The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-11-04
The Largest Oak. in Great Britain,


The largest S oek Y Great Gre tl Britain
In spite of rival claim put forwar,
on behalf of an oak at eNewland,o i
Gloucestershire, believe that the lare
I est oak IN Britain II and eur island hom
Z can boast of not afew giant oaks, man,
OF them famous, too, for their historical
Observation-Disclosures in the parish o
i Cowthorpe, three miles from Wetherby
in the West Riding of the county o
York: The Cowthorpe Oak, whose ag'
/ has been computed to exceed .1,5Ol
years, has. as may be supposed from it
extraordinary size, been noticed in lnu
j merous works devoted to natural histor,
and forestry. The circumference OF It.
trunk close to the ground, was, 1t tia
close Of last, century, according to Eve
lyn's SYLVIA" seventy-eight feet
4 Shortly after the publication of this
work earth was placed around the bass
j OF the trunk with a view to the preser.
vation of the tree, which, by covering
over some, very considerable projections,
reduced the girth Of the stem At the
ground line to sixty; feet. in 1929 the
Kew Or. Jessop measured the tree and
communicated its dimensions to STRUTS
"Sylva Britannica. ~. We transcribe
the reverend doctors details, which, he
assures us. may be relied upon: '''.''
Circumference at the ground 80 60
circumference at. the heights of oneyard. Z 45 q
| Height of the tree in 1923 IL
Extent,of the principal REMAINING limb. so
Greatest circumference of ditto. g
| tDr.sJessop adds: ?. The tree is hollow
throughout, the top, and the ground
plot inside Cthei account Of which has
been much exaggerated) may possibly
afford standing, room for forty men,"
In Loudon's Arboretum' The dame
ter of the hollow within the tree, close
to the ground, is given at nine feet ten
inches. SO The circles occupied by the
Cowthorpe Oak" says Professor. Bur;
nett, where the bottom of its trunk
meets the earth, exceeds the ground
plot OF chat majestic column of which
an oak lis, confessed to have been the
prototype, namely, 80 Sn1eaton' Eddy
stone Lighthouse" In Burnett'sr. Out
lines OF BOTANY we also read: $50
capaciousis the Hollow OF the Cowtho
Oak that upward of seventy persons.
have been, as the villagers affirm. at
one time therein assembled" = In The
twelfth volume of Loudon's, Gaydeser's,
magazine the Cowthorpe Oak is said to
be undoubtedly the largest tree at presIE
emf. known. in England. Shaw, in his
" Nature Displayed says: "Many
suppose the Cowthorpe Oak to be the
Father of the Forest;". and in Kent's.
Sylvan Sketches" (1825) mention is
made OF this oak as surprising all 9TH
ers.us lsiWR 3at ~ nninef51 re zsv
Tradition asserts that at one time the
branches Of this tree overshaded half All
acre OF ground. A large, branch which |
1eii about the commencement. of last
century is said to have extended 10 AL
wall ninety feet from the trunk of the
oak. On this wall, which still remains.
the Villagers, SO the story runs used to1
mount and pick the acorns from the over.
hanging branches. The leadino or ton
branch fell before The date Iof AM
record concerning thetree. The manner
N which 1t Is said to have fallen IS how
ever, remarkable! @e The main trunk
having become hollow, the perpendicu.,
lar shaft dropped down into the empty
space and could never 9be removed. 4
There it remained wedged in, doubtless
Cendlng to strengthen the hollow cylin-
der and prevent concussion; from the i
pressure Of its enormous branches. In
l772. one of the side branches was
thrown down in a violent gale of wind.
annq being accurately measured. was
found to contain upward of five tons Of
wood. The largest of sthes1iyinp,I
branches at present, extends over forty
eet N. N. E. from the trunk. This
giant limb is supported by Substantial
A century ago Yorkshire children
lsed to. amuse themselves with a game
; al the :. Dusty Miller The Cow.
horpe YAK was meeting place for this
diversion. Through the rents, IN the
nell OF the trunk. then only LARGE
nough to admit them, troops Of merry
'illage ladsand lasses Ccrept into the in.
erior, and, provided with spout.
Which was balanced in hole in the
vail OF their living play house, thew
adhered the dry, crumbling dust and (
fragments of wood and shot them down
ne spout to their companions outside.
has been reported that for some time {
ne cavity within the tree was used az
tabling for cattle, but this, we think is {
hction. The openings in the trunk.
hough evidently enlarging constantly
re even now scarcely wide enough to /!
i've color to this assertion. . @'o7ssT
Z In connection with this tree. am an.
cdote is related of that. notable York q
nlreman, John Metcalfe, Che blind
ighway contractor and surveyor. bet !
II known as Blind Jack of Knares-. !
CROUCH" Blind Jack was frequent :
lsitor to the tree. and would measure
8, girth correctly at any height n
lthin his reach, going around it with
Is long arms extended. He used to :
omit out. too, with accuracy, by, putt; =
n,g Up hls stat, the exact spot, from p