Chained oak
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The Chained Oak is the local legend of Alton Village in Staffordshire, England.
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[edit] Legend
The legend goes that on an autumn night in 1821, the Earl of Shrewsbury was returning to his home in Alton Towers when an old woman suddenly appeared in the road.
The coach stopped to find why she was there, and then the old woman begged for a coin.
The Earl cruelly dismissed her, so the old woman placed a curse on him. The old woman said, "For every branch on the Old Oak Tree here that falls, a member of the Earl’s family will die." The Earl dismissed this and carried on his way.
That night, during a violent storm a single branch from the old oak tree broke and fell. Later that same night, a member of the Earl’s family suddenly and mysteriously died. To prevent any more deaths the Earl ordered his servants to chain every branch together to prevent other branches from falling. To this day the Oak tree remains chained up.
[edit] Location
The tree can be found in the woods near Alton Village. The tree itself has worn down steps leading up to it from the path.
[edit] Trivia
- A movie based on the legend has been scheduled for 2007 by Ghosthunter Dean Maynard
- The ride Hex at the theme park Alton Towers is based on a fanciful elaboration of this legend.
