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Wyndham's Oak
Silton, Dorset
Recorded by: Not specified
-
Heritage Tree
-
Trees of National Special Interest (TNSI)
-
Tree of the Year – Shortlisted
England, 2018
- Species:
- Pedunculate oakQuercus robur
- Form:
- Pollard
- Standing or fallen:
- Standing
- Living status:
- Alive
- Girth:
- 10.33m at a height of 1.40m History
- Veteran status:
- Ancient tree
- County:
- Dorset
- Country:
- England
- Grid reference:
- ST78422936
- Public accessibility:
- Public - partial access (e.g. next to footpath or road)
- Surroundings:
- Field
-
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Wyndham's Oak
Silton, Dorset
Recorded by: Not specified
- Species:
- Pedunculate oak
- Form:
- Pollard
- Standing or fallen:
- Standing
- Living status:
- Alive
- Girth:
- 10.33m at a height of 1.40m History
- Condition:
- Holes or water pockets, Hollowing trunk, Hollowing branches, Decaying wood in the crown, Decaying wood on the ground
- Veteran status:
- Ancient tree
- Tree number:
- 6884
- Local or historic name:
- Wyndham's Oak
- County:
- Dorset
- Country:
- England
- Grid reference:
- ST78422936
- Public accessibility:
- Public - partial access (e.g. next to footpath or road)
- Surroundings:
- Field
- Ancient tree site:
- --
- Woodland Trust wood:
- No
- Epiphytes:
- Lichen, Moss
- Fungi:
- --
- Invertebrates:
- --
- Bats:
- --
- Recorded by:
- Not specified
- Recording organisation:
- --
- Recorded on:
- 05/09/2023
Wyndham’s Oak could be 1,000 years old, and at 9.79 metres (32.12 feet), possesses one of the largest girths of any tree in Dorset. It is said to have marked the boundary between Selwood Forest and the Forest of Gillingham. Also known as the Judge’s Tree, it was named after Judge Hugh Wyndham who purchased the manor of Silton in 1641. He was the Justice of the Common Pleas in the time of Charles II and used to sit within the tree and smoke his pipe to relax and contemplate. Its history takes a darker turn towards the end of the 17th century, when rebels were supposedly hanged from it following the failed Monmouth rebellion of 1685. The current owner of the farm remembers losing a cow, only to find it two days later stuck firmly inside the hollow trunk.
Looking good, if very hollow, despite the drought
Submitted for Check-a-Tree week
Absolutely amazing tree, in fine physiological condition, supported and cared for, hopefully be here another thousand years.