THE OAK. 



135 



now remains for them to pay their devotions to. Of 

 Earnside Wood, where Wallace defeated the Eng- 

 lish, on the 12th June, 1298, and which formerly 

 stretched four miles along the shores of the Frith, 

 not a vestige is left ; and in the same manner, many 

 other individual trees and woodland tracts, once 

 rendered interesting by being associated with the 

 valiant darings and hair-breadth scapes of Wallace, 

 have bowed before the warring elements, or the un- 

 pitying axe. One Oak which bears his name still 

 however survives, and is perhaps more interesting 

 than any of those we may otherwise lament, on ac- 

 count of its standing immediately at the place of his 

 birth, which was Ellerslie, or Elderslee, three miles 

 to the south-west of Paisley, in Renfrewshire. It is 

 mentioned by Semple, in his " Continuation of 

 Crawfurd's History of Renfrewshire," as " the large 

 Oak tree, which is still standing alone, in a little en- 

 closure, a few yards south from the great road between 

 Paisley and Kilbarchan ; being on the east side of 

 Elderslee rivulet, where there is a stone bridge with 

 one arch, the manor of Elderslee being a few yards 

 distant from the rivulet on the west side. They say 

 that Sir William Wallace and three hundred of his 

 men hid themselves upon that tree, among the 

 branches, (the tree being then in full blossom,) 

 from the English. The tree is indeed very large, 

 and well spread in the branches, being about twelve 

 feet in circumference." p. 260. 4to. 1782. The pre- 



