One of the 2000-year old Borrowdale Yews

YEWS IN CUMBRIA

The Cumbrian Yew Book : A Millennial Celebration by Ken Mills and with a foreword by Prof David Bellamy
is available from the Cumbria Woodlands website

THE YEW TREE

Background
The English yew (Taxus baccata) is unique. It is one of the longest-lived trees in the world; the oldest one, at Fortingale in Scotland, is estimated at over 6,000 years. Cumbria has its share of ancient yews some of which are listed below.

The yew was revered by the earliest inhabitants of Britain, whose daily lives were closely bound up with trees and whose alphabet even incorporated tree names. Over 2,000 years ago, the Celts gave this tree the most important place in their “tree calendar"; its place marked the important festival of Samhain - their New Year’s eve. Some people keep this still today in our Hallowe’en celebrations. The yew symbolised their belief in the cyclic existence of all life: the death of the old at autumn and the beginning of the process of rebirth ready for the spring. They recognised immortality in the ancient tree.

This early respect for the long-lived yew led to it becoming a place of worship, burial and other important ceremonials - a sacred place which led the first Christians to build their new churches near them. Hence the churchyard yew so common today. In some areas a sprig of yew is still placed on coffins.

The Tree
Yews are very tough and can withstand harsher conditions of climate and terrain than most other native trees. They grow best, however, on limestone soils. Elsewhere they were probably planted by our ancestors. Their timber is very dense and a lovely orange-brown in colour. It was found the best for longbows and the oldest wooden artefact yet discovered is a yew spear from 150,000 years ago. Great armies of English archers were supplied with yew bows throughout the Middle Ages and when it became scarce in the 14th century imports were made from the continent. Yew bark, leaves, and seeds are all poisonous and should not be eaten; people and animals have sometimes died from doing so. An extract from the leaves (called taxol) is now used extensively in the treatment of some cancers.

A Class of its Own
Again the yew is unique in that it doesn't fit easily into the two main groups of trees. Some botanists have put it in a class of its own. Along with the pictures, the following points should help you identify them:
1. Dark-green, needle-like leaves are shinly above, dull underneath and arranged comb-like on two sides of the twig. They remain on the twig for many years before falling to the earth.
2. The very tiny female flowers are borne on separate trees from those bearing the male flowers, so that both female and male trees are needed to produce seed The male trees are covered in their pale yellow flowers in February/March and give off clouds of microscopic pollen when the wind blows.

3. The ripe seed is a beautifiul red aril (like a berry) which encloses the single hard seed in the autumn.

4. From a distance, the tree is very distinctive with its dark green foliage and its low, spreading shape when really old. It is rarely more than 15m tall (though can be 20m and more slender when growing in forest conditions) and its stout, sometimes multi-stemmed trunk may be hidden by dense foliage.

Size and age
If it has a minimum circumference at 1.5m above the ground, or less, of more than 3m (l0ft.), it is probably over 400 years old. If more than 6m in circumference, then it may well have been around since the first millennium! We are keen to identify and record all the old and large yews in the county and would be pleased to hear from you if you know of any in your area (see contact details below). With the appropriate agreement we will pass on the records to the Ancient Tree Hunt.

Some Ancient Yews In Cumbria
1. Armathwaite Hall Hotel, Bassenthwaite* map ref NY207325 2000yrs
2. Seathwaite, Borrowdale map ref NY235126 female, 2000yrs (Largest of three)
3. Yew Tree Farm, Lorton* map ref NY161254 female, l600yrs
4. Martindale Church, Ullswater map ref NY434184 male, 2000yrs
5. Old Church Hotel, Ullswater* map ref NY442212 female, 1500yrs
6 Yew Bank, Upper Eskdale map ref NY229031 (lOOOft a. s. l.) 2000yrs
7. Stonethwaite Beck, Borrowdale map ref NY2ZJ 133 900yrs
8. Royal Yew Inn, Dean map ref NY075253 800yrs
9. Naworth Castle, Brampton* map ref NY559625 female, 900yrs
10. Muncaster Castle, RavengLass map refSDlO3963 900yrs
11. Greystoke Church, Penrith map ref NY443307 900yrs
* NOTE: these trees are on private property and permission should be sought to visit them. We hope there is one near your home so you can go and pay your respects soon, even give it a big hug; it will surely enjoy that after centuries of perhaps standing unheeded

The former Yew Trees for the Millennium in Cumbria Project began the work on yews in Cumbria and was supported by:
Council for Agriculture and Rural Life, Cumbria Broadleaves, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Diocese of Carlisle Youth Service, East Cumbria Countryside Project,
GlaxoWellcome, Solway Rural Initiative Limited, Wood Education Programme
Wood Education Programme Trust and Woodmanship continue the work begun during the project.

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