I was intrigued by the comment made by Camillo Fernandes that perhaps it was an anti-Christian attack in the United Kingdom. I was particularly interested to know how a Christian symbol came to be in the UK, many years prior to arrival of the religion in that country.
Seems to be that the tree was first planted by one of the great uncle of Jesus Christ, who came to the UK after the crucifixion. This great uncle 'thrust his staff into Wearyall Hill, just below the Tor, planting a seed for the original thorn tree.' The website refered to by Camillo says that the tree was felled during the civil war in the UK, which the Wikipedia tells happened some 1600 years later. The webiste also says: "However, locals salvaged the roots of the original tree, hiding it in secret locations around Glastonbury. It was then replanted on the hill in 1951." So the tree that was now felled is actually a 60 year old one. It is also intriguing that Christians do worship trees, as many other cultures do. Best regards, U G Barad
