Major Oak
The Major Oak, c. 1890
Map
Interactive map of Major Oak
Species English oak (Quercus robur)
Location Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England
Coordinates 53°12′16.70″N 1°4′20.80″W / 53.2046389°N 1.0724444°W / 53.2046389; -1.0724444
Custodian Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

The Major Oak is[discuss] a large English oak (Quercus robur) near Edwinstowe, in the midst of Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England. Thought to be between 800 and 1,200 years old, it weighs an estimated 23 long tons (23 t) and has a canopy of 92 feet (28 m). According to local folklore, it was the shelter of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

In June 2026, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which manages the forest, announced that the tree had died after failing to produce leaves that year. This was attributed to prolonged stress from a series of hot, dry summers, soil compaction, changes to the water table due to nearby coal mining, and counter-productive measures taken to preserve it.

Description

The Major Oak weighs an estimated 23 long tons (23 t),[when?] has a girth of 33 feet (10 m), had a canopy of 92 feet (28 m) at its peak, and was thought to be between 800 and 1,200 years old.[1][2][3]

Name

The tree was originally known as the Cockpen Tree, after the cockfighting that once took place beneath it.[4] It was later named the Major Oak after Major Hayman Rooke, a soldier and antiquarian who described the tree in his 1790 book Description or Sketches of Remarkable Oakes in Welbeck Park, writing: "I think no one can behold this majestic ruin without pronouncing it to be of very remote antiquity; and might venture to say, that it cannot be much less than a thousand years old."[5][6]

History

The Major Oak (1844), by Henry Dawson, Nottingham Museums

It is unclear whether the Major Oak is a single tree or several saplings that became fused together,[7] which may account for its distinctive shape. The tree is commonly considered the UK's second-largest oak, surpassed only by the Majesty Oak in Fredville Park in the village of Nonington, near Dover, Kent.[8]

The tree has long been linked in local folklore with Robin Hood and his Merry Men, who were said to have sheltered beneath it.[9]

Major Hayman Rooke first formally identified the tree in 1790.[6] Support chains were first fitted in 1908, and its massive branches were partially supported by an elaborate system of scaffolding beginning in the 1970s.[10] In 1974, fences were installed around the tree to protect its root system, as the volume of visitors was compacting the surrounding soil.[11]

Around 1912, Emmeline Pankhurst was among approximately 30 suffragettes reported to have climbed inside the tree.[12]

The formation sign of the 46th Infantry Division of the British Army during World War II was the Major Oak.[13] Among the units of the division were battalions of the Sherwood Foresters regiment.[14]

In a 2002 public survey, the Major Oak was voted "Britain's favourite tree".[15] In 2003, a plantation of 260 saplings grown from acorns of the Major Oak was established in Dorset, intended to support an internet-based study of the tree's history, photographic record, variation in size and leafing among the saplings, comparison of their DNA, and to eventually serve as a public amenity.[6][16] In 2013, Major Oak saplings were given to pantomime actors Barney Harwood, Su Pollard, and David Hasselhoff.[17]

In 2014, it was voted England's Tree of the Year in a public poll organised by the Woodland Trust, receiving 18% of the votes.[18][2] The tree was also featured on the 2005 television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the Midlands.[19]

The tree receives approximately 350,000 visitors annually.[20]

Death

From 2022 onwards, the tree suffered from summer heat waves and produced progressively fewer leaves.[21] Rumours of the tree's decline were initially denied by the RSPB, which manages the forest.[22] However, its death was officially confirmed by the RSPB in June 2026, after prolonged stress from a succession of hot, dry summers caused it to fail to produce any leaves that year.[20][23] The RSPB attributed part of the blame to the scaffolding, which had artificially forced the tree to pump water towards its propped-up branches – at the expense of its trunk – rather than allowing it to shed branches naturally and begin "growing down", as would be expected for a tree of its age. Additional contributing factors included soil compaction resulting from two centuries of tourist and vehicular traffic, and alterations to the water table caused by nearby coal mining.[20]

