The tree was blown down during galeforce winds on Wednesday night. The
oldest oak in Wales – and probably one of the oldest oak trees in
northern Europe – has grown in the Ceiriog Valley near Chirk, north
Wales, since 802 and measured 12.9m in girth. Legend states that the
Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd rallied his army under the tree in 1157,
before defeating the English King Henry ll at the nearby battle of
Crogen, and that the tree was spared when Henry had his men cut down the
Ceiriog woods in 1165.
Text and image from
The Guardian. Photo credit Rob McBride. Related stories at the
BBC and at the
Globe and Mail highlight efforts underway to preserve and protect some of Britain's other historic trees.
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