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Ancient Yew Group Logo Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire

Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire

Llanfeugan, Breconshire

Llanfeugan, Breconshire

Preen Manor, Shropshire

Preen Manor, Shropshire

Molash, Kent

Molash, Kent

Dunkeld Cathedral, Perth and Kinross

Dunkeld Cathedral, Perth and Kinross

The Ancient Yew Group

The Ancient Yew Group (AYG) is a conservation body which collects field data and historic material about our oldest Yew trees. We currently have 11 full members, including data gatherers, tree professionals, academics and authors, all of whom have a long history of service to the cause of preserving and studying ancient yews.

Find A Yew

Find A Yew

An international database of yews, featuring 2500 trees in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Spain.

Find a yew

View Map

An interactive map of more than 1000 sites where our oldest and most remarkable yews can be seen.

View map
View Map
Churchyard Yews

Churchyard Yews

The Church of England and the Church in Wales are custodians of the majority of our oldest trees.

Find out more

Care and Management

Management of a priceless resource.

Can you help?
Care and Management
Research

Research

How old? Peer reviewed papers. Woodland surveys.

Find out more

Latest Yew News

Ancient Yew News
19/09/2023

AYG – New website

Welcome to the Ancient Yew Goup’s new website. We are grateful to David Alderman of TROBI who has overseen the project from start to finish, to Caring for God’s Acre who organised fund raising, and for generous individuals and organisations who have contributed to the cost. While there remain elements that are not yet complete, […]

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Ancient Yew News
06/01/2023

Hope Bagot Yew collapse

Following a major limb failure in April 2022 on the South-West side of the tree the remaining canopy has been exposed to prevailing winds. On Friday the 6th of January 2023 strong winds caused a major failure of the majority of the remaining crown. The fallen sections of the crown collapsed to the north/north-east across […]

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Ancient Yew News
13/04/2022

Learning from a lost branch

The Norman church of St Mary Magdalene at Leinthall Starkes stands in a remote location 8 miles SW of Ludlow. At the end of a long grassy track, the church is guarded by 4 ancient yews, 2 at the east and 2 at the west end of the church. In late 2021 a large branch […]

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Ancient Yew News
07/02/2022

New Ancient Exceptional yew discovered

While we know there are still many undocumented yew sites to be found, to find a previously unrecorded Ancient (exceptional) specimen has happened to me only once during 25 years of documenting old yews. In November 2021 I visited the churchyard at Michaelston-le-Pit to discover this vast male tree, more than 9m in girth and […]

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