PoliCon
12-11-2010, 01:54 AM
Vandals have ravaged one of the most celebrated Christian pilgrimage sites in Britain by chopping the branches off Glastonbury's Holy Thorn.
The gnarled and windblown specimen is one of a handful of Christmas-flowering thorns in the town, which legend says are descended from the tree that sprouted from the staff that Joseph of Arimathea planted on Wearyall Hill.
The Wearyall Thorn is the most famous and visually prominent of them all, but yesterday the town woke to find it had all but vanished and just a 6ft stump remained.
Many townsfolk were left in tears when the news spread yesterday morning, just a day after a sprig from another of Glastonbury's holy thorns was cut and sent to the Queen for her Christmas table in a ceremony in which local schoolchildren have taken part for generations.
Katherine Gorbing, the director of Glastonbury Abbey, said: "Like the whole town, we are shocked and appalled at this terrible act of vandalism.
"This is the most important tree in Glastonbury and is of exceptional spiritual significance. Thousands of people come to Glastonbury to visit the abbey, the tor and follow in the footsteps of pilgrims, climbing Wearyall Hill to see the Holy Thorn."
Christian legend dictates that Joseph of Arimathea, reputed to be Jesus's great uncle, came to Britain after the crucifixion with the Holy Grail – the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper. It is claimed he visited Glastonbury and thrust his staff into Wearyall Hill below the Tor, planting a seed for the original tree.
Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads felled the tree during the English Civil War, when Parliament waged a fierce battle against the Crown.
However, locals salvaged the roots of the original tree, hiding it in secret locations around Glastonbury.
It was then replanted on the hill in 1951. Other cuttings were also grown and placed around the town – including its famous abbey.
Glastonbury mayor John Coles rushed to the tree site yesterday after he heard the news.
Mr Coles, 66, said: ''I'm stood on Wearyall Hill looking at a sad, sad, sight. The tree has been chopped down – someone has taken a saw to it.
"Some of the main trunk is there but the branches have been sawn away.
"I am absolutely lost for words – I just do not know why people would want to do this. This tree was visited by thousands of people each year and is one of the most important Christian sites.
"It is known all over the world."
Deputy mayor William Knight, 63, added: ''This is absolutely mindless. We are all devastated."
Experts had verified that the tree – of the species Crategus Monogyna Bi Flora – originated from the Middle East. They can grow to a height of 6m (20ft).
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "We believe this is known as the Holy Thorn and a tree important to the community. Damage to the tree will be upsetting to a lot of people in the town."
The tree is also loved by followers of other faiths, including Paganism, and is often festooned with ribbons.
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/article-2992448-detail/article.html
The gnarled and windblown specimen is one of a handful of Christmas-flowering thorns in the town, which legend says are descended from the tree that sprouted from the staff that Joseph of Arimathea planted on Wearyall Hill.
The Wearyall Thorn is the most famous and visually prominent of them all, but yesterday the town woke to find it had all but vanished and just a 6ft stump remained.
Many townsfolk were left in tears when the news spread yesterday morning, just a day after a sprig from another of Glastonbury's holy thorns was cut and sent to the Queen for her Christmas table in a ceremony in which local schoolchildren have taken part for generations.
Katherine Gorbing, the director of Glastonbury Abbey, said: "Like the whole town, we are shocked and appalled at this terrible act of vandalism.
"This is the most important tree in Glastonbury and is of exceptional spiritual significance. Thousands of people come to Glastonbury to visit the abbey, the tor and follow in the footsteps of pilgrims, climbing Wearyall Hill to see the Holy Thorn."
Christian legend dictates that Joseph of Arimathea, reputed to be Jesus's great uncle, came to Britain after the crucifixion with the Holy Grail – the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper. It is claimed he visited Glastonbury and thrust his staff into Wearyall Hill below the Tor, planting a seed for the original tree.
Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads felled the tree during the English Civil War, when Parliament waged a fierce battle against the Crown.
However, locals salvaged the roots of the original tree, hiding it in secret locations around Glastonbury.
It was then replanted on the hill in 1951. Other cuttings were also grown and placed around the town – including its famous abbey.
Glastonbury mayor John Coles rushed to the tree site yesterday after he heard the news.
Mr Coles, 66, said: ''I'm stood on Wearyall Hill looking at a sad, sad, sight. The tree has been chopped down – someone has taken a saw to it.
"Some of the main trunk is there but the branches have been sawn away.
"I am absolutely lost for words – I just do not know why people would want to do this. This tree was visited by thousands of people each year and is one of the most important Christian sites.
"It is known all over the world."
Deputy mayor William Knight, 63, added: ''This is absolutely mindless. We are all devastated."
Experts had verified that the tree – of the species Crategus Monogyna Bi Flora – originated from the Middle East. They can grow to a height of 6m (20ft).
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "We believe this is known as the Holy Thorn and a tree important to the community. Damage to the tree will be upsetting to a lot of people in the town."
The tree is also loved by followers of other faiths, including Paganism, and is often festooned with ribbons.
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/article-2992448-detail/article.html