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What's New - June 2019

Yews in northern France

I have just returned from an intensive week visiting churchyards in Normandy and have added a further 24 ancient or veteran yews and a similar number of notable specimens. Perhaps one day somebody will research the different growth rates of churchyard yews in southern England and northern France.
What is becoming increasingly evident is that the Calvados and Manche regions contain larger numbers of old yews than has been realised and that many individual specimens are as extraordinary as those in English churchyards. The significant difference is that in England and Wales there are a large number of churchyards with multiple ancient or veteran yews, a feature rarely found in France. 

Previously unrecorded ancient yews were found at Brouay;  Coulonces and Martigny sure l’Ante. New veteran yews have been recorded at Amfreville; Blosville; Carantilly; Carquebut; Ecauseville; Fervaches; Le Breuil en Bessin; Le Mesnil-Rouxelin; Leffard; Octeville l’Avenel; Quibou; Russy; Saint-Denis-Maisoncelles; Saint-Gabriel; Saint-Oeuin-le-Pin; Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire; Secqueville-en-Bessin; Sortosville; Sully; Tourville-sur-Odon; Trungy; Vaudry; Viessoix

Notable yews were also recorded at Amaye-sur-Orne; Arganchy; Campagnolles; Combray; Cormolain; Cristot; Damblainville; Deux-Jumeaux; Englesqueville-la-Percee; Grenneville; Huberville; Le Pin; Longueville; Longvilliers; Louvieres; Magny-en-Bessin; Maizet; Mutrecy; Ouilly le Tesson; Potigny; Rots; St Aubin sur Algot; Sainte Honorine du Fay; St Vigor de Mieux; Turqueville; Ussy; Villers-Canivet.  

June 2019

What's New - May 2019

 New sites

For many years volunteers have been collecting information about significant trees in the Surrey countryside. This includes many impressive yew trees. We are pleased to have added the following new yew locations this month and are hoping that there will be more to follow.

Dorking – Logmore Green; Wotton – Sheephouse Lane;  Wotton Barn – Sheephouse Lane; Wotton – Friday Street; Wotton – Severell’s Copse – Surrey Tree Survey Group

Other sites added this month are:

Belmore Lane, Upham;  Bossington Chalk Pit;  Longparish;  Stockbridge – Sewage Works; Straits Copse – Hugo Egleston

Wotton – Owen Johnson

New photos/information

Hambledon, Hants – Alasdair MacKenzie

Dinmore Manor Chapel;  Much Birch;  Old Radnor;  St Weonards;  St Weonards Tump;  Stowe, Shropshire – Paul Wood

Llanfoist – Tim Hills

May 2019

What's New - April 2019

Yews in the churchyards of Somerset

The Bath and Wells diocese webpage now contains information from 12 sites where the oldest yew is classified as Ancient (likely age 800+), 47 sites where the oldest yew is Veteran (likely age of 500+) and 30 where a yew is classified as Veteran because of its condition. This month 62 more churchyards have been added where the oldest yew is classified as Notable, either because it has a likely age of 300+, or because it has a known planting date.

There are a further 300 churchyards where younger yews are found and photos and information from these should be available during the summer. 

New sites

Bursledon – The Jolly Sailor – Bob Burrows

New photos/information

Maddington – Peter Norton

April 2019

What's New - March 2019

New sites

Ash Thomas; Chilcompton – field; Launceston; Oswestry – The Hayes; Oswestry – Welsh Walls – Tim Hills
East Stratton; Ellisfield – Bushy Warren Lane; Elvetham Hall; Little Somborne – Whitehall Lane – Hugo Egleston
Exeter – Northernhay Gardens; Stoke Climsland – Ancient Tree Initiative
Bridgend – Bob Burrows

New photos/information

Hedgerley – Luke Steer
Herne – Sandra Williams
Oswestry – Tim Hills
Iffley; Maddington – Peter Norton

March 2019

What’s New – February 2019

Between October 2012 and November 2016 I visited 562 churchyard sites in Somerset to record all the common/European yews, regardless of size or age. Finding time to write this up has not been easy but the process has begun. Since most of these churchyards are in the diocese of Bath and Wells, the first published information is found on the Church of England webpage under Diocesan Surveys part 1 - Bath and Wells. https://www.ancient-yew.org/ss.php/bath-and-wells/12/49/74

This webpage lists 71 locations where ancient or veteran yews are found, but the information pages now include details of the younger yews that also grow there. There are 11 sites with an ancient yew (likely age 800+), 47 with a veteran yew (likely age 500+) and a further 12 sites with a veteran yew that is classified as such because of its condition, rather than its likely age.

February 2019

What’s New – January 2019

New sites

Llanerch Elsi – Keith Jones
Llanmihangel – Tim Hills/Anne Thomas/Sian Evans
Market Harborough – Peter Berry
Penryn – Ancient Tree Inventory

New photos/information

Billingsley; Papplewick; Sidbury – Isobel Turner
Chirbury; Llantilio Pertholey – Paul Wood
Colwinston – Tim Hills
Llywel – Luke Steer

January 2019