Probably everyone has been, at some point, dissatisfied with their house. Maybe we should have chosen the other one… maybe we painted that wall the wrong colour. We wish we could afford refit, an extension… an observatory?
We have nothing to worry about. Three hundred years ago, most people lived in accommodation so basic that the most modest 21st century English home would be a palace by comparison.
In the first half of the 18th century, many families were still building their own houses out of whatever materials they could find. They lived in one or two rooms, with a little wooden furniture. That was it. They were still a long way off plumbing, electric lights and fitted kitchens. They were big families, too. It was not unusual to have seven or eight children, all crammed into a tiny home.
England was still mostly rural at that time: the small towns and villages which existed did not have the facilities which give urban living its advantages, like emergency services, sewage works or clinics. Disease could spread. Some places were quite lawless.
All possible reasons why Mr and Mrs Kenny chose to live in a tree instead.
We have nothing to worry about. Three hundred years ago, most people lived in accommodation so basic that the most modest 21st century English home would be a palace by comparison.
In the first half of the 18th century, many families were still building their own houses out of whatever materials they could find. They lived in one or two rooms, with a little wooden furniture. That was it. They were still a long way off plumbing, electric lights and fitted kitchens. They were big families, too. It was not unusual to have seven or eight children, all crammed into a tiny home.
England was still mostly rural at that time: the small towns and villages which existed did not have the facilities which give urban living its advantages, like emergency services, sewage works or clinics. Disease could spread. Some places were quite lawless.
All possible reasons why Mr and Mrs Kenny chose to live in a tree instead.
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Copy of a painting by James Ward 1769 –1859. It shows Betty sitting in front of their hut and Luke by the tree.
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Luke was christened Luke Kenyon on 7th February, 1730 in a village called Rolleston, near Newark in Nottinghamshire. He married Elizabeth Brooks, from Papplewick, on 13th April 1755. He made a living as a charcoal burner, working around Crich Chase and Alderwasley. Elizabeth, known as Betty, eventually made her home in Shining Cliff woods with Luke.
Luke and Betty became well known because of their long stay in the woods. They slept in a portable cone-shaped wooden hut covered with turf, on a bed made from turf. As charcoal burners, they needed to move around the woods, but their favourite spot was by a large old yew tree. There is little left of Betty Kenny’s tree today, but, applying some imagination, it is possible to visualise how huge it once was, how much useful space there must have been in that hollow trunk, and in the shelter it provided under the boughs. Luke and Betty used the tree as part of their living space for themselves and their eight children. Infant mortality was sadly common in those days, and one child was buried under the shade of the home tree.
Cooking and eating, washing and sleeping, telling stories and playing games; the ancient tree watched over it all. It was their tree, and they were its people.
Luke and Betty became well known because of their long stay in the woods. They slept in a portable cone-shaped wooden hut covered with turf, on a bed made from turf. As charcoal burners, they needed to move around the woods, but their favourite spot was by a large old yew tree. There is little left of Betty Kenny’s tree today, but, applying some imagination, it is possible to visualise how huge it once was, how much useful space there must have been in that hollow trunk, and in the shelter it provided under the boughs. Luke and Betty used the tree as part of their living space for themselves and their eight children. Infant mortality was sadly common in those days, and one child was buried under the shade of the home tree.
Cooking and eating, washing and sleeping, telling stories and playing games; the ancient tree watched over it all. It was their tree, and they were its people.
Old photo of a charcoal burner’s hut. Although this one dates from a time after Luke and Betty, the conical design is similar to the one used by them.
Picture from uplandpete.wordpress.com
Picture from uplandpete.wordpress.com
Charcoal Burning
Charcoal is a fuel. It is not as important today, but it was once vital for smelting and shaping metal and for making glass. Charcoal burners cook wood slowly for days, making a fuel which burns hotter, cleaner and more evenly than wood. Because they had to stay in the woods so much, charcoal burners were sometimes regarded as outsiders by rural communities, and were ostracised in some parts of the country.
The Tree
If the branches of a yew touch the ground, they can root and a new trunk will develop. The tree will send out new growth from under its bark, from near its base and from a cut surface. That is why yews are associated with death and resurrection in mythology – they seem to be forever renewing themselves. They are probably the oldest plants in Europe.
It is hard to date the oldest yew trees, because they are so often hollow, and because not all the wood in the tree will be of the same age. There are stories about some being thousands of years old, but there is not proof of this. Yews are described as ‘ancient’ when they are 900 years old. Some churchyard yews are older than their church.
Incidentally, trees do not mind being hollow because the wood in the middle of the tree is no longer living. The wood around the outside is still alive. When fungi make the dead wood decay, the minerals stored in the tree centre can be used again by the rest of the tree. A hollow tree is not a dying tree.
There are lots of examples of hollow trees being used by humans:
One story told about the Kenny family is that they used a hollow bough as a cradle, and that this well-known rhyme is about their babies being rocked in the tree:
Rock a bye baby,
In the tree top,
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Rocking the Baby
‘Rock a bye Baby’ was first written in a published book in 1765 (‘Mother Goose’s Melody’, London). Betty’s first baby, John, was christened in 1756.
Other suggestions for the origins of the rhyme include:
The typical Nursery Rhyme elements – the combination of cosiness, danger and doing things in an odd way - make it hard to pinpoint a literal truth. It could be carrying a message about pride, or over-confidence. Or, it could be about John Kenny.
