Old Photograph The Covin Trysting Tree Bemersyde Melrose Scotland

Old photograph of the Covin Trysting tree at Bemersyde near Melrose, Scottish Borders, Scotland. A tryst is a time and a place for a meeting, especially of lovers. This trysting tree here is a Sweet Chestnut tree which has long been a feature of Bemersyde, appearing in many paintings of the house including a sketch by Turner, located in the British Museum, in London, England. The tree is thought to have been planted in the 12th century by Petrus de Haga, making it 800 years old. Although the original trunk has now died, layers were taken by Earl Haig in the 1950s resulting in several new healthy stems rising from the base. One of the layers, planted about 30 meters from the original, is growing into a fine looking individual. The old rings that can be seen in the branches of the original Covin Tree were once attached to concrete weights which aimed to balance the trunk in its younger days the tree was twice as high as it is now. Dating back to 1535 as a peel tower, Bemersyde house was bought by the British Government in 1921 and presented to Field-Marshal The 1st Earl Haig, the British Commander in World War I. The House is the seat of Clan Haig.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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