Caton Oak
| Caton Oak | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Caton Oak and the Fish Stones | |
| Location | Caton, Lancashire |
| Date felled | 20 June 2016 |
The Caton Oak (also known as the Druid's Oak) was an ancient oak tree that stood in Caton, Lancashire
History
The Caton is reputed to have been the focus of the village since the era of the druids, for whom the oak was a sacred tree which often formed the centre of religious rites.[1][2] For this reason the tree is also known as the Druid's Oak.[3] The tree is rooted in the River Lune and the trunk protudes above a set of old sandstone steps known as the "Fish Stones". In Medieval times monks from Cockersand Abbey used the steps to display for sale salmon that had been caught in the river.[3] The tree can be seen to be in good health in a photograph of 1905.[3] By the 1940's the tree was the site for a portable blacksmith's forge where a smith from nearby Hornby regularly set up to shoe horses for Caton's agricultural community.[4]
The tree became a local landmark and a symbol of the village, featuring in the logos of the village school and its sports club.[5] A sign affixed to railings around the tree states that it has been listed as a historic site by the Department of National Heritage. It also states that improvements were made to the vicinity in 1998 under the Parish and Community Environment Scheme funded by Lancashire County Council, Caton-with-Littledale Parish Council, Rural Action and public contributions.[6]
Death and replacement
By 2007 the 4 metres (13 ft) wide trunk was hollow.[3]
On 27 April 2007 an acorn from the tree was planted within the hollow by the High Sheriff of Lancashire (Ruthe Winterbottom) so that a replacement tree could grow. The new tree will kill the old tree as it grows within it.[3]
An overhanging branch fo the tree was said to have become dangerous by 1996. Specialists recommended that the tree be felled but it was saved by the villagers and the parish council who erected metal props to the branch in question. One parish councillor said "the tree is the most important landmark in Caton and we should try to preserve it as long as there is any life in it at all".[5]
Fell 20 June 2016. [4]
References
- ^ Wood, Sean (29 March 2012). "Transported back in time by ancient tree". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Hight, Julian (2011). Britain's Tree Story. London: National Trust. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-907892-20-2.
- ^ a b c d e Hight, Julian (2011). Britain's Tree Story. London: National Trust. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-907892-20-2.
- ^ a b "Memories of when Caton Oak stood tall". Lancaster Guardian. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ a b Mabey, Richard (1996). Flora Britannica. London: Chatto & Windus. p. 73. ISBN 1856193772.
- ^ Plaque affixed to railings at the site (see for example photograph here