treated was taken for me by Mr. Elsden of Hertford, at Waterhall, a farm on Mr. H. Clinton Baker’s property near Bayfordbury, Herts, in January 1907 (Plate 149). At Essendon, Herts, Mr. Baker, in 1906 measured a tree, 81 feet by 11 feet 2 inches; a pollarded tree at the same place being 56 feet high by 18 feet in girth. Sir Hugh Beevor measured in 1891 a hornbeam in Hatfield Park, Herts, which was 17½ feet in girth at about 4 feet from the ground.
The finest and largest examples of pollard hornbeams that I have seen are in Easton Park, Essex, the seat of the Earl of Warwick. A group of these trees, growing near the park-keeper’s house, which was shown me by Mr. Rogers, agent for the Easton property, contains several trees of great beauty, which were in flower on 7th April. The largest of these measures no less than 28 feet round the head_at about 8 feet from the ground, and 12 feet 2 inches at 2 feet (Plate 150). Another near it, dividing into two stems which are united at the crown, was 25 feet in girth at 7 feet and 174 feet at 2 feet. A third, growing at some distance, has perhaps the finest head of all, and measures 26 feet round the head with a bole about 11 feet high. Mr. Shenstone tells me that the largest he has seen in Epping Forest is 27 feet in girth round the head, and he showed me another very old one in Braxted Park which was over 20 feet round.
Mrs. Delves Broughton has sent me a photograph (Plate 151) of a very fine group of hornbeams in Weald Park, Essex, the seat of C.J.H. Tower, Esq., in which, according to the measurements sent me by Mr. T.W. Bacon, the two largest trees are 75 feet by 16 feet 9 inches, and 88 feet by 15 feet 4 inches.
At Elveden, Suffolk, there is a very well-shaped and handsome tree in front of the house, which, as I was told by the late Prof. A. Newton, is probably not more than 140 years old, and measured, when I saw it in 1907, 75 feet by 10 feet.
At Nibley, Gloucestershire, there is a tree, of which Col. Noel has been good enough to send me a photograph, which measures about 80 feet by 11 feet 6 inches with a bole of 8 feet and a spread of 80 feet diameter. In Bitton churchyard, Gloucestershire, there is a tree planted since 1817 by Canon Ellacombe’s father which is 65 feet by 8 feet 2 inches. At St. Pierre Park, near Chepstow, Major Stacey showed me a very fine hornbeam which, though not very tall, and with a bole only 10 feet high by 11 feet 7 inches in girth, spreads over an area 112 paces round.
In the wooded part of Kew Gardens, there are several fine trees, the best of which is 70 feet high and 1o feet in girth, dividing into three stems at 7 feet from the ground. One tree, 5% feet in girth, has bark on the lower part of the trunk, divided into raised longitudinal ridges, which are covered with small scales. At Heron Court, Hants, there is a beautiful tree near the front entrance, 70 feet by 10 feet 5 inches with a spread of 25 yards.
At Brocklesby, Lincolnshire, Lord Kesteven measured, in 1906, a tree 77 feet high by 9 feet 4 inches in girth, At Castle Howard the hornbeam grows well and there are several large trees, the tallest being about 80 feet high, the thickest 9 feet 3 inches in girth. At Studley Park, Yorkshire, in the valley below Fountains Abbey, there are several very fine hornbeams, probably the same as those figured by Loudon (ff. 1933, 1934, 1935), which were in 1838 50 to 60 and one 73 feet high.
