2076

ARBORETUM AND FRUTJCETUM.

PART III.

The Tisbury Yew. “ In the churchyard of Tisbury, in Dorsetshire , thereis now standing, and in fine foliage, although the trunk is quite hollow, animmense yew tree, which measures 37 ft. in circumference, and the limbs areproportionably large. The tree is entered by means of a rustic gate; andseventeen persons lately breakfasted in its interior. It is said to have beenplanted, many generations ago, by the Arundel family.” ( Lauder's Gilpin.')

The Iffley Yew stands in Iffley churchyard, near Oxford , nearly oppositethe south-east corner of the church, and between that and an ancient cross.This tree is supposed to be coeval with the church, which, it is believed, wasbuilt previously to the Norman conquest . The dimensions of the tree, kindlytaken for us in September, 1836, by Mr. Baxter, were as follows : — Girt ofthe trunk, at 2 ft. from the ground, 20 ft., and at 4 ft. from the ground, wherethe branches begin, 17 ft. The trunk is now little more than a shell, andthere is an opening on the east side of the tree which is 4 ft. high, and about4 ft. in width; the cavity within is 7 ft. long, 4 ft. wide, and 4 ft. high in thehighest part. The height of the tree is 22 ft.; and there are about 20 principalbranches, all of which, except two, are in a very vigorous and flourishingstate. The diameter of the head is 25 ft. each way. A very good, but verysmall, figure of this tree may be seen in the south-west view of Iffley church,given in the Memorials of Oxford , No. 31. It is also seen in a woodcut ofthe north-east view, close to the corner of the chancel, in the same work.

A large Yew Hedge in the Oxford Botanic Garden, which was rooted up in1834, had its branches crossing each other in various directions, and so com-pletely inosculated, that after the hedge was cut down, they were formed,without nailing, into the backs of rustic garden chairs, and similar articles;several of which are now preserved in the botanic garden.

The Ankerwyke Yew, near Staines, of which a figure is given by Strutt, issupposed to be upwards of 1000 years old. Henry VIII . was said to havemade it his place of meeting with Anna Boleyn , while she was living atStaines; and Magna Charta was signed within sight of it, on the island inthe Thames between Runnymede and Ankerwyke. The girt of this tree, at3 ft. from the ground, is 27 ft. 8 in.; and at 8 ft. it is 32 ft. 5 in.; it thenthrows out five principal branches, and at 12 ft. numerous others, which forma magnificent head, 49 ft, 6 in. high, and 69 ft. in diameter. The followinglines on this tree are quoted by Strutt: —

“ What scenes have pass’d, since first this ancient yew,

In all the strength of youthful beauty grew!

Here too, the tyrant Henry felt love’s flame,

And, sighing, breathed his Anna Boleyn ’s name.

Beneath the shelter of this yew tree’s shadeThe royal lover woo’d the ill-starr’d maid :

And yet that neck, round which he fondly hung,

To hear the thrilling accents of her tongue;

That lovely breast, on which his head reclined,

Form’d to have humanised his savage mind ;

Were doom’d to bleed beneath the tyrant’s steel,

Whose selfish heart could doat, but could not feel.”

The Arlington, or Harlington, Yew stands in the churchyard of the villageof that name, between Brentford and Hounslow. It is chiefly remarkablefor its large size, and for having once been clipped into the regular form shownin fig. 1986. This engraving is copied from a print of the tree, as it appearedin November, 1729; and this print is accompanied by a copy of verses by“ Poet John Saxy,” from which it appears that it must at that time havebeen between 50 ft. and 60 ft. in height. It was surrounded at the bottomof its trunk by a wooden seat, above which, at 10 ft. from the ground, was alarge circular canopy, formed by the tree itself, which was, according to“ Poet Saxy ” (who was clerk of the parish), —

“ So thiek, so fine, so full, so wide,

A troop of guards might under it ride.”

Ten feet above this canopy was another, of much smaller dimensions; and