Parliament Oak

Last updated
Parliament Oak
Parliament Oak - geograph.org.uk - 45267.jpg
The Parliament Oak, 2005
Parliament Oak
LocationNear Warsop, Nottinghamshire
Coordinates 53°11′14″N1°08′23″W / 53.1873°N 1.1398°W / 53.1873; -1.1398
CustodianThe Sherwood Forest Trust [1]
A 1790 depiction Parliament oak 1790.jpg
A 1790 depiction
As depicted in The Illustrated London News, 23 September 1843 Parliament oak 1843.jpg
As depicted in The Illustrated London News, 23 September 1843

The Parliament Oak is a veteran tree in Sherwood Forest. It is reputed to have been the site for impromptu-parliaments held by kings John and Edward I. In the 19th century the tree was propped-up by William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland. The tree was shortlisted for the 2017 Woodland Trust Tree of the Year award.

Contents

History

The tree stood around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from King John's Palace at Clipstone. [2] King John stayed at the palace from around the time of his 1199 accession for hunting in Clipstone Park, part of Sherwood Forest. [3] [4] Clipstone was one of the oldest parks in England, being enclosed for hunting since before the 1066 Norman Conquest. [4] The Parliament Oak is thought to date from around this time, being of comparable age to the Major Oak, which has been estimated to be 800–1000 years old. [5] [6] [7]

It is said that John hastily assembled a parliament at the tree in 1212 upon being informed, whilst hunting, that revolts against his rule had broken out in Wales and Northern England. [8] [3] [6] [9] He is thought to have decreed that 28 Welsh boys held as hostages at Nottingham Castle were to be put to death as a consequence. [6] Other English kings of this time, including Edward I, also stayed at Clipstone for the hunting. [3] [6] Edward is also said to have assembled a parliament at the tree on Michaelmas (29 September) 1290, whilst travelling to Scotland. [6] [9] It is thought this story is more likely to be true than the legend of John's parliament; it was not uncommon for parliaments to be held outdoors in this period, particularly when discussing matters such as the royal forests. [4] [9]

The tree was drawn in 1790, at which point it measured 28 feet 6 inches (8.69 m) in circumference at a height of 1 yard (0.91 m). [2] By 1843 it stood on the Ollerton high road, at a point 4 miles (6.4 km) from Ollerton and on the fringe of what remained of Sherwood Forest. It measured 25 feet (7.6 m) in circumference at a height of 4 feet (1.2 m) from the ground and had a large hollow within it that could accommodate six men. [3] The Parliament Oak was owned at this time by William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland who feared it was in danger of dying. He ordered a support framework erected to reinforce the tree against gales. He also planted an acorn within the hollow trunk to grow a replacement. [3]

Recent developments

The tree stands at the edge of Clipstone Forest, in an access off the A6075 and is looked after by The Sherwood Forest Trust. [7] [10] Its proximity to the road has placed it at risk of damage and it has previously been threatened by fly-tipping and overgrowth of nearby vegetation. [10] [11] A fence constructed to protect the tree was destroyed and in 2007 The Independent newspaper described the situation as "one of the biggest failings of our heritage protection laws". [11] A £35,000 project led by The Sherwood Forest Trust and Nottinghamshire County Council was carried out in summer 2008 to restore the area, plant 33 yd (30 m) of new hedgerow, construct two car parking spaces and install an information plaque. [10]

The Parliament Oak has been described as relatively unknown when compared with the Major Oak but was shortlisted for the 2017 Woodland Trust Tree of the Year award. [7] [11] A pub named after the oak stood in Mansfield Woodhouse until 2011. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherwood Forest</span> Royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England

Sherwood Forest is the remnants of an ancient royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England, having a historic association with the legend of Robin Hood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottinghamshire</span> County of England

Nottinghamshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county borders South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Nottingham (323,632).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwinstowe</span> Village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England

Edwinstowe is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest and the Dukeries. It is associated with the legends of Robin Hood and Maid Marian, and to a lesser extent Edwin of Northumbria, from where the village gets its name. The civil parish population at the 2011 census was 5,188. A 2019 estimate put it at 5,261, and was 5,320 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Oak</span> Tree in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

The Major Oak is a large English oak 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 weighs an estimated 23 tons, has a girth of 33 feet, a canopy of 92 feet, and is about 800–1,000 years old. In 2014, it was voted 'England's Tree of the Year' by a public poll by the Woodland Trust, receiving 18% of the votes. Its name originates from Major Hayman Rooke's description of it in 1790.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Hood Line</span> Railway line in Nottinghamshire, England

The Robin Hood Line is a railway line running from Nottingham to Worksop, Nottinghamshire, in England. The stations between Shirebrook and Whitwell (inclusive) are in the county of Derbyshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansfield Woodhouse</span> Human settlement in England

