The Forest Trees of Wiltshire. 147 



only ten feet up to where its head branched out, was sold, standing, 

 for no less a sum than 400 guineas, in the year 1810. But when 

 one of them is mentioned and that probably not the largest, a 

 perfectly sound and still growing tree, with a clear, clean trunk of 

 fully twenty-five feet in height up to the first branches, and 

 measuring at three feet from the ground, as many feet in circum- 

 ference, nothing more needs to be said about the specimens to be 

 seen in that domain. 



Going northward some fifteen or twenty miles thence, Spye 

 Park and Bowood will afford numerous specimens well worthy of 

 admiration and of notice ; and at a short distance beyond at Black- 

 land Park, is an oak more than locally celebrated, and deservedly 

 so from its great size and fine proportions. It is a great and a 

 good tree, being perfectly sound and vigorous. It may safely 

 challenge to be, in all respects, the Premier Oak in the county. 

 Measuring on the ground, which however is no fair criterion, it is 

 thirty-one feet in circumference. At rather more than a foot from 

 the ground it is twenty- seven feet, and at about eighteen feet from 

 the ground it is eighteen and a half in circumference. Yery large 

 branches from nine to twelve feet in circumference, are thrown out 

 at intervals, the lowest being upwards of eighteen feet from the 

 ground, forming a very noble head. The spread of the branches 

 cannot cover an area of less than three hundred and twenty feet. 

 Spye Park, a place of singular natural beauty, as well from the diver- 

 sified surface of the ground, as for the splendid views obtained from 

 it to the east, south, and west, but particularly to the west, must 

 formerly have been rich indeed in timber, especially oaks ; doubt- 

 less having once, with Bowood, formed part of the ancient but 

 now non-existing forest of Pewsham. In addition to some very 

 fine oaks — forming what may not improperly be called a " grove " 

 of oaks, which is quite a feature of the place, — are a number of 

 venerable relics, some of immense size, and although almost head- 

 less, apparently sound ; that is to say without any outward openings 

 indicative of their being hollow. Several of these measure from 

 twenty, to twenty-four or twenty-five feet in circumference at twc 

 or three feet from the ground ; and one as much as thirty-four 

 vol. x. — NO. XXIX. K 



