Thanks for all these responses. I've already taken some photographs, and, since my mother is on good terms with neighbours (she even buys Christmas and Birthday presents for children), I'm hoping that someone will have seen something in the last week. I think the claim that someone unknown took it upon themselves to cut off the remaining branches would be found preposterous (who would go to that trouble for a few dozen branches and no further payment, after all?). Thanks especially, Jim Dixon, for the link provided. As far as I know, by the way, in the Scottish small-claims court, the plaintiff can bring a lawyer but, if the sum at stake be less than a certain amount (which I don't know, and in this case the issue is less about any money than about violation of property and putting an elderly lady into "a state of fear and alarm"), then the defendant cannot get a lawyer/solicitor to represent him. By the way, the house-name is "Rowandene", and I do have a letter from my late father in which this title is written at the top of the page, before the house-number &c. This, I should think, establishes that the tree was of some significance to them.