Plaque at the foot of the Yew tree in St John the Baptist church at Church Preen
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Plaque at the foot of the Yew tree in St John the Baptist church at Church Preen by Jeremy Bolwell as part of the Geograph project.
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Plaque at the foot of the Yew tree in St John the Baptist church at Church Preen
Image: © Jeremy Bolwell Taken: 9 Mar 2021
This sign claims a pretty specific date for the planting of this yew, namely 457 AD. That is around the time that the Romans were leaving or had left Britain, and before the so-called Dark Ages that followed. How they arrived at this date I am not privy to, but I am sure they know more than me. The tree is undoubtedly ancient, and I am sure a ring dating or dendrochronology date could be obtained, or maybe has been. Claiming to be the oldest Yew must be a hotly contested claim. The Woodland Trust has many such claims on its website, a https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/01/ancient-yew-trees/#:~:text=Fortingall%20yew,within%20a%20churchyard%20in%20Perthshire provided here.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
52.579233
Longitude
-2.675551