 The tree is then said to have become the headquarters of Wallace, who used the nearby wood to hide his troops, for a number of years.Wallace is said to have slept within the trunk of the tree which was large enough to accommodate him and several of his officers and addressed his men when they assembled beneath its canaopy.The tree at this point is reputed to have been of great size, being described as the largest tree ever to have grown in Scotland and able to provide shade for a thousand men.