Originally part of the ancient woodland of the Forest of Dean, it survived clearances that created the settlement of Newland and was afterwards pollarded for timber.

The oak dated back to c. 1000AD and is thought to have formed part of the vast Forest of Dean, an ancient woodland covering much of Western Gloucestershire.

[7] The tree was badly damaged by heavy snowfall in May 1955 which caused much of the structure to collapse and it was described as "long much-decayed" in 1964.

A replacement tree, grown from one of the Newland Oak's acorns, was planted by Cyril Hart, verderer of the Forest of Dean, on 21 December 1964.

[1][8] The replacement tree survives and a partly rotten segment of the original trunk was still visible in 2011.