I’m a big believer that trees can hold as much energy and history as any building.

When you think of how old some of the trees are, can you imagine the things they have bared witness to?

Again, after some research, I came across this specific tree on a new favourite site of mine – Lichfield Lore. I had to visit, and with some help, I was able to locate it.

The ancient chestnut  tree stands outside Hanch Hall on a crossroads. Typically, hanging trees were situated at crossroads.

Crossroads are mentioned in folklore across the world, but the main reason behind criminals being hung in the United Kingdom at a crossroads was because it was a ‘liminal’ place. A crossroads was nobody’s land, so for those who were denied a Christian burial , it was a perfect place. There was also a belief that crossroads could bewilder the ghost of a person, should it attempt to return, keeping their spirit at the crossroads in a confused state.

History and Sightings

In 1887, the Walsall historian Duignan estimated its age as three hundred years old and in 1894, however its believed it could be dated back further.

Locals have for many years dubbed the tree as the ‘Hanging tree’ and believe that the tree was once used to execute criminals. One even claimed that bones had been found in a nearby field. 

Local folklore tells the tale of a Victorian postman called Mr who had to pass the tree on his way to deliver mail to the village of King Bromley. On several occasions, he reported seeing the ghost of a dog, pacing around the trunk. Faced with disbelief, he invited sceptics to go and see the pawprints of the giant hound for themselves. Local historian J W Jackson, who always claimed he didn’t believe in ghosts but was always ready to fire up his mystery machine regardless, went to investigate and found freshly trodden tracks around the trunk, although inconclusively concluded that, ‘What had made it, we couldn’t say’.

In recent years, the tree and the road have seen its fair share of accidents. Quite a few have lost their life.

Upon visiting, I noticed that grass grows around the trunk of the tree, which typically with hanging trees, it normally doesn’t. I did not feel sad or distressed by the tree. In fact, I felt calm and that it was possibly connected to two lovers at one time.