The money trees of England

[neema]

Wow, today I came across the English money tree. I had never heard of this phenomenon. Has anyone else heard of this or seen them up close?

I just don’t know what I’m looking at. The mainstream explanation is people living in the region believed that by nailing low-denomination coins into the trees, it would help them get rid of their sickness.

But I don’t know if I buy that theory. If it truly was some superstition thing, there must have been a lot of sick people in a very short period of time. Since it’s supposed to be from the 1700s maybe its connected to the black death/over head comet phenomenon.

Either way it’s a very fascinating sight to see I’m sure.

What do you guys think?

 

[Maat]

It seems to be an old custom linked to this.

Snippets :

Clouties are sometimes left as gestures of acknowledgement and respect for the spirits of the land, and sometimes as prayers requesting general blessings or specific aid from those same spirits. At healing wells, clouties may be left as prayers for recovery from afflictions of the body or mind: the cloth is first dipped in the water, pressed against the troubled part of the body (if the sufferer is present), and tied to the tree. The cloth then "takes up" the illness and carries it harmlessly back to wind and earth as the cloughtie slowly weathers over time and disintegrates. Other offerings common to such places are bent pins, flowers, coins, food (usually beans, honeycomb, apples, berries, or freshly baked bread), wine (in a wooden bowl or poured onto the earth), and bread soaked in ale or cider.

A custom related to the tying of clouties is the driving of coins into the bark of a tree for luck or increased fertility -- usually a fallen oak, ash, or sycamore, rather than a living tree. Such trees are found not only in the British Isles but also in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia. In South America, tiny silver milagros (in the shape of afflicted body parts) can be found pinned or tied to special trees, along with offerings of coins, paper money, and cigarettes beneath. Coins are also commonly thrown into holy wells and springs beside cloughtie trees -- a practice that comes down to us in the form of wishing wells and throwing pennies into a fountain for luck.