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What's New December 2016 New sites
Eye; Ivington – Chipps House; Leysters Pole; Norton Canon; Wheatcommon Lane, Richards Castle – Paul Wood
New photos/information:
Ashford Carbonell; Berriew; Castle Caereinion; Hope under Dinmore – Paul Wood
Bromham, Wiltshire – Dennis Powney |
What's New November 2016 New Sites
More; Llangasty Tal-y-llyn Lane; Norton; Pant-y-Cored; Peterchurch (Hinton Court); Presteigne; St Fagans; Tedstill; Vowchurch; Wormbridge; Yarsop Lane (Nash Wood) - Paul Wood
Ellon Castle – Charles Henderson
New photos/information
Bacton; Byton; Capel-y-ffin; Capel-y-ffin Baptist Chapel; Ewyas Harold; Kenderchurch, nr Pontrilas; Kilpeck; Llanbadarn Fawr (Crossgates); Llanbedr Ystradyw; Llandefalle; Llanerfyl; Llanfeugan; Llangasty Tal-y-Llyn; Llanthony – churchyard; Llanthony Road; Llanveynoe churchyard; Llanwenarth Citra; Myndtown; Newtown/Dolfor Road; Norbury; Peterchurch; Snead; St Devereux; Talachddu; Talgarth; Yarpole - Paul Wood
Elcho Castle; Glamis Castle; Monifieth (The Grange); Murthly Castle; Pitmedden House; Robert the Bruce’s yew; Tyninghame House; Whittinghame – Charles Henderson
One of the yews at Llanfeugan has for many years been used as storage space and workshop. This is not only an inappropriate use of churchyard space, it is no way to treat an old yew. The recent removal of most of this material has allowed us for the first time to measure the tree and discover it to be Veteran, with a likely age of 500+ years. This is one of the most impressive yew sites in Wales, boasting no fewer than 2 ancient, 7 veteran and 2 notable yews.
At Rycote in Oxfordshire the ancient male yew has developed a single female branch. This was noted and photographed byDavid Alderman.
After observing a young yew at Presteigne, Paul Wood found photographs from the 1890s and 1940s showing that a large yew once grew on the same spot. Further searching uncovered sections of the original old yew's stem, from which the new tree has grown.
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What's New October 2016 Technology is a wonderful thing when it runs smoothly. The last few months have proved frustrating while the Ancient Yew Group website has changed its server. It is hoped that the problems have now all been ironed out.
Our first act is to welcome Paul Wood as a new full member of the Ancient Yew Group. This is in recognition of his considerable input in the last year or so. In the Tree Register’s Newsletter No. 24 an article called Marker and boundary yew is based on Paul’s discoveries. The following is taken from the article: “Paul has a background in both farming and archaeology and has always been aware of the presence of yews in the countryside, whether in a field or the garden of a 17th century cottage. Over the years he has noted down the location of yews seen on his travels and is now beginning to visit and document. His first year’s contribution to yew tree knowledge was to record no fewer than 30 new veterans (yews with a likely age of 500+).” Since he described this as the ‘tip of the iceberg’ we eagerly await more of his discoveries. He also visits and reports on churchyard yews. Paul introduces himself on the About Us-Introduction webpage. http://www.ancient-yew.org/s.php/introduction/1/1 October 2016 |
What’s New June 2016 New photos/information Bronllys; Cantref; Cathedine; Cilmery; Colva; Glasbury; Glascwm; Llanafan-Fechan; Llanddetty; Llanddetty Hall Farm; Llanddew; Llanddewi’r Cwm; Llandefaelog Fach; Llandefaelog-tre’r-graig; Llanelieu; Llanfeugan; Llanfihangel Tal-y-llyn; Llanfrynach; Llangorse; Maesyminis; Upper Chapel – Paul Wood Watermillock – Toby Hindson/Lesley Elphick Staunton (Forest of Dean); Sutton Veny – Peter Norton Eastham – Eirian Evans Upper Chapel – Bryony Smith New site Yester House – David Alderman Lost yew Llanywern - Paul Wood June 2016 |
