Shelton Oak, near Shrewsbury, is not more remarkable for its size than its traditional history. It stands about a mile and a half from Shrewsbury, where the Pool Road diverges from that which leads to Oswestry. There is a tradition that Owen Glyndŵr ascended this tree1 to reconnoitre; and finding that the King was in great force and that the Earl of Northumberland had not joined his son Hotspur, he fell back to Oswestry, and immediately after the Battle of Shrewsbury retired precipitately to Wales.
This tree is now in a complete state of decay, and hollow, even the larger ramifications. It is visited by many people from the above tradition.
Within the hollow of the tree at the bottom there is sufficient room for at least half a dozen to take a snug dinner.
| Girth at bottom, close to the ground | 44 ft 3 in |
| Ditto, 5 feet from the ground | 25 ft 1 in |
| Ditto, 8 feet, ditto | 27 ft 4 in |
| The height of the tree | 41 ft 6 in |
On the twenty second day of July AD 1403. ↩