Clarendon Lodge n° 8023

Wolverhampton - England

Province of Staffordshire

BOSCOBEL & the ROYAL OAK

The Royal Oak is the English Oak tree within which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Rounheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was located in Boscobel Wood, which was part of Boscobel House - home to the Giffard family.

Charles confirmed to Samuel Pepys in 1680 that while he was hiding in the tree, a Parliamentarian soldier passed directly below it. The story was popular after the Restoration and is remembered every year in the English traditions of Royal Oak Day.

Several large dishes painted with the Boscobel Oak, supported by the Lion and Unicorn, with the King's face peeping through the branches were made by the Staffordshire potter, Thomas Toft.

The Royal Oak is only 9 miles from the Masonic Hall.