The Hawthorn is the May-tree of lore and myth. It can grow as a solitary tree but was often used as a thorny component of a "stock proof" hedge used to divide fields before barbed wire and metal fencing became the norm.
 There is a single specimen growing in the back garden (above), now about six or seven feet tall. I assumed it was the Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) but intriguingly it is the uncommon Woodland Hawthorn (C. laevigata) judging by the leaves.  
  In the book 'Flora Britannica' Richard Mabey notes that "Today it is a shrub restricted to ancient woodlands and very old hedge-banks on clay soils". It was here (albeit smaller) when I moved in so it would be interesting to know whether someone planted this particular species or if it's there by chance.