The Covenanters Oak Tree, Motherwell
The 800 year old oak tree, reputedly planted in the 13th Century by King David 1st as part of his deer park, became famous in the mid 17th century as a place of worship for the Covenanters, who refused to accept the King as the Head of the church as he was in England. Under the Act of Union 1703 Scotland's Presbyterian religion was the official one of Scotland but Charles ll tried to make the Anglican Church and the English Book of Common Prayer compulsory in Scotland too. The Covenanters refused to accept this. Barred from churches, they worshipped in unofficial sites, the Oak Tree being one of the. The Hamilton family, who owned the state, were sympathetic and allowed this. If caught, worshippers could be sentenced to death. The tree partly collapsed in 2008 after heavy rain and supports were put up to hold the rest of it up. It has 'children' round the estate - young oaks grown from its acorns and nurtured for some years before being returned to the Dalziel Estate and planted out with the idea that they will live on once the old oak tree eventually
Size: 2500px × 3333px
Location: Dalziel Country Park, Motherwell.
Photo credit: © Dallas Carter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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