Chained Oak

Last updated October 27, 2024

The Chained Oak is an oak tree, tied in chains, near to the village of Alton, Staffordshire, England. The tree, referred to as "The Old Oak", is the subject of a local legend involving the Earl of Shrewsbury and an old beggar woman. It is located on a public footpath to the left of the Chained Oak B&B.

Legend

On an autumn night, the Earl of Shrewsbury was returning to his home at Alton Towers when an old woman suddenly appeared in the road ahead of his horse and coach. The coach stopped to find why she was there at which point the old woman begged for a coin. The Earl cruelly dismissed her, so the old woman stated that she would place a curse on him. The old woman told the Earl that for every branch on the Old Oak Tree that fell, a member of the Earl’s family would die. The Earl refused to listen and continued on his way.

That same night, a violent storm caused a single branch from the old oak tree to break and fall. Later that evening, a member of the Earl’s family suddenly and mysteriously died.

Now firmly believing in the power of the curse, the Earl is said to have ordered his servants to chain every remaining branch together to prevent them from falling. To this day, the Oak tree remains chained up.

An independent horror film based on the legend was released in 2014.^[2]

Variations

There are slight variations in the story, however the core remains the same.

One version states it was an old man who cursed the earl, not a woman.^[3]
A second version is that instead of a storm bringing down a branch, the Earl's son was out riding the next day and, as he passed the old oak tree, the woman had been standing under a branch which fell on top of him, knocking him from his horse and killing him.
The third version of the story, which was invented for the theme park attraction Hex – the Legend of the Towers at Alton Towers theme park states the Earl brought the fallen branch back to his home, where he performed experiments in his vault in an attempt to break the curse.

Falling branches

On 9 April 2007, one of the tree's main branches fell off. The Talbot family confirmed that no one died when the branch fell.^[4]

Since then, a considerable proportion of the chained oak has collapsed. It is thought^{[ by whom? ]} that one of the chains, having become integral to the tree's structure, rusted through resulting in the collapse of part of the lower side of the tree.

Date and identity

Various dates are attributed to the legend of the chained oak, affecting the identity of "The Earl".

BBC Stoke and Staffordshire date the legend as from 1821,^[3] which would identify the earl as Charles Talbot, 15th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Alton Towers Heritage state the chaining occurred "around the 1840s", which would identify the earl as John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury.^[4]

The 16th Earl is remembered as "Good Earl John" for his charity, having supported local schools and churches, and financed the construction of new Catholic chapels around the Midlands, including in the village of Alton where he also built almshouses for the poor and elderly.^[5] His reputation does not seem to fit that of the Earl in the legend.

Deaths

The legend states a member of the Earl's family (sometimes quoted as his son) suddenly died.

The 16th Earl's only son died in infancy and not around the date cited for the legend.^[6]

The 16th Earl had two daughters; the youngest, Lady Gwendoline Catherine Talbot, died in 1840 aged only 22.^[5] This is close to the legend's alleged date range, but her death was not mysterious: she died of Scarlet fever in Rome.^[5] Three of Gwendoline's children died of measles shortly after their mother,^[5] meaning the Earl had four deaths in his close family, not the single one described in the legend.

Rational explanations

The 15th and 16th Earls of Shrewsbury built and then extended Alton Towers and its gardens. During their tenure, thousands of new trees were planted, but the old trees were "greatly prized". The Chained Oak was situated in a highly visible position, "just off a carriage-way" frequently used by the Earls. As such, the tree may have been wrapped in chains simply to preserve it, and prevent it from collapsing under its own weight.^[4]

Related Research Articles

Alton is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is noted for the theme park Alton Towers, built around the site of Alton Mansion, which was owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury, and designed by Augustus Pugin. In the 1914 map by Whiston, there were copper works in the village.

Alton Towers Resort is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, mini golf and hotel complex.

Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland and Earl Talbot (1784) in the Peerage of Great Britain. Shrewsbury and Waterford are the oldest earldoms in their peerages held by someone with no higher title, and as such the Earl of Shrewsbury is sometimes described as the premier earl of England and Ireland.

Major Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 20th Earl of Waterford, 5th Earl Talbot, KCVO, styled Viscount Ingestre from 1868 to 1877, was a British peer. Unusually for a wealthy nobleman of the period, he began several businesses connected with road transport, with mixed success.

Cheadle is a market town and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands District of Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,000 at the 2021 census. It is located between Uttoxeter, Leek, Ashbourne and Stoke-on-Trent. Dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, it lies within the historic Staffordshire Hundred of Totmonslow; for administrative purposes, it is now part of the Staffordshire Moorlands area.

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Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl of Waterford, 13th Baron Talbot, KG, styled Lord Talbot from 1582 to 1590, was a peer in the peerage of England. He also held the subsidiary titles of 16th Baron Strange of Blackmere and 12th Baron Furnivall.

Alton Castle is a Gothic-revival castle, on a hill above the Churnet Valley, in the village of Alton, Staffordshire, England. The site has been fortified in wood since Saxon times, with a stone castle dating from the 12th century. The current castle was constructed in the mid-19th century by John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, of nearby Alton Towers. Since 1967 the castle has been designated a Grade I listed building. It is also a scheduled monument.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Chetwynd-Talbot, 21st Earl of Shrewsbury</span> British peer, Earl in 3 peerages

John George Chetwynd-Talbot, 21st Earl of Shrewsbury, 21st Earl of Waterford, 6th Earl Talbot, styled Viscount of Ingestre from 1915 to 1921, was a British peer.

John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, 16th Earl of Waterford was a British peer and aristocrat. Sometimes known as "Good Earl John", he has been described as "the most prominent British Catholic of his day", although he was the last Earl of Shrewsbury to follow the Catholic faith. John was also Lord High Steward of Ireland, an office the Earls of Shrewsbury have held since 1446.

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References

↑ Chained Oak nominated for Tree of the Year. RideRater. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
↑ "Review: Legend of the Chained Oak film". RideRater. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
1 2 Sam Hale The legend of the Chained Oak", Odd Staffordshire, BBC Stoke and Staffordshire
1 2 3 Steve Hollyman and Gary Kelsall (2008). "The Legend of the Chained Oak". Alton Towers Heritage. Archived from the original on 2013-04-30. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
1 2 3 4 Kohn, Marc-Arthur. "The Tragic Destiny of the British Aristocrat known as Rome's Mother of the Poor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
↑ The Institute of Our Lady of Mercy. "John Talbot". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.

External links

BBC Article on the legend of the Chained Oak

52°59′12″N1°54′06″W / 52.986761°N 1.901769°W / 52.986761; -1.901769

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[1] Chained Oak nominated for Tree of the Year. RideRater. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2024.

[2] "Review: Legend of the Chained Oak film". RideRater. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2024-10-26.

[BBC-3] 1 2 Sam Hale The legend of the Chained Oak", Odd Staffordshire, BBC Stoke and Staffordshire

[Heritage-4] 1 2 3 Steve Hollyman and Gary Kelsall (2008). "The Legend of the Chained Oak". Alton Towers Heritage. Archived from the original on 2013-04-30. Retrieved 2012-06-19.

[Kohn-5] 1 2 3 4 Kohn, Marc-Arthur. "The Tragic Destiny of the British Aristocrat known as Rome's Mother of the Poor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.

[IOLM-6] The Institute of Our Lady of Mercy. "John Talbot". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.

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