in the Woodland Trust's poll to find the "England's Tree of the Year 2018".[8]

As of September 2019, the ground where the tree stands is part of a privately owned farm.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d Legg, Rodney. "Legging it in Dorset — Silton and Huntingford". Dorset Life. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b Aslet, Clive (1 December 2007). "Britain's oldest trees - the roots of a nation". Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Celebrating Dorset's ancient trees". BBC. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Monument of Judge Wyndham, Silton, co. Dorset". The Gentleman's Magazine. E. Cave. 1833. p. 497.
  5. ^ a b c d e "English Tree of the Year 2018 - Woodland Trust". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  6. ^ Court, Maria (22 July 2009). "National Trust to protect ancient trees". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  7. ^ Mean, Sian (24 March 2016). "A legacy of ancient oaks". Kew Gardens. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  8. ^ Stephenson, Natalie (17 September 2018). "TV gardener urges public to vote for England's Tree of the Year 2018". Retrieved 8 October 2018.