Trees and their Associations 



385 



grown in enclosed, grounds. In 1307, a 

 statute was passed by Edward the First, " to 

 deter the rector or guardians of the church- 

 yards from feUing the trees." Now, as we 

 seldom hear of any other class of tree being 

 grown than the one under notice, it is fairly 

 inferred that this statute must have princi- 

 pally related to yews. 



The yew, through its connexion with war- 

 like instruments, has often been the subject 

 of legislation. Statutes were passed by many 

 of our sovereigns, forbidding the exportation 

 of yew wood, and obliging Venetian and 

 other merchants to import ten bow staves 

 with every butt of wine. By an act passed 

 in the reign of Edward IV., every English- 

 man residing in Ireland was expressly ordered 

 to have an English bow of his own height. 



The last statute that appears in the books 

 respecting the use of yew for bow staves is in 

 the 13th of Elizabeth, which directs that bow 

 staves shall be imported into England from 

 the Hanse towns and other places. There 

 are some amusing anecdotes of this tree in 

 connexion with the English long bow. 

 Bows as instruments of warfare are not men- 

 tioned until the time of the Saxons, when they 

 were introduced by Vortigern, and soon be- 

 came general. 



The bows mentioned in scripture were 

 composed of metal, and many were made of 

 two goat's horns joined together, with a piece 

 of wood for the handle. 



Henry VIII. commonly held archery 

 matches at Windsor, where the principal 

 archers of the day were engaged. Upon one 

 occasion when they had nearly all shot, the 

 king noticed one of his body guard who had 

 yet to shoot. "Win them," cried he, "and I 

 will make thee duke over all archers." He 

 did win them, and the gratified king made 

 him Duke of Shoreditch, and for many years 

 an annual show was held to commemorate 

 the event. 



In 1570 the Bowyers and Fletchers — that 

 is, the arrow makers — petitioned Queen 

 Elizabeth to enforce in their favour a statute 

 of Henry VIII., enjoining every man to have 

 a bow in his house. She did so, and butts 

 were erected in different places. Those at 



VOL. I. 



Nottingham were in the Old Town Ditch or 

 Park Row, which, until recently, bore the 

 name of " Butts Dyke." I must conclude 

 my notice of this interesting tree, by observ- 

 ing that it is dedicated to St Leonard, a saint 

 of the 6th century, in the old floral calendars. 



The associations of the old tree at Runny- 

 mede, with King John and his barons at the 

 memorable signing of the Magna Charta, 

 and also of Henry VIII., who wooed the ill- 

 starred Anne Boleyn in its shade, must be 

 passed over in silence. I would fain allude 

 to the Cruxton yew, under whose shade tra- 

 dition says Queen Mary was wooed and won 

 by Darnley; but time does not permit. I 

 must consequently pass on to my notice of 

 the " Cypress tree." 



My object in giving place to this tree is to 

 throw more light upon the yew tree, which 

 you will bear in mind I ventured to assert was 

 its substitute in this country. It was my in- 

 tention to confine the subject to trees indi- 

 genous to this country, or to those which were 

 introduced and commonly knoAvn amongst us. 

 I may be allowed to observe that the cypress 

 is not generally known to us ; but as it may 

 truly be termed the father of our monumental 

 trees it would be unkind to pass it over in 

 silence. 



The cypress I shall treat upon is the one 

 known as the upright variety, the " Cupressus 

 stricta " of the botanists. It is a native of the 

 Isle of Cypress. The cypress is mentioned 

 in the book of Ecclesiastes — " I am exalted 

 like the cedar in Lebanon and like a cypress 

 on Mount Sion." The gopher wood of the 

 ark is supposed by some to be the cypress. 



Ovid, the celebrated Roman poet, who 

 lived at the time of our Saviour, treats us with 

 the legendary origin of the cypress. He in- 

 forms us that a beautiful stag, the favourite of 

 Apollo, was accustomed to come every day 

 to be fed by the god, or his beautiful atten- 

 dant, Cyparissus. One day the youth was 

 hurling his spear — merely for exercise — when, 

 unfortunately, it struck and killed the stag, 

 which was coming bounding from the forest 

 to Cyparissus, expecting to be caressed as 

 usual. The youth's grief at this accident was 

 so great that Apollo endeavoured in vain to 



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