Speech House Oak Tree

For many years I have been researching my Benfield ancestors & amongst my old notes I have a clipping, which unfortunately I did not note the date or write down where I got the clipping from in the first place.

'At Speech House in the centre of the Forest of Dean is an oak tree planted by some Royalty with a stone stating the date and other particulars. The tree was pointed out to me and I dutifully read the inscription, but like a good stone worker I looked on the side of the stone near the ground to see if the mason had put his name there, and he had. In small letters was the name of Benfield with no initials.
Who was that Benfield who worked stone in the Forest of Dean? ......'

I know without initials the identity of this particular Benfield will never be known, but I would be interested to know if the tree & the stone inscription still exists? What member of the Royal Family planted the tree & when?

Any ideas?

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The Verderers? Courtroom in the Speech House
http://www.deanverderers.org.uk/verderers-court-room.html

On the east wall lie the two royal spades used in 1957 by HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip to plant two oak trees over the road from the courtroom. In the Courtroom are the Verderers? brass plaque of the Royal Coat of Arms and the card advertising the Court proceedings.

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Many thanks indeed for this information. However, I think it must have referred to an earlier visit of royalty - at the turn of the century - in the reign of either Edward VII or George V as my clippings seems to refer to a stone inscription.

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Parliament had ordered the 29th of May, the King’s birthday, to be forever kept as a day of thanksgiving for our redemption from tyranny and the King’s return to his Government, he returning to London that day.

— Samuel Pepys’s Diary 1st June 1660

Oak is the national tree of the English people. It represents strength and endurance.
Oak is traditionally seen as the protector of our way of life. Royal Oak Day (also known as Oak Apple Day or Restoration Day)
marks the restoration of England’s Monarchy. It recalls how Charles II hid in an oak tree to escape following his defeat in the battle of Worcester.

Speech House Walk ( a division of the Forest) is also known as Kings Walk

The Speech House Hotel was built in 1676 as a hunting lodge for Charles II

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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One of the descendants of my Forest of Dean relatives was born on Royal Oak Day and was called Charles because of it. A member of the family is also reputed to have been the housekeeper at the Speech House in the mid-19th Cent. In the part of England to which they moved no one had heard of Royal Oak Day which tells me that it is more significant to the Forest of Dean than to other places.
My family also say that they were on the side of the Cavaliers and this information has been passed down from generation to generation orally.

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If you cross over the road from speech house & climb over the wire fence on to the forest trail head left toward beechenhurst the stone tablet you are talking of is a few yards up the track. Its a while since i`ve been there & can`t remember what it says but will check it out on monday for you.

Andy

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Many thanks Andy, yes I am sure this is the stone tablet referred to in my clipping.

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