Mansfield Woodhouse is a settlement in the Mansfield district of Nottinghamshire, England. It is about 1.2 miles (2 km) north of Mansfield, along the main A60 road in a wide, low valley between the Rivers Maun and Meden. Founded before the Roman Empire, it is noteworthy for its stone-built centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherwood (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Sherwood is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Mark Spencer, a Conservative. The constituency's name is common with Sherwood Forest which is in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansfield (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Mansfield is a constituency created in 1885 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Ben Bradley of the Conservative Party, who gained the seat at the 2017 general election, from the Labour Party. This is the first time the seat has been represented by a Conservative since its creation in 1885.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dukeries</span> Area of Nottinghamshire, England

The Dukeries is an area of the county of Nottinghamshire so called because it contained four ducal seats. It is south of Worksop, which has been called its "gateway". The area was included within the ancient Sherwood Forest. The ducal seats were:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipstone</span> Village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England

Clipstone is a former mining village in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 3,469 at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,665 at the 2011 census, and substantially more so to 6,185 at the 2021 census.

Newark and Sherwood District Council elections are held every four years. Newark and Sherwood District Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan district of Newark and Sherwood in Nottinghamshire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2015, 39 councillors have been elected from 21 wards.

The Nottinghamshire Football Association, often known simply as the Notts FA, is the governing body of football in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The Nottinghamshire FA runs a number of cups at different levels for teams across most of Nottinghamshire, as well as educating their affiliated clubs and members with relevant courses and events. A small number of clubs in the north of the county are members of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King John's Palace</span> Grade II listed building in the United Kingdom

King John's Palace is the remains of a former medieval royal residence in Clipstone, north-west Nottinghamshire. The name "King John's Palace" has been used since the 18th century; prior to that the site was known as the "King's Houses". It is not known how or when the building became associated with King John as he only spent a total of nine days here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansfield Railway</span> Former local railway service around Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

The Mansfield Railway was an eleven-mile railway line in Nottinghamshire, England. It was built to serve collieries opening in the coalfield around Mansfield, and ran between junctions at Clipstone and Kirkby-in-Ashfield on the Great Central Railway. It opened in 1916 and was worked by the GCR. Passenger stations were opened on the line, although, at the date of opening, road bus competition was already dominant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansfield</span> Market town in Nottinghamshire, England

Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire. It gained the Royal Charter of a market town in 1227. The town lies in the Maun Valley, 12 miles (19 km) north of Nottingham. It had a population of 110,500 at the 2021 census, according to the Office for National Statistics. Mansfield is the one local authority in Nottinghamshire with a publicly elected mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Hood's Larder</span>

Robin Hood's Larder was a veteran tree in Sherwood Forest that measured 24 feet (7.3 m) in circumference. The tree had long been hollow and is reputed to have been used by the legendary outlaw Robin Hood 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 in 1961 and no trace of it remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Clipstone</span> Village in Nottinghamshire, England

Kings Clipstone is a settlement and civil parish, in the Newark and Sherwood district, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish lies in the west of the county, and north west within the district. It is 122 miles north of London, 15 miles north of the city of Nottingham, and 5 miles north east of the market town of Mansfield. In the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 312. The parish touches Clipstone village, Edwinstowe, Rufford and Warsop. The parish was formerly part of the wider Clipstone parish, on 1 April 2011 it became a separate parish. The area is within Sherwood Forest, well known for the Robin Hood legend.

References

  1. ↑ The Parliament Oak & Other Legendary Nottinghamshire Trees Visit Nottinghamshire, 13 September 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2019
  2. 1 2 "Parliament Oak". Inspire Picture Archive. Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The" Illustrated London News. Elm House. 1843. p. 204.
  4. 1 2 3 Palmer, F. P.; Forrester, Alfred Henry (1846). The Wanderings of a Pen and Pencil. J. How. p.  360.
  5. ↑ "Major Oak wins Tree of the Year". 14 November 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Hight, Julian (2011). Britain's Tree Story. London: National Trust. p. 35. ISBN   978-1-907892-20-2.
  7. 1 2 3 Snow, Maia (11 September 2017). "Iconic tree in historic Nottinghamshire woodland up for award". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Joseph Rodgers, The Scenery of Sherwood Forest with an Account of Some Eminent People There (1908): 'It has been stated, with some probability of truth, that King John, while hunting in the forest, was informed by a messenger of a revolt of the Welsh, and of an insurrection in the north of England; that he hastily summoned a parliament to meet under this tree, and that it owes its name to that incident.'
  9. 1 2 3 Country Life. 1913. p. 53.
  10. 1 2 3 "Old Parliament Oak saved!". Mansfield and Ashfield Chad. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 Watkins, Jack; Usborne, Simon (12 January 2007). "Britain's woodland wonders: protecting our natural heritage" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Parliament Oak, Mansfield Woodhouse". What Pub. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.