Police in the U.K. announced on Tuesday that two men have been charged with cutting down the historic Sycamore Gap tree famously featured in the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."
Northumbria Police said Michael Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from Cumbria, have been charged with criminal damage to both the tree and a portion of Hadrian's Wall, which stood next to it before it fell last year. The Roman Emperor Hadrian built the wall in A.D. 122.
Graham and Carruthers are scheduled to appear in Newcastle Magistrates' Court on May 15.
The Sycamore Gap tree sat between two hills alongside Hadrian's Wall, making it a frequent destination for landscape photographers. After the spot gained heightened fame following its appearance in the version of "Robin Hood" starring Kevin Costner, tourists began flocking there.
The tree was discovered sawn to a stump, with the large tree toppled over Hadrian's Wall, on the morning of Sept. 28, 2023. It had been cut down in the night.
Police said Tuesday that Graham and Carruthers were originally arrested in October, and were released on bail.
"We recognise the strength of feeling the felling has caused, however we would remind people to avoid speculation, including online, which could impact the ongoing case," police said. "We would further ask that anyone with information, who has not already come forward, contact us."
According to the National Trust, a conservation charity that oversees a number of historic sites and monuments in the U.K., the tree was planted in the late 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton, making it around 150 years old. The organization collected seeds and cuttings from the felled tree, which it is now working to propagate into new saplings in order to "create a lasting legacy for the tree."
The National Trust also erected a fence around the tree's stump, which conservationists hope will eventually sprout new shoots.
--with reporting by TMX
