Robin Hood And The Oak

Posted on by Pete Hillman

English Oak or Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur, The Major Oak, Nottingham Forest

I took these photographs of the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, with an old pop in a roll of film camera back in the Easter of 1992. I thought this might be an interesting supplement to my previous post about the English Oak.

English Oak or Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur, The Major Oak, Nottingham Forest

Although the age of the tree is not accurate to estimate, but it is believed to be between 800 to 1,000 years old, hence the added supports from preventing the huge limbs of the oak from breaking off under their own weight and during stormy weather. It is a giant tree by all standards. It is estimated to weigh 23 tons, has a girth of 10 metres, and a height of 16 metres. It has a canopy spread of 28 metres. Its odd shape and giant size has led to specualtion that this may be several trees fused together when they were saplings.

English Oak or Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur, The Major Oak, Nottingham Forest

Legend has it that Robin Hood hid inside the hollow of the Major Oak whilst being persued by his enemies.

 

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14 thoughts on “Robin Hood And The Oak”

    • Thank you for your comment. We may never know the truth whether Robin Hood was real or not. English legal records suggest that, as early as the 13th century, “Robehod,” “Rabunhod” and other variations had become common epithets for criminals.The first literary references to Robin Hood appear in a series of 14th- and 15th-century ballads about a violent yeoman who lived in Sherwood Forest with his men and frequently clashed with the Sheriff of Nottingham. These ballads may be based on a real figure, yet it still may just be legend.

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    • Thank you for your lovely comment, Laura 🙂 I feel the same way about old trees, and the wisdom they appear to portray. To think that some of these ancient trees have seen localised and world events of such magnitude pass them by, how the land and the populations have changed and evolved as the centuries have rolled on by I think is quite incredible!

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