Druid's Oak and Fish Stones, Caton, Lancashire.



Druid's Oak and Fish Stones, Caton, Lancashire.


The Druid Connection?

The Druids continue to be one of the greatest mysteries of English history.
The intriguing rituals, the links to nature, the appeal of the secretive swishing hooded cloaks may all be inventions of C19th popular culture, yet they continue to spark our curiosity nonetheless.
The Oak of Caton was reputedly a site of druid worship.
Indeed it is believed to be old enough, although, as Hutton warned "not one single artifact or image has been unearthed that can undoubtedly be connected with the ancient Druids" (2009) and as a case study, the Oak regrettably stands true to this quote.
Therefore, disappointingly, it remains unclear as to whether the tree's Druid links are reality or merely local legend. It is perhaps likely that tree was formed from a mixture of the two, in much the same way as the Robin Hood legend, with the tree being an invention, a symbol, to reflect local knowledge that there had been Druid activity in days gone past at some point, though perhaps the tree itself was not the precise site.

It's that Cockersand Abbey again!

The other integral part of the Caton landmark are the semi-circular steps leading up to the tree, affectionately termed 'the fish stones' by the locals. These, seemingly, were steps used to display Salmon caught by the monks at Cockersand Abbey, this seems perhaps more feasible than the Druid connection, though again, there is no certain evidence to show this. It has also been suggested, and seems likely, that at the top of the steps there was once a cross and that perhaps the site was a former marketplace, however, there is no evidence to support this theory.

A Local Symbol

The truth is, little is known about the curious monument. And it is perhaps for this reason that it is held so dearly as the 'great mystery of Caton' by the imaginative locals. It has remained a proud symbol of Caton, indeed, it even features on post cards of the village, as shown below.

Photograph of the Caton Oak, taken in around 1951.

However, as the photograph at the start of this post shows, the Oak has recently fallen into ill health.
As a result, the devotion of the locals to the monument was shown in 2007, when an oak sapling from one of the acorns of the old oak was planted on the site, in the hope that this will grow and replace the old oak, which sadly seems beyond help.




Sheriff of Lancaster, Mrs Ruth Winterbottom, unveils the new sapling planted on the 27th of April 2007. 



The affectionately selected logo of Caton Parish Council.

The history of this site is infuriatingly brief yet captivating. It seems strange that a humble tree can be so venerated by a local community, when, in reality there may be no basis for our worship.
We can only hope that at some point some new evidence will be found to soothe our curiosity.

When frantically scrabbling for strands of research, I found this quote by Mr. Bennett. I leave you with it as a bit of food for thought. Although, it should be noted, the date, 1536, is wrong as Cockersand Abbey which produced the fish was the last monastic house of Lancashire to close, in 1539.

"Were I a schoolmaster... teaching the Dissolution of the Monasteries, I would begin with the ancient oak tree still standing at the crossroads at Caton...One day, in 1536, the fish-monks didn't turn up, so for the people of Caton...the Dissolution of the Monasteries simply meant no more fresh fish.'


- 6 January 2005, Alan Bennett.