Sherborne's Ancestor Oaks - Update

Here’s an update on the Sherborne Ancestor Oak Project.

Firstly a recap for those recently joined:

The Oak Project started 5 years ago at the suggestion of the National Trust and taken up with the enthusiasm of the Brook Support Group. The idea was to take acorns from known Sherborne ancient English Oaks, germinate them, grow them on in our allotments and then plant out in the community. Known acorns producing known trees for the community to enjoy for hundreds of years. Given the loss of elms and the continuing loss of ashes we need to generate some big trees in the landscape. The idea quickly developed to remember those from the village past - like the names on the war memorial and perhaps in future the names of children at the village school. So there’s an idea, like the trees themselves, of looking back to the past and our predecessors and making something positive for the future - “ancestor oaks”.

English oaks provide a special ecological habitat. They create an environment that provides a home for 2000 species, a remarkable number. They shape the landscape in a green, environmentally positive way. Their size, stature and longevity is remarkable in this fast moving world. What else can you do today that can change the world in 500 years time? It is the sign of a strong community that we can plant trees under which we will never sit.

The original idea of planting in the NT owned estate fell through as they have a corporate policy not to associate trees with specific individuals. A clutch of trees on a distant hillside doesn’t cut it if we are remembering individuals like John Houlton. The trees need to have a discreet name tag and allow us as the current community to keep an eye on them tend them, water them in dry summers and replace if necessary.

In previous years we have supplied some of our ancestor oaks to plant at Dowdeswell and also in Bourton town centre. They are already growing happily there. We supplied one last year to the local NT team to plant in memory of one of their past employees. Our first batch of named trees for Sherborne is now ready to plant out this winter. Their tap roots were clipped last winter and they survived the dry summer and are now ready for planting out.

Ideally this would be in public areas, or areas where one can see them from a public highway. Second best is in places where we can at the very least attach a smart, discrete label without upsetting the land owner who will commit to keep an eye on them or allow us to. If the saplings die, we will replace.

For this phase, marking the village war dead, we need 15 oak trees. So far I have a home for 7 of them. Please let me know if you have a suitable patch of land to take an oak - I know this requires some space. We need 8 more spaces across the village.

The tags will be small, brass, and state the dead serviceman’s name, and the words “lest we forget”. Nothing more. An anonymous benefactor has committed to pay for the brass, a few pennies more would be gratefully received and spread the burden. I’ll keep a public database of the location of each named tree in the parish, and remind the community every year where they are, take fresh photos, and detail the real people they represent and who is hosting… lest we forget. I’m suggesting that it would be an honourable thing, and a commitment to the village’s past, present and future to host an oak. Eight more trees… I’m going to be pushy and knock on a few doors. Would Sherborne House have space for a couple or more - some of these young lads would have worked for Lord Sherborne? Do you have space?

The images are of a village acorn germinated and put in a glass vase. I have this sat on top of a shelf in the kitchen and marvel every day how something as huge and complex might grow from this little seed, daily developing. You can do one too, it’s not difficult. I have one or two just germinated ready to put in a vase if anyone would like one. Patrick Paul, now sadly departed, and an oak tree in his own right, showed me how - this particular one will be in memory of him.

Let’s keep planting acorns. Keep the commitment. Put some roots down. Change the world for the better in 500 years time. Not for you, for future generations, remembering past generations. Remember those young lads, children of the community, who walked the village paths and knew of this place as home and where they were from as they died on distant battlefields. We need to keep it their home, and not forget them.