174 THE CHESTNUT. 



Miller, Laud, &c., still more unfortunate, for tlie tree in 

 question is neither described nor even mentioned by name. 

 Evelyn honestly cited the passage as evidence that there 

 formerly existed a great forest near London, in which he 

 thought it probable that Chestnut timber, among other 

 kinds, might grow; and the authors who followed him, 

 jierhaps from not being able to refer to the original work, 

 mistaking the drift of his remark, took it for granted 

 that the tree was mentioned, and considered the evidence 

 thereby afforded conclusive, as indeed they well might. 



There can be no doubt that Chestnut-trees have existed 

 quite long enough in England to originate the names of 

 places, but this they might have done without being ab- 

 original trees. In fact a planted grove of foreign trees, or 

 even a single fine specimen, might have afforded sufficient 

 reason for giving a name commemorative of the circum- 

 stance to an otherwise unimportant place. With respect 

 to the Chestnut-forest said to exist in Elizabeth's time in 

 the parish of Milton, Barrington, who wrote in 1771, says 

 that he expended much time and labour in examining the 

 forest, and discovered satisfactory evidence, from the fact 

 that they stood at equal distances from each other and in 

 straight lines, that the trees had been originally planted. 

 The author of a tract published in 1612 was evidently of 

 opinion that the tree in question was not indigenous, for 

 he recommends planting it as a " kind of timber tree of 

 which few grow in England." 



With regard to the strongest evidence of all in favour 

 of the oioinion that the Chestnut is a native tree, — that, 

 namely, afforded by the actual existence of ancient trees, 

 and the notice of others in the grant to the Monastery of 

 Flexeley,^ — it may be argued that, supposing the Chestnut 

 to have been introduced bj'^ the Eomans, ample time had 

 been allowed it to establish itself thoroughly, and even 

 to spread itself over the country. The Sycamore, Gerard 



1 " Singulis annis totain decimam Castaneariim de Deua, et ter- 

 rain ill am c|uam adij^uietavit ijjse Comes Herefordise. " 



