the trees of great britain & ireland - Facsimile Books & other digitally ...
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120 The Trees <strong>of</strong> Great Britain and Ireland Taxus 121<br />
and attains its largest dimensions on deep sandy loam. It grows better under<br />
dense shade than any tree we have, and may <strong>the</strong>refore be used for under-<br />
planting beech-woods where bare ground is objected to, and where <strong>the</strong> soil is<br />
too poor and dry or too limy for silver fir. In such situations, however, it grows<br />
very slowly and produces little or no fruit.<br />
REMARKABLE TREES<br />
No tree, except perhaps <strong>the</strong> oak, has a larger literature in English than <strong>the</strong><br />
yew ; and though a monograph on <strong>the</strong> Yew Trees <strong>of</strong> Great Britain and Ireland<br />
by <strong>the</strong> late John Lowe, M.D., was published by Macmillan so lately as 1897, I<br />
am able to add many records <strong>of</strong> <strong>trees</strong> not known to him, and shall not allude to<br />
most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>trees</strong> which he has described and figured.<br />
It is strange that nei<strong>the</strong>r Loudon, Lowe, nor any o<strong>the</strong>r writer has, so far as<br />
I know, described <strong>the</strong> yews in <strong>the</strong> close walks at Midhurst, which, on account <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ir extraordinary height, form what I believe to be <strong>the</strong> most remarkable yew-<br />
grove in Great Britain or elsewhere.<br />
The age and history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se wonderful <strong>trees</strong> is lost in obscurity, but it is<br />
said in Wm. Roundell's very interesting book on Cowdray* that Queen Elizabeth<br />
was entertained at a banquet in <strong>the</strong>se walks, so <strong>the</strong>y must have been <strong>of</strong> considerable<br />
age and size 300 years ago.<br />
The close walks are situated close to <strong>the</strong> town on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> river,<br />
and consist <strong>of</strong> four avenues <strong>of</strong> yew <strong>trees</strong> forming a square <strong>of</strong> about 150 yards,<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r with a grove <strong>of</strong> yews at <strong>the</strong> upper end which average, as nearly as I could<br />
measure <strong>the</strong>m, about 75 feet in height, but some probably exceed 80. These <strong>trees</strong><br />
are for <strong>the</strong> most part sound and healthy, though little care has been taken <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m,<br />
and some have fallen. They are remarkable not only for <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>great</strong> height, which<br />
exceeds that <strong>of</strong> any o<strong>the</strong>r yews on record in Europe, but on account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
freedom from large branches, many having clean boles <strong>of</strong> 20 - 30 feet with a<br />
girth <strong>of</strong> 8-9 feet. They stand so thick toge<strong>the</strong>r that on an area <strong>of</strong> about half<br />
an acre or less I made 213 paces in going round it I counted about 100 <strong>trees</strong><br />
and saw <strong>the</strong> stumps <strong>of</strong> 10 or 12 more, which would probably average over<br />
30 cubic feet to each tree without reckoning <strong>the</strong> branches.<br />
The ground below is absolutely bare <strong>of</strong> vegetation, and though I found<br />
some small seedlings among <strong>the</strong> grass and briars on <strong>the</strong> outside <strong>of</strong> this area, I<br />
do not think <strong>the</strong> yew grows from seed under its own shade.<br />
The photographs (Plates 54, 55) will give a fair idea <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> appearance<br />
<strong>of</strong> this wonderful grove, and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> walks which lead to it. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>trees</strong><br />
have a remarkable spiral twist in <strong>the</strong>m like fluted columns, which I have not seen<br />
so well developed elsewhere.<br />
The soil on which <strong>the</strong>y stand seems to be <strong>of</strong> a light sandy nature, but deep<br />
enough to grow large fine timber <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r species, and is, I believe, on <strong>the</strong> Lower<br />
Greensand formation.<br />
1 Cf. Guide to Midhurst, p. 41 (Midhurst: G. Roynon (1903)).<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r and perhaps <strong>the</strong> largest pure yew-wood in England is on <strong>the</strong> downs<br />
three miles west <strong>of</strong> Downton, Wilts, on <strong>the</strong> property <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Earl <strong>of</strong> Radnor. It<br />