The Major Oak is situated within a Site of Special Scientific Interest and will remain standing rather than being felled.[17][24]

  • Illustration in The Illustrated Guide to Sheffield and the Surrounding District, Etc., by John Taylor of Sheffield (1879)
    Illustration in The Illustrated Guide to Sheffield and the Surrounding District, Etc., by John Taylor of Sheffield (1879)
  • The Major Oak with the support system in place, June 2014
    The Major Oak with the support system in place, June 2014
  • The Major Oak in December 2006
    The Major Oak in December 2006
  • The Major Oak in 2013
    The Major Oak in 2013
  • Major Oak information board, 2015
    Major Oak information board, 2015
  • The Major Oak "entrance", May 1972
    The Major Oak "entrance", May 1972
  • Naming of the tree
    Naming of the tree
  • Path towards the Major Oak, 2012
    Path towards the Major Oak, 2012
  • Designated as a Great British Tree
    Designated as a Great British Tree

See also

  • List of Great British Trees
  • List of individual trees
  • Sycamore Gap tree, also known as "Robin Hood tree"

References

  1. ^ Biggs, Paul; Biggs, Sandra (1999). Best Tea Shop Walks in Nottinghamshire. Wilmslow: Sigma Leisure. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-85058-6845. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b "The Major Oak". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  3. ^ Lynsey Chutel (18 June 2026), "The Major Oak, Ancient Tree of Robin Hood Legend, Has Died", New York Times
  4. ^ Hight, Julian (2011). Britain's Tree Story: the history and legends of Britain's ancient trees. National Trust Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-1907-8922-02.
  5. ^ Caroline (29 May 2015). "The Major Oak: capturing the imagination for centuries". Flickering Lamps. Archived from the original on 7 December 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Stafford, Fiona (28 October 2016). "The story of Major Oak, one of Britain's most awe-inspiring trees". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  7. ^ The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest, archived 15 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Pedunculate Oak 'Majesty' in Fredville Park, Nonington, England, United Kingdom". Monumental Trees. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  9. ^ Melley, Brian (17 June 2026). "An ancient oak tree said to have sheltered legendary Robin Hood has died". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  10. ^ "The Major Oak – Sherwood Forest". 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  11. ^ The Woodland Trust (Summer 2019). "The Major Oak" (PDF). Wood Wise: 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  12. ^ Acton, Jules (2024). Oaklore: Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees. Greystone Books. ISBN 978-1-771-64967-4.
  13. ^ [dead link], formation, 46th (North Midland and West Riding) Infantry Division, Imperial War Museum, retrieved 11 April 2025
  14. ^ "Sherwood Foresters". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  15. ^ "Sherwood Forest Country Park: Nottinghamshire County Council". Nottinghamshire.gov.uk. 7 August 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Planting a new Oak Wood in Dorset". Eyemead. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  17. ^ a b Patel, Asha; Pittam, David (17 June 2026). "Major Oak: Ancient 'Robin Hood' tree is dead, experts say". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  18. ^ "'Robin Hood' Major Oak wins Tree of the Year competition". BBC News. 4 November 2014. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  20. ^ a b c Barkham, Patrick (17 June 2026). "'Most famous tree in the world': Sherwood Forest's 1,000-year-old Major oak dies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  21. ^ "Action to help 'Robin Hood' tree in Sherwood Forest in heatwave". BBC News. 21 June 2025. Archived from the original on 25 June 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  22. ^ Winter, Jude; Dyche, Laurie (8 July 2024). "Rumours 'Robin Hood' oak is dying dispelled by RSPB". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  23. ^ RSPB (17 June 2026). The Major Oak: A new chapter for a legend of Sherwood Forest | RSPB. Retrieved 18 June 2026 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "Nottinghamshire's National Nature Reserve". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
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