National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-14
gatiuual gepnblieau.
ANCIENT TRERS

OYerton, formerly village, now o town, Stu
ated In Fintshire, Just divided from Denbfghshire
by the Dee. he's its church-yard thickiy studded
Win splendid yews, and from this circumstance
iofms one OF the lesser wonders Of North Wales.
ihe yews are Of various sges; one very old one Is
iast gong to decay, the trunk isQuits hollow, and
tne cavity large enough to hold several people
comfortably. Its circumference must DO thirty
feet three feet from the ground -
Again, there are twenty large yew trees in the
cnurch-yard at Gresford, I'm Denbighshire. One
measures twenty-nine feet In circumference ayo
feet from tina ground; Il Ii moro than sixty feet
high, and is supposed 10 be fourteen hundred and
my years old, planted In the year Ias, when the
Romans finally len Britain, wales being AZ that
time Roman province.
In t9e church-yard Of barley Derbyshire thsra
o very large yeW tree, which 10 . source Of A.
traction 70 Peak visitors, and % said To b The
largest and Oldest tree In the ktp0dou- IA ma.
ures thirty-thres feet around the trunk. and
though bereft Of many Of its branches, is sim In
In the chureh-yard Of Tisbury. pors.tsh,..
there Is now standing an immense ysw tree. NhisS
measures thirty-seven FEET in circumference. ire
trunk is quite hollow; It Is entered By means Of
rustic gate, and seventeen people lately brsar-
tasted In its interior. One in Stsines Is upwards
| Of one thousand years old.
The great yew at Portugal, Perthshtre. N. q.
10 stated BY GIlpin, In his Forest Scenery. vol,
ume page 20, to measure 6s1f feet in circumfer
enee, and Is supposed to have been tree at Eths
commencement Of our Christian era. It still re-
mains, ana was visited BY Mr.. Neil, the natural
ist, In 1888
Many interesting accounts are further Uiva, a,
the rev in Eyelyn's "Silva," and also by GTInIn
In his first volume Of Forest Scenery Whita,
In his History Of Seloorne," note page T. SAYS it
10 calculated that there are yews in Britain mr..
wards OF two or three thousand years old.
There are some fine Jews round Fountains Alb
hey, curious In themselves, as we'll IS historically
interesting. They are said to have been full
grown when the abbey was built IN Ils2 (Gilpin.
page 2So.)
At Hanchurch, near Newcastle, there 10 Q spa
cious Quadrangle, formed by many old yews; q
church iSsupposed to have once stood there. Also
there Ia remarkable avenue Of ysws at Hales
Hall, near Cheadle, StafordshIrs, and again some
remarkable yews at HimIey, CsversHau and
Tfxall. The yev was o sacred tree among the
Northerns. The ancient British name was yaU, or
ycenj the former pronounced yesc) 10 the plural
the latter the singular; Its botanical name Is
| T6rus bGccaia
Evelyn speaks Of Q holly edge In his garden
measuring $50 feet in length feet high and feet
| In diameter. In Keele Gardens near Newcastle.
the seat OF the Rev Walter Speyd, there is grow.
ing holly edge ITO years DID, 100 yards in length,
feet wide at the top, % feet wide Ut the bottom,
and 80 or IS feet high. Speaking Of the old trees
Of North Wales, there Is 0 splendid avenue at
Wynastery, near Wrexham, upwards Of mile In
length, formed Of nne oaks, slms, lines and
beeches; one ash, called the "King," measures 90
feet In circumference. There are likewise many
hns oaks mentioned In the Natural History Of
Stafordshire," page 4cs, which are worthy Of In
yestigation.