is known as " The Great Yews," and contains about 80 acres. The <strong>trees</strong> are not<br />
remarkable for <strong>the</strong>ir size, and appear to have been partly planted, as <strong>the</strong> largest<br />
are at regular intervals and <strong>of</strong> about <strong>the</strong> same age. Probably at a time when<br />
yew - wood was wanted for bow - making an existing wood was filled up with<br />
planted <strong>trees</strong>, and no doubt <strong>the</strong>se yews could tell some striking tales. Mr. E. P.<br />
Squarey, who took me to see <strong>the</strong>m, and who has seen little change in <strong>the</strong>m<br />
during <strong>the</strong> last 60 years, pointed out one under which some tramps had been caught<br />
in <strong>the</strong> act <strong>of</strong> roasting a sheep <strong>the</strong>y had stolen, and related various tragedies which<br />
had occurred in this wild district in bygone times.<br />
" The Little Yews " is <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r wood about half a mile from <strong>the</strong><br />
" Great Yews," which, though not <strong>of</strong> such large extent, contains much finer <strong>trees</strong>,<br />
many being from 8 feet to 10 feet in girth and 50 feet high. As in o<strong>the</strong>r yew woods<br />
(at any rate where rabbits exist) I found few or no young <strong>trees</strong> coming up, and <strong>the</strong><br />
mixture <strong>of</strong> beech, ash, oak, thorn, whitebeam, and holly <strong>trees</strong> which are found in<br />
<strong>the</strong> more open spaces all appear to be self-sown. Several <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> largest <strong>trees</strong><br />
have been recently blown down.<br />
After <strong>the</strong> Midhurst and <strong>the</strong> Great and Little Yews, I think <strong>the</strong> Cherkley Court<br />
Yew Wood is <strong>the</strong> best in England; and, thanks to <strong>the</strong> kindness <strong>of</strong> A. Dixon, Esq.,<br />
<strong>the</strong> owner, I am able to give some particulars <strong>of</strong> this interesting place, which Lowe<br />
thought to be <strong>the</strong> finest collection <strong>of</strong> yews in existence.<br />
The wood covers an area <strong>of</strong> 50 to 60 acres in a shallow valley forming part<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old Ashurst estate, about three miles from Lea<strong>the</strong>rhead in Surrey, on <strong>the</strong> east<br />
side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old pilgrims' road to Canterbury. It was formerly a rabbit warren, but<br />
is now carefully preserved by Mr. Dixon. It is said that 500 yew <strong>trees</strong> were once<br />
sold out <strong>of</strong> this wood by Mr. Boxall for 10 guineas each, and <strong>the</strong>se two facts will<br />
probably account for <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong>re are now scarcely any young <strong>trees</strong> coming up,<br />
and but few <strong>trees</strong> with straight, tall trunks. Their average height does not exceed<br />
about 40 feet, and <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m are not well-grown <strong>trees</strong>, but <strong>the</strong>re are<br />
some <strong>of</strong> <strong>great</strong> girth, <strong>of</strong> which <strong>the</strong> best is called <strong>the</strong> Queen Yew, and measures<br />
14 feet 6 inches at i foot from <strong>the</strong> ground ; <strong>the</strong>n swelling out in a peculiar way and<br />
measuring 20 feet 4 inches at about 4 feet. At this height it begins to branch, and<br />
though <strong>the</strong> main stem goes up some way, <strong>the</strong> whole tree is certainly under 50 feet<br />
in height.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most curious <strong>trees</strong> in this grove, called <strong>the</strong> Cauliflower Yew, was<br />
figured in <strong>the</strong> Gardeners Chronicle, and copied in Veitch's Conifers, ed. ii. p. 128.<br />
This tree has now lost much <strong>of</strong> its beauty, owing to a heavy snowstorm which<br />
occurred in 1884 and which did serious damage to <strong>the</strong> Cherkley Yew Wood.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r place <strong>of</strong> <strong>great</strong> interest to naturalists, where <strong>the</strong> yew is in <strong>great</strong><br />
abundance, is Castle Eden Dene, in Durham, <strong>the</strong> property <strong>of</strong> Rowland Burden,<br />
Esq. This locality is renowned among botanists as <strong>the</strong> last in England where <strong>the</strong><br />
ladies' slipper orchid (Cypripedium Calceolus) still exists. It is a deep valley about<br />
3 to 4 miles long, running down to <strong>the</strong> sea, and, in some places, has steep cliffs <strong>of</strong> a