Queen's Oak
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| Queen's Oak | |
|---|---|
 The blackened stump of the tree photographed in 2006 | |
| Location | Near Potterspury, Northamptonshire |
| Date felled | August 1997 |
The Queen's Oak was a tree located near Potterspury in Northamptonshire. It is traditionally the site of the first meeting between Elizabeth Woodville and her future husband, Edward IV. The tree was badly burnt in 1994 and died in 1997.
The tree is traditionally regarded as the spot of the first meeting between Edward IV, king of England and leader of the Yorkist faction in the War of the Roses, and Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of John Grey of Groby, a Lancastrian commander.[1] The meeting is said to have taken place on 13 April 1464 and the couple were married in secret just 18 days later.[2] The marriage was controversial at the time as Woodville was a Lancastrian, a commoner, brought no dowry and already had children. In spite of the legend, the couple may have met earlier when Woodville's parents served Edward's father in Normandy or when Edward stayed in Groby in 1461; however, the first recorded meeting is certainly 13 April 1464. Woodville is said to have waited under the oak for Edward to pass by, to seek to plead for her sons' confiscated inheritances to be restored.[3] The tree at this time stood in Whittlebury/Whittlewood Forest, a royal hunting ground.[4] The fabled meeting under the tree was featured in the first episode of the 2013 BBC Series The White Queen.[5]