EXPERTS say that the Port Glasgow tree which has been linked to William Wallace is likely to be the real deal.

Almost a year ago, tests were carried out on two chunks of oak which were found lying behind the town’s Lidl supermarket on the site of the former Gourock Ropeworks.

They came from a tree which originally stood in the grounds of Holy Family Church and which, according to local legend, Wallace was chained to in 1305 after his capture by the English before being transferred to London.

The segments were examined by tree specialist Dr Coralie Mills – one of just three dendrochronologists in Scotland and only a dozen in 
Britain – in March last year to try and identify how old they are.

They can now be dated back to the 1700s but further evidence, including pictures of the original tree which were printed in the Greenock Telegraph over the years, suggests that the oak is almost certainly from the days of Wallace.

In her report, Dr Mills said: “If we go back 500 years from 1768, when the tree was said to have been bored and pitch poured in, then we get to the mid 13th century, and the tree could have been a decent size at the time of William Wallace’s capture in 1305.

“In other words, despite the dendrochronological age of the sampled part of the tree being late 18th century, the organism as a whole could have been much older.

“We cannot refute the Wallace tradition on the basis of the dendro results.”

History buffs Cha Halliday, from Greenock, along with friend Sean Donnelly, who lives in Inverkip, managed to track down the last remnants of the tree three years ago after stumbling on a local link to Wallace and conducting their own research.

Cha says the findings from Dr Mills is a major breakthrough.

He said: “The legend of the Wallace Tree lives on.

“The sections are dated to the 1700s but those are off-shoots from the original tree and who’s to say that wasn’t four or five hundred years old as well?

“Dr Mills is one of only three in her field in Scotland and she can’t disprove that it’s the Wallace Tree.

“It keeps the dream alive and it’s good to keep the local legend going.”

The tree was removed this morning thanks to Kelburn-based Union Projects and is being stored by Newark Products in Devol.

Cha is in discussions with various organisations about the future of the Wallace Tree, including regeneration firm Riverside Inverclyde, and has also lined up talks later this month with Historic Environment Scotland.

He said: “We want to preserve it and we would love to put it on display in Newark Castle, which isn’t far away from where it was originally.

“It’s caught the imagination.”