Is Friar Tuck Chilling Out?

16 January 2013, 11:51 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

There are claims on Facebook that Friar Tuck can be seen sitting at the bottom of the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest.

The County Council updated their social networking site with what they thought was just a picture capturing the snowy forest but then people began to chat.

Within hours of it being posted on the county council’s Facebook page, the image had been viewed 1,800 times and ‘liked’ by around 300 people with people speculating about an image clearly visible within the trunk of the Major Oak.

Now being dubbed ‘the monk in the trunk’, the county council’s Facebook followers are debating if it is a buddah, Winston Churchill or whether it could actually be an image of Friar Tuck.

As well as commenting on the beauty of the Major Oak itself, Facebook followers who debated the unusual image included:

• Ken Wood who wrote: “It sorta resembles the way a Fryer would Tuck himself down beside a tree and observe all of nature!”

• Peter Connor who wrote: “How many people can see the old fat guy sitting at the bottom on the tree?”

• Susan Ford commented: “Two tree spirits”

• Tracy Kelly added: “Wow! Definitely see the image!”

• Josh Hilkey wrote: “Awesome! I see the man in the tree too!”

• Eoin O’Sullivan wrote: “Looks like a philosopher sitting in contemplation at the base of the tree.”

• Terry Gardner said: “that’s got to be the Budda sitting there… Lol or Churchill!”

Notts County Council’s Paul Cook said: “Being so familiar with the legend of Robin Hood with Sherwood Forest being his historic home, we would dearly love it to be an image of Friar Tuck!

“I just wanted to take some images of the snowfall and got more than I bargained for once the image appeared on Facebook!

“I did not initially notice anything unusual when I first posted it up, but when you look closely at the picture the outline of what appears to be a monk does appear to be sitting at the base of the tree - the resulting discussion on the county council’s Facebook is now very exciting indeed!”

The Major Oak itself is one of the most iconic sites in the UK, and at 1,000 years old has seen many exciting events over the centuries stretching back to the days of Robin Hood, and was chosen as one of the locations for the Olympic Torch to visit as part of its tour of Britain last summer.