Ribbesford

1836 – J.C. Loudon: A ‘yew grows out of a hollow pollard oak, the circumference of the trunk of which, at the ground is 17 feet in girth.’
1882 – In the Forestry Journal of Literature, Edwin Lees noted a yew 7 feet in girth.
1875: The Penny Post recorded that ‘In Ribbesford churchyard, Bewdley, Worcs, there is a fine old yew-tree near the entrance porch.’
1938 The King’s England: Mee wrote of ‘a fine old spreading yew…..marked by the ordnance survey as the ‘Yew in the Oak’.
c1946 Vaughan Cornish was sent information that the churchyard contained 2 ancient yews. (These were clearly two of the younger yews seen today).
2000 – Tim Hills: 3 yews recorded as follows.
Tree 1: SW of the church, so ivy covered you can look up into it and see now yew at all. Under 11’ at 5’.
Tree 2: NW of the church and the finest of the three, with a girth of 11’ 5” (348cm) at 5’. A tall, straight and clean bole that splits to 2 risers and many other branches at a height of about 14’. Many branches all around hang downwards.
Tree 3: N of the church is 10’ at 3’ (measured from where the ground is highest). One section of its bole is dead wood and new wood can be seen wrapping around it.