The Dartmoor Hawthorn

The hawthorn is probably one of the most common trees of Dartmoor and can be seen resplendent in the hedges of the lowlands as well as standing in solitude high on the tors. Nothing can compare with walking down a Dartmoor lane in April with the heady scent of the May blossom filling the air, A. E. Houseman called it the "high snow drift in the hedge." But equally as evocative is the wintertime sight of the scarlet haws covered in icy white frost. The hawthorn blossom has always been recognised as the herald of warmer weather but whereas one time it was normal to see the blossom in May it is more likely to be April nowadays.

The hardiness of the tree is amply demonstrated in its Latin name - Crataegus monogyna, crataegus deriving from the Greek word Kratos which means 'strong'. The berries of the tree are known as 'haws' and this word derives from the Anglo Saxon word Haga which means 'hedge', 'enclosure' or 'curtilage'. This reflects the main use of the tree, namely for hedging, as it is fast growing, stock proof, and would have been useful for its berries, wood and browse. On Dartmoor the hawthorn carries several alternative names which are 'Chuck Cheese', 'Eagle Berry', 'Aggle', and 'Pixie Pears'. It is thought that the name 'Chuck Cheese' came from the fact that children used to eat the young green leaves which tasted rather 'cheesy'.

All across Devon it has been considered extremely unlucky to bring hawthorn into the house as it would be tempting fate and illness or death would surely follow. It is possible that this reputation stemmed from the belief that Christ's Crown of Thorns was made from Hawthorn.

The blossom of the hawthorn has long been a major component of the May Day decorations as seen in the following lines of the Devon poet, William Browne:

"Mark the faire blooming of the Hawthorn tree,

Who, finely clothed in a robe of white

Fills the wanton eye with May's delight."

There is also a lot of weather lore attached to the Hawthorn tree, for instance:

"Many nits (nuts), many pits (graves),

Many sloans (sloes), many groans,

Many aggles, many cradles."

As far as the haws or aggles go, this suggests that if there are plenty of berries on the hawthorn trees then there will be plenty of new babies to follow. Another saying goes:

"Many haws

Many sloes

Many cold toes."

Once again if there are an abundance of haws and sloes then this portends of a cold winter to follow. A well known saying is:

"Cast not a clout til' the May is out."

This actually refers to the hawthorn blossom or 'May' as opposed to the month and means that you should never take off any clothing before the May blossoms, clout is an old English word for cloth or clothing. For centuries the haws have been thought to be a remedy for heart complaints, especially when eaten straight of the bush.

As briefly mentioned above, the wood of the hawthorn is particularly strong and can often be seen as handles for tools, walking sticks, and many forms of turnery. It was however as a hedge tree that the hawthorn was most commonly used because when properly maintained it forms the best possible stock-proof barrier.

In the autumn/winter the hawthorn is a vital 'larder' for many birds and to me it is a splendid sight to see flocks of Fieldfares browsing on the berries in spells of cold weather. By providing a source of winter food ensures the very survival of the hawthorn as it is the birds that disperse the seeds via their droppings. This is why you can often see gnarled old hawthorns in some of the remotest and bleaker areas of Dartmoor.

Sometimes you will hear the hawthorn referred to as 'The Butcher's Larder', this comes from the fact that the Shrike or 'Butcher Bird' impales its prey on the thorns for later consumption thus using the hawthorn as a 'larder'.

The only place-name on Dartmoor that directly refers to the tree is a small rockfield known as 'Hawthorn Clitters' which is surprising when you see the number of hawthorns on the moor.