AN oak sapling grown from a tree on the outskirts of Worcester has been planted on the Magna Carta Meadows at Runneymede, near the memorial to assassinated US president John F Kennedy, to celebrate the Anglo-American special relationship.
The sapling had been nurtured from an acorn since 2017 by Wade Muggleton, tree expert and Worcestershire County Council countryside officer, on behalf of David and Margret Hallmark, the owners for nearly 40 years of a more than 400-year-old oak, the dominant tree in their small woodland at Whittington.
The acorn was gathered from the tree in the autumn of 2017 and grown on in a pot by Mr Muggleton.
Mr Hallmark explained: “We hope we have created happy and we trust long-lasting links between the UK and America through the Whittington Worcester oak sapling.
“It was planted in English soil at historic Runnymede, which was saved for the nation by the Worcester born industrialist Urban Broughton and his American wife Cara, when it was threatened by housing development after the First World War.
The sapling was placed on a hillside close to the memorial to President John F Kennedy at the site gifted to the people of the USA in recognition of the special relationship between the two English speaking nations.
“The history behind their shared respect for the Rule of Law is exemplified by Magna Carta in the reign of King John, who lies in Worcester Cathedral, and through their shared adoption of the 1689 Bill of Rights, drafted by John Somers, who was born at White Ladies in The Tything, Worcester.”
He said the age of his oak tree meant it would have witnessed troop movements during the 1651 Battle of Worcester, which took place on the Severn’s river meadows not far away, so its sapling planted at Runnymede had an ancient heritage.
James Preston, National Trust head ranger, chose the site and with a volunteer crew prepared the ground and built a four-sided cage to protect against deer and squirrels.
He said it was “ a splendid day enjoyed by all” and “a much needed morale boost in these difficult times” .
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