ON BRITISH OAKS. 35 
in the parish of Cowthorpe, three miles from Wetherby, in the 
West Riding of the county of York. The circumference of its 
trunk close to the ground was, at the close of last century, accord- 
ing to Evelyn’s “Silva,” 78 feet. Shortly after the publication of 
this work, earth was placed around the base of the trunk, with a 
view to the preservation of the tree, which by covering over some 
considerable projections reduced the girth of the stem at the 
ground line to 60 feet. In 1829 the Rev. Dr Jessop measured 
the tree, and communicated its dimensions to Strutt’s ‘Silva 
Britannica,” as follows :— 
Circumference at ground, : ; : 60 feet. 
- at 3 feet from ground, . 45 ,, 
Height of tree, : : 45 ,, 
Extent of the principal Tine. : : : 50) % 
Greatest circumference of principal limb, ; oa 
Dr Jessop adds, “The tree is hollow throughout to the top, and 
the ground plot inside may possibly find standing-room for forty 
men.” In Loudon’s “ Arboretum” the diameter of the hollow of 
the tree close to the ground is given at 9 feet 10 inches. This 
would give an area of over 96 square feet, which is certainly 
sufficient to afford standing-room for forty men. 
In Dr Hunter’s edition of Evelyn’s “ Silva,” the dimensions are 
given—circumference at the ground, 26 yards (78 feet) ; height, 
80 feet ; and its principal limb 16 yards (48 feet) from the bole. 
This tallies so far with the other account, with the exception of 
the height of the tree. 
The “Royal Oak” at Boscobel House in the ancient forest 
of Brewood, Staffordshire, has become celebrated in history for 
having given shelter to Charles II. after the battle of Worcester 
on September 6, 1651. The story is variously told. The Earl 
of Bradford, in a letter dated Weston Park, May 6, 1878, says, 
“On one occasion when he (that is, the king) was out with one 
or two of the Penderils, sounds were heard of horses’ feet not very 
far off. There was not much time for consideration, but his 
attendants thought he might not be able to get back to his hiding- 
place in the house quietly, or perhaps thought that even if he did 
he might be discovered there, and recommended him to go into a 
thick part of the wood (being early in September, the trees and 
underwood were still in full leaf), where they helped him up into 
an oak tree (not a decayed, but a growing oak tree), and implored 
