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Ancient Yew Trees of BritainNative Britons Among The Oldest Living Things On EarthYew trees, some contemporaries of Christ, have survived Man's expansion and seen the birth and death of nations. They are living history, but modern life threatens them.
It doesn't have a birth certificate, but after 24 years of investigation by the Conservation Foundation and the Ancient Yew Group, the oldest tree in London has been dated at 2,000 years old, making it a contemporary of Jesus Christ. The yew tree in the churchyard of St. Andrew in Totteridge, north London, has a girth of over eight metres, over 26 feet. It's been a focal point for the community for centuries - a baby was found abandoned under its shelter in 1722, and court hearings were held in its shade. Oldest Trees in BritainThe Totteridge tree is a mere shoot alongside Britain's oldest yew in Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland. It's between 3,000 and 5,000 years old, making it one of the world's oldest living things. It was already 56 feet, or over 17 metres, round the trunk in 1769, and was so famous that visitors cut chunks off it as souvenirs. It's now protected; the only cuttings allowed are those taken by the Forestry Commission to grow clones of the tree for forests around Britain. Llangernyw, near Conwy in Wales, has another churchyard yew estimated by the UK's Tree Council to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. Other ancient yews include the 1,600 year old, 24-foot-wide tree in the churchyard at Lytchett Matravers in Dorset. To qualify as an 'ancient' yew, a tree must be around a thousand years old. A 500-year-old tree is a 'veteran' yew. The Ancient Yew Group has records of over 1,000 ancient and veteran yews in Britain, including some lost in the past couple of centuries. London Tree Officers' Association member Andy Tipping said on September 5 2008 in The London Paper, "Yews can live up to 5,000 years. They are never tall so they have a much better chance of surviving storms and living to great ages." Trees Lost to Natural Disasters and Human ThreatsMany have been lost in wartime, through natural disaster or human intervention. Thirty-nine huge yews were recorded in the churchyard of Strata Florida Abbey, Cardiganshire, Wales, in the reign of Henry VIII (born1491, died1547.) Only two remain today. At Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, seven yews of incredible size were recorded by John Lowe in The Yew Trees of Britain and Ireland in 1798. Two survive today . Both are in good health, though one has fallen and lies close to a farm building. Tough Eco-SurvivorsYews can live for centuries, even if badly damaged or laid flat on the ground, provided humans let them get on with healing and growing. Many of the trees monitored by the Ancient Yew Group have been shattered by lightning, damaged by man and even moved to accommodate new buildings. The yew at Buckland-in-Dover, Kent, was moved in 1880 to allow the church to be enlarged. Human Threat To EcosystemsOne of Britain's most threatened trees, the Harlington Yew in the churchyard of St. Peter and St. Paul, is in the path of a proposed airport runway. It first appears in records in 1729, already very large, and was cut into decorative topiary balls from 1770 until around 1825. Now a life that has lasted centuries, and could last centuries more, may be cut short. Because they live so long, many yew trees support ancient ecosystems of birds, plants and insects. They form part of Britain's and Europe's folklore, being intimately linked with Celtic lore and legend. They are a distinctive and beautiful part of the landscape, and with their slow growth and strong survival instincts they remind us that our day to day concerns are not necessarily the most important events in the life of the planet.
The copyright of the article Ancient Yew Trees of Britain in UK/Irish History is owned by Helen McCarthy. Permission to republish Ancient Yew Trees of Britain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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