Oak Tree Facts

'Strength', 'Endurance', 'Stability', 'Luck'.

First appeared 65 million years ago and arrived in Britain around 8000 BC.

It is the tree species most likely to be struck by lightning.

Associated with Norse and Finnish Thunder Gods, Thor and Jumala, as well as the Roman Jupiter and Greek Zeus.

Sacred to the Druids.

Bronze Age henges (ceremonial oak rings) found in Norfolk have been dated 2049 BC.

The Royal Navy's 'Walls of Old England' were oak-constructed ships, and HMS Victory consumed 5000 oaks in her build.

Henry III gave the Monks of Worcester 100 Oak Trees for the roof of the new cathedral that covered the tomb of his father, King John.

The English Oak is the most common tree in Britain, and more than half of the world's Oaks are located here.

On 2/8/1100, King William II (Rufus) was accidentally killed by an arrow deflected from an Oak whilst stag-hunting in the New Forest, Hampshire. Today, the Rufus Stone stands on the site of that tree.

It is traditional for English Kings to be buried in an English Oak coffin encased in a lead coffin, used by the Romans to preserve the body.

An Oak tree from the Royal estate at Sandringham was chosen to build the coffin for King George VI.

After the skeletal remains of King Richard III were discovered in September 2012, he was re-buried on 26 March 2015, at Leicester Cathedral, in a coffin made of English Oak, made by one of his ancestors who was a Canadian wood carver.

On the grounds of Windsor Castle, there is an ancient Oak estimated to be over 900 years old, which started to grow during Henry I's reign and is much loved by the Royal Family.

The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire was the meeting place of Robin Hood and his Merry Band, according to folklore.

A Shire Oak (or Skyrack) near Headingley, Leeds marked the boundary of the Norse Wapentake.

The Gog and Magog Oaks near Glastonbury, Somerset were named after two giants from Celtic mythology.

Big Belly Oak in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire is 1000 years old. There is a belief that the devil will appear to anyone who dances naked round it at midnight.

Herne's Oak in Windsor Great Park was involved in a feud between King Richard II and his keeper, and is mentioned in Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor".

According to some sources, the English Oak originated from Cornwall or Devon.

The bark of the Cork Oak contains air channels running inwards containing loose powder. Cork for bottling is only cut length-wise to the surface.

Admiral Lord Cullingwood, who lived in Northumberland, filled his pockets with acorns and planted them around hedgerows so that there were always oak trees growing for the Navy to use in their Warships.

A hollowed-out Iron Age trunk boat made from Oak wood - some 46ft long and 18ft in girth - was excavated at Hasholme, East Yorkshire.

Britain's most massive tree is a Sessile Oak in Croft Castle Park, Herefordshire. It is 100ft high and 9ft across the trunk, and is estimated to weigh some 100 tons.

In Boxford, Berkshire there was found a huge oak timber buried in peat. The tree has human carvings on it, making it the oldest such object in Britain at 4500 years old.

The Queen Elizabeth I Oak tree in Greenwich Park is a thousand years old. Legend says Elizabeth I sheltered in its hollow trunk when out hunting. It died in 1991 and for many years it was held up by Ivy before eventually collapsing.