514 TEANSACTIONS AND rROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lvii. 



Four of the largest existmo- yews in England were 

 measured expressly for Sir Pi. Christison, and I therefore 

 'Axe the results in full : — 



Fountains Abbey Yew. — Burton, quoted by Sirutt, 

 describes a remarkable group of seven yews " growing on 

 the declivity of the hill on the south side of the Abbey, all 

 standing except the largest, which was blown down about 

 the middle of last century. The trunk of one of them is 

 26 feet 6 inches in girth at 3 feet from the ground, and 

 they stand so near each other as to form a cover almost 

 equal to a thatched roof." Strutt then describes the wanton 

 destruction going on in 1822, but his plate (No, XXI.) 

 shows five still standing within a few yards of each other. 



Only one now exists, and the stem is a mere shell, a 

 third part of which at the bottom has decayed away, so 

 that the tree would collapse but for artificial props. The 

 head of foliage, however, is large and luxuriant. It is not 

 tlie largest of the seven mentioned by Burton, as according 

 to measurements made by the Eev. j\Ir. Bittleston of 

 South Stainley in 18S0, it was only 18 feet 6 inches in 

 girth at 3 feet inches up, instead of 20 feet. At 7 feet 

 u]), where there is an evident great expansion to the 

 branches, it was 25 feet 3 inches. 



This tree is interesting in its decay, because it serves to 

 clear away doul^ts, which have very naturally arisen from 

 the present condition of the remains of tlie Fortingall yew, 

 as to tlieir ever having been parts of one and the same 

 tree. I found in 1887 in the Fountains Alibey yew that 

 the wood sjninging from the eartli was reduced to a 



