Major Oak

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The Major Oak is a large English oak (Quercus robur) near 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 weighs an estimated 23 tons, has a girth of 33 feet (10 metres), a canopy of 92 feet (28 metres), and is about 800–1,000 years old.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The Major Oak sits within a Site of Special Scientific Interest.<ref>"Nottinghamshire's National Nature Reserve". naturalengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2025</ref>

Etymology

Major Hayman Rooke, a soldier and antiquarian, describes the Major Oak in his book Description or Sketches of Remarkable Oakes in Welbeck Park in 1790 as "I think no one can behold this majestic ruin without pronouncing it to be of very from it antiquity, and might venture to say, that it cannot be much less than a thousand years old." It is believed that the Major Oak took the name of Rooke.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The Major Oak used to be named the Cockpen Tree, after the cockfighting that once took place beneath it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

It is unclear to whether the Major Oak is one tree or several tree saplings that have been fused together, hence this may give reason to its shape.<ref>Cite Web: https://visitsherwood.co.uk/explore-the-forest/the-major-oak/#:~:text=Although%20it's%20undeniably%20big%2C%20it's,Major%20Oak%20in%20his%20honour%7CThe Major Oak Probably the most famous resident of Sherwood Forest (after Robin Hood of course), the iconic Major Oak is an ancient giant that absolutely cannot be missed|Sherwood Forest|2018|retrieved on 12 April 2025</ref> The tree is commonly thought to be the UK's second-largest oak tree, surpassed by the Majesty Oak in Fredville Park, in the village of Nonington, near Dover, Kent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Major Oak was identified by Major Hayman Rooke in 1790.<ref>{{Stafford, Fiona (28 October 2016). "The story of Major Oak, one of Britain's most awe-inspiring trees". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2025</ref> Support chains were first fitted to the tree in 1908, and its massive limbs have been partially supported by an elaborate system of scaffolding since the 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1974, fences were installed around the tree to protect it from root damage, since the number of visitors to the tree was compacting the soil around it.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The formation sign of the 46th Infantry Division of the British Army in the Second World War was the Major Oak.<ref>Cite Web: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30071761%7Cbadge, formation, 46th (North Midland and West Riding) Infantry Division|Imperial War Museum| retrieved on 11 April 2025</ref> Among the units of the division were battalions of the Sherwood Foresters regiment.

In a 2002 survey, it was voted "Britain's favourite tree".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014, it was voted 'England's Tree of the Year' by a public poll by the Woodland Trust, receiving 18% of the votes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" /> The tree was featured on the 2005 television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the Midlands.<ref>Seven Man Made Wonders,Midlands - Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak”|BBC Homepage| 28 October 2014, Archived|retrieved on 3 April 2025</ref>

In 2003, in Dorset a plantation was started of 260 saplings grown from acorns of the Major Oak.<ref name=":1" /> The purpose was to provide publicity for an internet-based study of the Major Oak, its history, photographic record, variation in size and leafing of the saplings, comparison of their DNA, and an eventual public amenity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since 2022, the tree has suffered from the summer heatwaves and has produced fewer leaves.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rumours of the tree dying have been dispelled by the RSPB who manage the forest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>