Planted in Churchyards in N'oi^mandy 105 



to enter upon the lands of private individuals and 

 cut down yew or any other wood for the public 

 service, he expressly forbids his trespassing on 

 estates belonging to any religious order.' 



' Every yew-tree growing within the united 

 churchyards of England and Wales, admitting they 

 could have been renewed five times in the course 

 of a century, would not have produced one-fiftieth 

 part of the bows required for military supplies.' 



On the other hand, we find that Charles vii. 

 of France ordered it to be planted in all the 

 churchyards of Normandy for the express purpose 

 of providing wood for cross-bows. 



Strutt says : ^ * It was formerly not less common 

 in the churchyards of Italy ; and in the original 

 charter for building the church at Perone, in 

 Picardy, dated in the year 684, a remarkable clause 

 is inserted containing directions for the proper 

 preservation of a particular yew-tree. This in- 

 dividual yew-tree {\) was in existence in the year 

 1799, nearly [sic) 1 100 years after this notice in the 

 charter.' There is no evidence of this being the 

 same tree which was planted in 684. There may 

 have been several since that date. 



A curious Scottish superstition in reference to 

 the yew as a consecrated tree is mentioned in the 

 * Recollections of O'Keefe ' published in Ainsivort/is 

 Magazine, vol. iii. As related by him : — 



1 op. cit. p. I. 