What’s New May 2016 DAMAGED YEWS We report damage to three yews: at Uffculme House in Kings Heath, Birmingham, and at Upper Chapel (Dyffryn Honddu) and Penegoes in Powys. May 2016 |
What’s New April 2016 Yew Map For many years the Ancient Yew Group has been building its database of yews, which currently has 4,750 entries. The oldest yews are ‘Ancients’ with a likely age of 800+ and ‘Veterans’ with a likely age of 500+. These can now be located on an extraordinary map created with the Conservation Foundation using information only available on our database and website. Click on Yew Map at the top left of this page. The majority of our oldest yews are found in churchyards, as revealed in the figures below: Many of these sites, particularly in Wales, contain more than one ancient or veteran yew and the number of individual trees for which information is available on the map is as follows: England - churchyards: 166 ancient yews and 367 veteran yews England - outside of churchyards: 50 ancient yews and 309 veteran yews Of the 12 locations recorded in Scotland, only Fortingall and Dryburgh Abbey are ecclesiastical sites. New photos/information Llanwrin; Machynlleth; Penegoes – Paolo Bavaresco New trees Bryngwyn; Bryngwyn - Rhosgoch Lane - Paul Wood April 2016 |
What’s New March 2016 New sites Bishopstone; Crossway; Brilley; Limebrook; Madley; Moccas churchyard; Tyberton – Paul Wood New photos/information Draycott-in-the-Moors; Glasbury; Glyn Ceiriog; Grendon Bishop; Little Sodbury Manor; Nackington; Rainham; Seal; Seale; Shorne; Speldhurst; Walberton; Winscombe Vicarage - Tim Hills Bleddfa; Bodcott Farm; Brilley; Burghill; Llanfihangel Rhydithon; Llangunllo; Moccas Court; Stapleton; Staunton on Wye; Winforton; Yazor – Paul Wood Cwmcarvan; Helmdon; Llansoy; Marston St Lawrence; Pen-y-clawdd; Thorpe Mandeville; Winterbourne Dauntsey; Wivelsfield – Peter Norton Aberhafesp – Geoff Garlick Lost yews Chilstone; Crossway, Brilley; Glasbury old church Photo compilations Peter Norton has created two new photo compilations of churchyard yews in East Sussex and Somerset March 2016 |
What's New February 2016 New Articles Historic Churchyard Yews – the conservation and repair of Ecclesiastical buildings Toby Hindson was commissioned to write an article for this annual publication (2015). This recognises that churchyards too are historic, with many containing one or more yew trees that might be coeval with the building. His article begins: "Many of the yews that exist in our churchyards are widely held to pre-date the Christian consecration of the church site. This exaggeration has its roots in Victorian guidebooks and wishful local histories. Such yews do exist in British churchyards, but investigations by the Ancient Yew Group (AYG) show that while the myths surrounding them are many, pre- Christian yews themselves are relatively few." Toby Hindson has been working on the question of ageing the yew with particular reference to its specific morphology, and now with the kind assistance of others has a series of papers in preparation which are aimed at arboricultural journals. These will deal with issues like the shortcomings of the theories currently used by others in aging and assessing yews, and a new and more specie appropriate theory and methodology of assessment. These works will be able to underpin a more accurate ageing system. A Celebration of the Majesty, Mystique and Mystery of British Yews by Paul GreenwoodIt is a commonly known and understood phrase that pictures speak a thousand words. Paul Greenwood introduces a series of videos in which he lets the yew ‘speak for itself’. They can be found by clicking on the link above or under Yew Articles → Non Churchyard Yew → Paul Greenwood-Yew on Yewtube New sitesEccles Green; Hyatt Sarnesfield Farm; Norton Canon hedge; Sarnesfield, A480; Weobley, Hereford Road – Paul Wood Capel-y-ffin Baptist Chapel; Leigh – Tim Hills New photos/informationFarlow Glebe; Knighton-on-Teme; Knighton-on-Teme Marker Yew; Loughton; Shirley – Tim Hills Burford; Wormsley – Paul Wood Maesmynis – Geoff Garlick Eastham - Melanie Carlile
