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Forth Naturalist and Historian, volume 22 93
THE TORWOOD AND THE WALLACE OAK; SOME EARLY RECORDS
John G. Harrison
The Wallace Oak in Torwood was discussed by Forrester (1) whilst a
supplement to Forrester’s paper appears in this issue. Forrester used
cartographic evidence to locate the site of this once-famous tree. Recent work
has located a number of records concerning management of the Torwood in
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Two of these refer to the Wallace
Tree and the records make clear that the tree’s long survival was the result of a
deliberate policy of protection.
Like other semi-natural woods in early modern lowland Scotland the
Torwood was managed for the production of timber, bark, charcoal and other
wood products. The general aspects of the system are described by Smout and
Watson (2). At some phases in the cycle of management the woodland was also
grazed and grass was cut for hay. Small woods might be cut in one year but
larger woods were divided into a number of sections (called haggs) and one
hagg cut per year. Trees were to be cut carefully so as to encourage re-growth.
Each section was fenced after it was cut to exclude grazing animals. The
contracts often specify that a proportion of substantial trees (maidens) should
not be cut and specific trees might be named or marked for preservation. After
cutting, re-growth from the stumps was rapid and after 20 years or so the wood
was ready to be cut again. Contracts between proprietors and felling
contractors become increasingly common from about 1600 on and are the
prime documentary source.
Lord Forrester, proprietor of the Torwood, entered into such a contract some
time prior to 1656 but breached it by selling the wood to others; arbitrators
ordered him to compensate the original contractors (3). In 1682 Andro Mackie
bought the rights to the bark of the trees in the Holleinwaird of Torwoodhead
(a part of the Torwood). He was to pay 37 shillings Scots per boll with a free boll
for every twenty bolls and an extra free one for every 100 so this was a
substantial area of woodland (4). In the same month, William Livingstone had
paid 400 merks for the rights to the haill greine wood and growing timber of all sorts
quhatsomever presentlie growing within the dykes and upon the dyke backes, with
severall uther bussis of timber growing without the dyke, of the parke of Torwoodhead
called the eister parke theirof, and within the roume and mealling presentlie possest be
Margaret Rennie, with the bark and other wood products. He had only two
years to do this work and this contract clearly refers only to a part of the wood.
There is no mention of reservation of maidens but he was to do the work
carefully to secure re-growth (5).
A 1687 contract excluded the tuo parkes lately cutt (those involved in the 1682
contracts) which lay upon the west syde of the heigh way betuixt the samen and the
house of Torrwoodhead, and also the planting in and about the yeards and inclosours
of Torrwoodhead. But otherwise this contract encompassed the whole Torwood