Mitford likely refers to the common or English oak (Quercus robur), a variety of white
oak, although the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) is also native to the Europe and the
UK. Large, long-lived deciduous hardwood tree with lobed leaves, hanging catkins in
spring, and then acorns, oval nuts with woody caps. In 19th-century English forests,
oak was the predominant deciduous tree, often found with
ash and
elm. A hard wood with a distinctive light-and-dark grain, used since the early medieval
period for making sturdy furniture, flooring, doors, household items such as chests
and buckets, and for building sailing ships, particularly large naval vessels. Because
the tree is large, strong and long-lived, it has accumulated numerous symbolic and
national associations, particularly in the UK. In English folklore, Robin Hood hid
in an oak to escape pursuers, and the oak became a national symbol after the future
Charles II reportedly hid in an oak during the English Civil Wars. This tree became known as the Royal Oak, and led to a national celebration of Oak Apple Day in May. Royal Oak became a popular pub name, as well as the name of several Royal Navy warships. The
symbolic association between Britain's military strength and the strength of its men
is encapsulated in the song
Heart of Oak, written in 1759 and revised in 1809: Heart of oak are our ships,/Hearts of oak are our men. Oak leaves, like laurel, were used as ceremonial wreaths and crowns, and both oak
leaves and acorns appeared as neoclassical ornaments. The proverb great oaks from little acorns grow, dates from at least the 16th century, and the concept appears in Chaucer's
Troilus and Criseyde.