42 



SYLVA BRITANNICA. 



indeed would form a volume in themselves ; a 

 Sylvan Chronicle of times past, did we undertake 

 to mention all such as are rendered illustrious by 

 the names of the great and good who have sheltered 

 or meditated under their branches ; but our limits 

 restrain us from more than a mere glance at features 

 so interesting. 



THE SHELTON OAK, 



known familiarly in its neighbourhood by the appel- 

 lation of *' Owen Glendower's Observatory," stands 

 on the road-side, where the Pool road diverges from 

 that which leads to Oswestry, about a mile and 

 a half from Shrewsbury. The spires of that city 

 form a pleasing object in the distance, whilst above 

 them, the famous mountain called the Wrekin 

 lifts its head, and inspires a thousand social re- 

 collections, as the well-known toast, that includes 

 all friends around its ample base, is brought to 

 mind by the sight of its lofty summit. The appear- 

 ance of the Shelton Oak, hollow throughout its 

 trunk, and with a cavity towards the bottom ca- 

 pable of containing at least half a score persons, ' 

 sufficiently denotes its antiquity. Tradition informs 

 us, that just before the famous battle of Shrews- 

 bury, June 21, 1403, headed on one side by Henry 

 the IVth in person, and on the other by the gallant 

 Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, Owen Glendower, 



