January  3,  1901 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
13 
footing  in  Ireland,  and  the  name  of  Strongbow,  borne  by  the  leader  of 
the  expedition,  attests  the  high  repute  in  which  the  weapon  was  held. 
Cressy,  Poictiers,  and  Agincourt  were  won  chiefly  by  the  Yew  bow  ;  it 
was  the  most  popular  weapon  through  the  long  civil  strife  between  the 
rival  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster  ;  and  both  in  warfare  as  well  as  in 
the  chase  it  was  held  in  estimation  long  after  the  invention  of 
gunpowder  had  prepared  the  way  to  a  complete  change  in  the  system 
and  science  of  war. 
The  Yew  in  Gardens. 
The  association  of  the  Yew  with  gardening  in  England  began  early 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  It  was  brought  into  prominent  notice  towards 
the  end  of  the  century  by  Evelyn,  who  claims  the  “merit”  of  being  the 
first  to  introduce  the  fashion  of  clipping  it  into  artificial  shapes  which 
became  general  during  the  next  century.  It  was  first  used  in  the 
formation  of  hedges  for  purposes  of  utility,  but  the  dense  growth  it 
assumes  when  pruned,  its  apparently  unlimited  duration,  and  the 
were  originally  cut  and  trimmed.  Some  of  the  most  remarkable  of 
these  are  to  be  seen  at  Levens  Hall,  Westmoreland,  where  the  topiary 
foible  of  our  horticultural  predecessors  is  still  maintained  in  all  its 
quaint  antagonism  to  Nature. 
Not  less  striking  but  more  modern,  and,  if  we  may  use  the  expression, 
more  rational,  is  the  topiary  work  at  Elvaston  Castle,  near  Derby,  the 
seat  of  the  Earl  of  Harrington.  A  large  portion  of  this  consists  of 
ornamental  hedges  of  the  common  Yew,  either  dividing  parts  of  the 
grounds  from  each  other,  or  enclosing  spaces  devoted  to  special  subjects ; 
and  of  single  specimens,  both  of  the  common  Yew  and  its  golden  variety, 
out  into  conical  pyramids  of  uniform  size  and  height,  and  of  such  there 
are  upwards  of  1000.  There  are  comparatively  few  representations  of 
birds  and  animals ;  the  bolder  work  represents  the  walls  and  bastions  of 
a  Norman  castle,  archways,  alcoves,  arbours,  &o.  The  great  extent  of 
the  topiary  work  at  Elvaston  is  calculated  to  excite  surprise  rather  than 
admiration,  at  the  same  time  its  extreme  formality  is  greatly  relieved  by 
the  noble  Conifers  of  the  Fir  and  Pine  tribe  which  have  been  planted 
TOPIARY  WORK  AT  ELVASTON  CASTLE,  NEAR  DERBY. 
readiness  with  which  it  may  be  cut  into  many  shapes  without  impairing 
its  vitality,  soon  led  to  its  being  extensively  used  in  topiary  work, 
which  had  been  previously  confined  chiefly  to  the  Box  and  Juniper. 
The  dark,  dense  foliage  of  the  Yew,  and  its  more  robust  and  taller 
growth  than  the  Box  or  Juniper,  offered  facilities  for  the  introduction 
Into  gardens,  by  artificial  means,  of  many  varieties  of  form,  and  the 
fashion  of  clipping  Yews  into  geometric  figures,  and  also  into  the 
figures  of  birds,  beasts,  and  even  the  human  shape,  became  for  a  time  a 
very  prevalent  practice,  which  reached  its  height  towards  the  close  of 
the  seventeenth  and  during  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
The  popularity  of  the  Yew  as  an  ornamental  garden  plant  dnring  this 
period  may  be  partly  accounted  for  by  the  paucity  of  evergreen  trees 
and  shrubs  at  that  time  available,  and  the  desire  for  variety  created  by 
the  taste  for  gardening  which  began  to  be  general  among  all  classes. 
The  practice  gradually  fell  into  disuse  as  the  introduction  of  exotic 
hardy  trees  and  shrubs  became  more  frequent,  and  supplied  a  more 
natural  and  pleasing  variety  than  the  uncouth  figures  which  one  kind 
of  tree  was  made  to  take,  but  into  which  Nature  never  intended  it  to 
grow.  Many  evidences  of  the  old  topiary  work  are  still  to  be  met  with, 
and  not  a  few  old  Yews  are  made  to  retain  the  figures  into  which  they 
beside  and  around  it  with  no  sparing  hand,  and  by  the  beautiful  view 
afforded  by  the  river  Derwent,  in  its  winding  course  through  the  grounds. 
Avenues  of  Yews. 
Avenues  of  Yew  trees  were  formed  as  early  as  the  Stuart  period  and 
more  frequently  in  the  early  Hanoverian  times  ;  but  the  comparatively 
slow  growth  of  the  trees  and  especially  the  dark  and  gloomy  aspect 
produced  by  them  when  full  grown  and  standing  in  close  proximity  to 
each  other,  caused  the  planting  of  Yew  avenues  to  fall  into  disuse. 
Among  the  most  noteworthy  still  remaining  are  those  of  Cleish  Castle 
in  Kinross,  Candover,  near  Alresford,  Overton-on-Dee,  near  Ellesmere, 
and  Aberglasney,  in  Carnarvonshire.  In  Ireland,  where  the  humidity 
of  the  climate  induces  a  more  rapid  growth  and  a  more  verdant  aspect 
of  the  foliage,  Yew  avenues  are  scarcely  so  sombre  as  in  Great  Britain. 
Mention  may  be  made  of  those  at  Glencormas,  near  Bray  ;  Oldcastle,  in 
co.  Meath ;  Clonfert,  in  King’s  County ;  and  in  the  Royal  Botanic 
Gardens  at  Glasnevin.  At  Dunganstown,  in  co.  Wicklow,  is  a  row  or 
colonnade  of  Yew  trees  remarkable  for  uniformity  of  growth  so  unusual 
in  the  Yew,  and  the  consequent  impressive  effect  produced  by  it.  The 
trees,  fifteen  in  number,  have  undivided  trunks  for  20  feet  of  their  height. 
