 Under this sycamore tree at Tolpuddle in Dorset , England , six agricultural labourers , known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs , formed an early trades union in 1834 . They were found to have breached the Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797 and were transported to Australia . The subsequent public outcry led to their release and return . The tree now has a girth of 5 @.@ 9 metres ( 19 feet , 4 inches ) and a 2005 study dated the tree to 1680 . The tree is cared for by the National Trust , who have pollarded the tree in 2002 and 2014 . 
