tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post5363612279862667128..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: The Defynnog Yew, a remarkable tree! by Katherine Langrish Mary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-76544967885987327132020-01-31T18:39:13.292+00:002020-01-31T18:39:13.292+00:00What a splendid tree! Thank you for introducing it...What a splendid tree! Thank you for introducing it to us!<br />We have an ancient yew in a churchyard near here, in Corhampton (Hampshire). It is also thought to predate the church, which is Saxon, built in the early 11th century. So it’s a mere sapling compared to your Welsh tree! However, I wrote about Corhampton church, and its yew, in a History Girls post some time ago (http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com/2017/10/corhampton-church-saxon-gem-in.html). On the subject of why yews are so commonly found in churchyards, I wrote this: “Apparently, the Druids regarded the yew as sacred and planted them close to their temples. Early Christians often built their churches on those ancient consecrated sites, so the association of yew trees and churchyards may simply have been thus perpetuated. On the other hand, some think that yews were planted in churchyards to ward off evil spirits, or because they grew so well with their roots feeding on the corpses that there was a plentiful supply of the wood for making good bows!” More reasons to add to the list of possibilities! Carolyn Hugheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07909929916949700691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-83134009916403428592020-01-31T12:55:11.320+00:002020-01-31T12:55:11.320+00:00Meetings with remarkable trees! I went straight to...Meetings with remarkable trees! I went straight to Google maps to find out where the village is -- and the tree is marked on Google.<br /><br />The double trunk reminds me of the Fortingall yew in Scotland. It looks like a circle or grove of trees. The original, massive trunk hollowed out and separated and each separate piece looks like a different tree. Estimates on its age go up as high as 9000 years -- and as low as 1,500. Like the St Cynog tree, it's near a few ancient sacred sites and has been christianised with a church.Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.com