The Hoar Oak Tree
There has been a Hoar Oak Tree from time immemorial, marking the boundary between the Royal Forest of Exmoor and Brendon Common. The term ‘Royal Forest’ denoted a hunting ground or ‘waste’ belonging to the Crown; more often a treeless area and not as we understand the word forest to mean now. According to McDermot, writing in the early part of the twentieth century, the original tree fell in 1658 and a replacement was planted close by soon after. This survived until 1916 when the tree now standing was planted. Despite being over 100 years old this tree remains small and stunted due to the poor soil conditions and the harsh and exposed upland climate. However, despite its appearance it is healthy and remains in fine condition.
At the time of the First World War, Bill Hobbs was the shepherd living at Hoar Oak Cottage; when he went to war John Jones, his brother-in-law, temporarily took his place. There is no evidence that either men planted the replacement tree but they certainly would have been aware of its planting.
The Hoar Oak Tree, as has been seen, has a long and important history and is marked on several maps including the current Ordnance Survey. It also featured on the Ordnance Survey map of 1890 and before that (as Ore Oak) on the Benjamin Doon map of 1765. An even earlier reference to Whore Oake Ball dates to 1651.
Extensive, natural oak woods do thrive on Exmoor along the coastal belt and also at Horner. The coastal oak woods are renowned for their wildlife and rare plant communities; the relentless gales and poor growing conditions have also stunted their growth but in a very different way to that of the Hoar Oak Tree.
Oaks are a valuable resource for wildlife. One of the most common yet overlooked sights are the Spangle galls created by tiny parasitic wasps. Each gall hosts a larva that is feeding on the leaf tissue beneath it and a single leaf can carry very many galls. In the autumn the larvae fall to the ground before the leaves and complete their growth cycle protected by the leaf litter, emerging in early spring. Despite the huge numbers of galls an oak tree can carry the larvae do very little damage.
Regardless of its diminutive size, the Hoar Oak Tree continues to be an important Exmoor landmark. Situated just yards upstream, it also stands as a living link to the shepherds of Hoar Oak Cottage and their families.
The Hoar Oak Tree of Exmoor, part of a series of blog posts exploring the flora and fauna that surrounds Hoar Oak Cottage.
