Spooky and Haunted Trees in History: Nature’s Dark Side

It’s a dark and stormy night, the trees are creaking and casting shadows that resemble something from the unknown. Making us jump in fright,  as the spooky trees and their gnarly branches form allegiances with our imagination…what was that?!

We often talk about trees as symbols of life and growth, but throughout history, some have carried an air of mystery, menace and even tragedy.

Tis the spooky season and we wanted to explore the eerie legends and chilling folklore, haunted trees and forests that have both fascinated and frightened people for centuries…starting on our own doorstep!

The Wych Elm Mystery – Worcestershire, England

In 1943, four boys discovered the body of a woman inside a hollow wych elm in Worcestershire. No one ever discovered who she was, she became known only as Bella.

Soon after, graffiti began to appear: Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

The message has resurfaced again and again over the years, with the latest sighting in 1999, as if written by unseen hands. To this day, no one knows whether Bella’s spirit lingers in the wood that hid her, or whether the tree itself has taken on her secret as its own.

The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest, England

Deep in Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest stands the Major Oak, a sprawling giant that has watched over the woodland for more than a thousand years. It’s a national treasure, celebrated as the hiding place of Robin Hood and his Merry Men but at night, it tells another story.

Locals speak of shifting shapes and ghostly figures seen among its branches after dusk. Some say they are the spirits of outlaws who once sheltered beneath the tree, guarding the forest still. Others believe the oak has absorbed their restless energy, its hollow heart now a vessel for echoes of rebellion and loss.

Photo courtesy of Sherwood Forest

The Screaming Woods

A hundred miles south, near the village of Pluckley, lies a forest so haunted it has earned the name The Screaming Woods. Even by daylight, it feels uneasy, a place where silence never quite settles.

The locals whisper of a gypsy woman, a hanged schoolmaster and a poisoned wife, all said to haunt the trees. On certain nights, people swear they’ve heard their cries drifting through the branches, rising and falling with the wind.

Epping Forest – Essex

Further east, Epping Forest stretches across thousands of acres,  ancient, tangled and full of stories. It was once the hunting ground of kings, but in the shadows of its canopy, darker legends took root.

Here, people have reported seeing the ghost of Queen Boudica, leading her warriors through the mist. Others speak of a headless biker, a phantom horse-drawn coach, or a young girl who appears beside lonely travellers before vanishing without a sound.

The forest has a strange magnetism, especially at a place called Hangman’s Hill, where cars appear to roll uphill of their own accord. Science says it’s an optical illusion. Those who’ve been there at midnight might tell you otherwise.

Cannock Chase – Staffordshire

The Midlands’ Cannock Chase has long been called a portal to the supernatural, a place where strange things cross over.

Stories here blur the line between folklore and nightmare: the Black-Eyed Girl, who appears in the woods with hollow, inky eyes; shadowy beasts resembling black dogs or even Bigfoot; and rumours of occult rituals performed among the trees.

It’s said that the forest is alive with energy,  heavy, watchful, and unpredictable. Some visitors feel it pressing against them, as though something unseen is drawing closer, curious to know who dares to trespass.

The Hangman’s Tree – New Forest, England

In the quiet village of Minstead, an old tree stands alone,  its gnarled limbs reaching out like noose ropes. Known as The Hangman’s Tree, it was once an execution site, where condemned men met their end.

Even now, the air around it feels thick, as though time has pooled there. Legend claims that the spirits of those hanged beneath its boughs remain trapped within the tree and that every attempt to cut it down has failed. The axes dull, the saws break and the wood bleeds sap as red as rust…so legend says.

The Tree of Woe – Germany

Across the sea, in medieval Germany, every village once had a Galgenbaum, or “Tree of Woe.” These were the trees where justice was carried out or vengeance, depending on who told the story.

After the hangings, villagers reported seeing strange lights drifting around the branches, and whispers that rose from nowhere. Some said it was the wind. Others swore the trees were calling the names of those who died there.

Haunted Trees in Folklore

Across Europe and beyond, certain species carried particular supernatural associations. Oaks and yews were linked to death and the afterlife. Willows were said to “weep” for the dead whilst Hollow trees were thought to conceal portals to other worlds or serve as hiding places for spirits.

These haunted trees sit at the intersection of the natural and supernatural. Their age, imposing size, and silent presence over centuries make them ideal vessels for storytelling. Ghosts, spirits, and curses entwine with living wood, transforming ordinary trees into objects of awe and fear.

Whether these stories reside in the world of fact or fiction – from execution sites to mysterious hollows, haunted trees remind us that nature and history are deeply intertwined and that sometimes, the most ordinary-looking tree can hold the most extraordinary stories.