February 2016 |
What’s New – January 2016 Managing your yew tree - Russell Ball Ancient Yew Group member Russell Ball and the Conservation Foundation have teamed up to produce this video for church wardens and others who find themselves responsible for this priceless national resource. Nowhere else in the world is it possible to find such a large number of ancient trees so closely associated with a sacred space. The Ancient Yew Group has recorded no fewer than 900 churchyard yews in England and Wales considered to have an age of 500 years plus. Of these 270 are thought to have an age that exceeds 800 years. A truly unique and priceless resource. On many occasions during the lifetime of a 500 year old (veteran) or an 800 year old (ancient) yew, decisions will have been taken regarding the best way to manage the tree. This will have usually been to ‘leave alone unless absolutely necessary’. While that remains true today, there are occasionally times when intervention is needed. This video covers those occasions with common sense advice on issues ranging from the treatment of ivy to looking after the root system. We are the present custodians of trees planted and cared for over many centuries, from those 500 year old trees planted in the Middle Ages, the 800 year old trees planted by the Normans, even older specimens planted by Saxons and early Welsh saints, with the possibility that some might even pre-date Christianity. There is simply no excuse for us to fail in the duty of care we owe to these remarkable yews. The item is located in both the Church of England and Church in Wales webpages. Journal Page The following papers can be read in Forest Systems, a journal of the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Technologia Agraria y Alimentaria Introduction to the special section TAXUS Xavier Garcia, Pere Casals, Jordi Camprodon Response of European yews to climate change: a review Peter Thomas, Xavier Garcia-Marti Geographic consistency in the seed dispersal patterns of Taxus baccata L. in the Iberian Peninsula Jessica E. Lavabre, Daniel García Restoration of European yew (Taxus baccata L.) in Mediterranean mountains: importance of seedling nursery fertilization and post-planting light levels Juan L. Nicolás Peragón, Luis F. Benito Matias, Jaime Puértolas Simón Forest structure of Mediterranean yew (Taxus baccata L.) populations and neighbor effects on juvenile yew performance in the NE Iberian PeninsulaPere Casals, Jordi Camprodon, Antonia Caritat, Ana I. Rios, David Guixé, Xavier Garcia-Marti, Santiago Martín-Alcón, Lluis Coll Yew matriarchies of the Sierra de Francia. Dynamics and ecology of recently identified Yew populations in the Central Iberian Mountain Range (Sistema Central) Prudencio Fernández-González, Antonio Fernández-Morcuende, Enrique García-Gomariz, M. José Rodríguez-Rivas, Esteban Sánchez-Amador, Fernando Vasco-Encuentra Growth-climate relationships at yew and wild service trees on the eastern edge of their range in Europe Anna Cedro, Bernard Cedro Taxus globosa Schltdl. (Mexican yew) and Taxus baccata L. (European yew): intra and interspecies analysis of taxol content and biological activity according to different sources Lidia Osuna-Torres, Xavier García-Martí, Elsa Ventura-Zapata, Javier López-Upton, Alejandro Zamilpa-Alvarez, Manases González-Cortázar, Maribel Herrera-Ruiz, Nadia Tapia-Barrera New sites Bobbing; Charing Heath – Cliff Hansford Hannington; Winterslow – Peter Norton Thornton Castle – Judy Dowling New photos/information Aston Botterell-field – Paul Wood Boughton Aluph – Jonathan Cable Boughton Malherbe – Stephen Young Eastry – Tim Hills Mariners Hill, near Westerham – Owen Johnson Otterbourne; Shaftesbury – Peter Norton Throwley – Cliff Hansford Lost yew Church Pulverbatch
January 2016 |
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