Cumbria Police are investigating the theft of a sycamore sapling from the grounds of Wray Castle in the Lake District. The theft is believed to have occurred between June 9 and June 16. Authorities are asking anyone who visited the castle and its grounds during that period to come forward with any information that could assist in narrowing down the timeframe.
The stolen sapling was cultivated from a cutting of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, which was controversially felled in February 2023. The two men responsible for the felling, Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were sentenced to four years and three months in prison in July 2025. Their motive for cutting down the tree remains undisclosed.
Arboriculturist Christopher Neilan, who developed the Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) system, commented on the difficulty of valuing the sapling. He likened the situation to the theft of a piece of art, noting its significant intangible sentimental value, which cannot be easily assessed on the open market. "In one sense, it's only paint on canvas - in another, perhaps it isn't worth anything because you can't sell it on the open market," Neilan said, adding that collectors might still pay a substantial amount for such an item.