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Glasbury

Nearest town: Hay-on-Wye

Site type: churchyard

Access: Public

Church name: St Peter

Diocese: Swansea and Brecon

County: Powys

Country: Wales

Grid ref: SO17693851

Lost yew site: No

Date visited: 15-Feb-98

Recorded by: Tim Hills

Protection & responsibility: Church in Wales

Yews recorded at this site: Ancient 4m-5m, Ancient 5m-7m, Notable

Notes: The presence of old yews is puzzling, since a church was not built at this site until 1666, replacing the old parish church which stood by the river. The yews at the new site, on the higher ground of an old river terrace, should therefore be no older than 350 years. If some of the trees are older than the site, we should wonder what the site was used for before the church was built? One possibility is that it was a burial ground, since the riverside churchyard was frequently flooded. However, there is no record of this new churchyard site receiving a burial until 1665. So are some of these trees unusually fast growing specimens? The largest yews at this site remain an enigma. The alignment of the church is almost north/south, so the line of three yews previously recorded as growing north of the church are in fact growing to the west. Trees 1,2,3,4,10 and 11 are recorded here. The remainder are younger specimens.