Mar. 1903.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 397 



Famous English trees and the records we have re- 

 specting them have fm-nished data to the scientific men of 

 all countries ; no other country being possessed of the 

 double blessing of wonderful trees and reliable recorders. 

 The recorders deserving to be remembered in connection 

 with our subject are John Evelyn, Robert Marsham, 

 H. Ptooke, Dr. Hunter, J. G. Strutt, I-oudon, and Empson. 

 The records consist of a statement such as — that in a certain 

 locality, on the date of writing, there was a tree of such a 

 species, which girthed so many feet and inches at, say, 

 5 ft. from the ground ; that the spread of the head was so 

 many feet ; the height so many feet ; that the trunk was 

 sound or not, as the case might be ; and any other peculi- 

 arity. Statements like these would seem valueless to most 

 people, and not worth recording, but being facts, scientific 

 men can with them in after times prove or disprove theories 

 of great interest and importance. One particular theory 

 being De CandoUe's, which claims for trees the possibility 

 of an immortal life. Besides, the statements afford means 

 of comparison, and without them it would not be known 

 that some of the dimensions of the oak at Cowthorpe are 

 larger than those of any other oak that is known. 



John Evelyn was the first to make a number of records, 

 and his '• Sylva ; or. Discourse of Forest Trees," published in 

 1664, was so popular that afterwards he was known as 

 Sylva Evelyn. At present "Evelyn's Diary" is a more popular 

 work ; to his credit it may also be remembered that he was 

 one of the founders of the Eoyal Society. It is only a little 

 more than two hundred years since Evelyn wrote the 

 " Sylva," and of the noteworthy trees which he mentioned 

 there are only three living at the present time — the Yew 

 at Crowhurst, the Great Chestnut at Tortworth, and the 

 Greendale Oak in Welbeck Park, near Worksop. 



The yew tree at Crowhurst, in Surrey, stands to the east 

 of the ancient church of that place — in the graveyard. In 

 records of Edward i.'s time the church is mentioned. 

 AVithin the buildinor there are monuments with a date as 

 early as 1-450, and several others without a date which must 

 be earlier still, as they are of Saxon and Xorman workman- 

 ship. Our oldest trees are generally near some church, and 

 It seems as if the sacredness of the edifice helps to shelter 



