The Sycamore Gap tree was not Britain’s biggest or oldest sycamore, but it was prized for its picturesque setting, symmetrically planted between two hills along the ancient wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire, and had attracted generations of followers.

Two men were found guilty Friday of felling the famous tree in northern England, bringing some closure to a baffling crime that had saddened and mystified the nation.