Tree of Names

This tree grows in the grounds of Newbattle Abbey, a 12th century monastery ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbattle_Abbey ) which has been an adult education college since 1936.
The tree bears the carvings of the initials and names of hundreds of former students. The earliest date I can find is 1963. I like the social history aspect of the carvings, the nicknames, the declarations of love and the dates but I do feel pretty sorry for the tree itself.