The 18th and 19th centuries were cruel times for folk with no backup. If you were sick, or old, or destitute, you had to rely on poor relief from the parish. The best the poor could hope for was to attract philanthropy from the wealthy. Betty and Luke looked after themselves, but they also had some favour from the Hurt family of Alderwasley, which owned the woods. They were invited to the big house, and in 1811, they had their portraits painted there by James Ward. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1814. Their thoughts on this matter are not recorded, except that Luke, dweller in the woods, complained it was draughty in the house.
Outdoor living must have suited the Kennys, because they lived to an advanced age. Over the years, they had managed to save a little money. They had ten pounds hidden away in their hut. This would have been worth about £440 in today’s terms. Roughly speaking, it represented pay for 66 days’ work, or the price of two cows, depending on your perspective. It was not very much to show for a lifetime of work, but it was theirs.
Unfortunately, because the family was well-known, thieves knew where to find them. The old couple were dragged out of bed one night, attacked and robbed. Luke did not live much longer, and was buried at Wirksworth in January 1814, aged 96. Betty walked to the funeral.
It was said that she lived to dance at her 100th birthday party. Let’s hope that is true.
References
Picture the Past, website.
Amber Valley Routeway 12
Rhymes.org.uk
‘Memory Lane, Belper and Ambergate’ by Rod Jewell.
History of the Kenyon Family, Crichparish.co – There are more details to read here.
Historic England.org.uk
National Archives.gov.uk
Woodlandtrust.org
Charcoal is a fuel. It is not as important today, but it was once vital for smelting and shaping metal and for making glass. Charcoal burners cook wood slowly for days, making a fuel which burns hotter, cleaner and more evenly than wood. Because they had to stay in the woods so much, charcoal burners were sometimes regarded as outsiders by rural communities, and were ostracised in some parts of the country.
The Tree
If the branches of a yew touch the ground, they can root and a new trunk will develop. The tree will send out new growth from under its bark, from near its base and from a cut surface. That is why yews are associated with death and resurrection in mythology – they seem to be forever renewing themselves. They are probably the oldest plants in Europe.
It is hard to date the oldest yew trees, because they are so often hollow, and because not all the wood in the tree will be of the same age. There are stories about some being thousands of years old, but there is not proof of this. Yews are described as ‘ancient’ when they are 900 years old. Some churchyard yews are older than their church.
Incidentally, trees do not mind being hollow because the wood in the middle of the tree is no longer living. The wood around the outside is still alive. When fungi make the dead wood decay, the minerals stored in the tree centre can be used again by the rest of the tree. A hollow tree is not a dying tree.
There are lots of examples of hollow trees being used by humans:
- The Borrowdale Yews, Cumbria. The largest yew is over seven metres in girth and can hold four people inside.
- The Marten Oak, Cheshire. It has been used as a bullpen, a pigsty and a play house over the years. An odd combination.
- The Crowhurst Yew, Surrey. The tree has a door to get to the centre, which in 1850 housed a table and benches.
- The Pulpit Yew, Denbighshire, North Wales is home to an outdoor lectern. Steps lead through the hollow of the tree up to a raised seat and podium. Legend has it that John Wesley, founder of Methodism once preached here.
One story told about the Kenny family is that they used a hollow bough as a cradle, and that this well-known rhyme is about their babies being rocked in the tree:
Rock a bye baby,
In the tree top,
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Rocking the Baby
‘Rock a bye Baby’ was first written in a published book in 1765 (‘Mother Goose’s Melody’, London). Betty’s first baby, John, was christened in 1756.
Other suggestions for the origins of the rhyme include:
- It is about Royalist families hiding from Parliamentarians in the civil war.
- It is about First Nation Americans, who were said to put cradles in trees.
- It is about the Egyptian god Horus. (Not a strong contender, imho)
The typical Nursery Rhyme elements – the combination of cosiness, danger and doing things in an odd way - make it hard to pinpoint a literal truth. It could be carrying a message about pride, or over-confidence. Or, it could be about John Kenny.
The 18th and 19th centuries were cruel times for folk with no backup. If you were sick, or old, or destitute, you had to rely on poor relief from the parish. The best the poor could hope for was to attract philanthropy from the wealthy. Betty and Luke looked after themselves, but they also had some favour from the Hurt family of Alderwasley, which owned the woods. They were invited to the big house, and in 1811, they had their portraits painted there by James Ward. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1814. Their thoughts on this matter are not recorded, except that Luke, dweller in the woods, complained it was draughty in the house.
Outdoor living must have suited the Kennys, because they lived to an advanced age. Over the years, they had managed to save a little money. They had ten pounds hidden away in their hut. This would have been worth about £440 in today’s terms. Roughly speaking, it represented pay for 66 days’ work, or the price of two cows, depending on your perspective. It was not very much to show for a lifetime of work, but it was theirs.
Unfortunately, because the family was well-known, thieves knew where to find them. The old couple were dragged out of bed one night, attacked and robbed. Luke did not live much longer, and was buried at Wirksworth in January 1814, aged 96. Betty walked to the funeral.
It was said that she lived to dance at her 100th birthday party. Let’s hope that is true.
References
Picture the Past, website.
Amber Valley Routeway 12
Rhymes.org.uk
‘Memory Lane, Belper and Ambergate’ by Rod Jewell.
History of the Kenyon Family, Crichparish.co – There are more details to read here.
Historic England.org.uk
National Archives.gov.uk
Woodlandtrust.org
