A Yew-nique Tree with Historical Significance
One of my favorite trees in England is the magnificent yew tree (Taxus baccata L.) behind The Parish Church of St George in the small village of Crowhurst in East Sussex, England. This is a photograph of the immense trunk of the tree taken in May 2017 when I last visited the site:
The fence around the trunk has a blue plaque which reads as follows:
"1066-2016. This ancient yew was here in 1066 when King Harold owned the Manor of Crowhurst. In this 950th anniversary year of the Battle of Hastings we remember his close links to this part of Sussex."
The tree is conservatively estimated to have been planted around 700 AD, making it over 1,300 years old (Hindson, T., Elphick, L. Yews, Taxus baccata L. at Crowhurst Churchyard in Sussex (2012) (https://www.ancient-yew.org/userfiles/file/Crowhurst%20Sussex.pdf)).
Crowhurst is located near Hastings, mid-way between the south coast of England and the town called Battle, which was the site of the well-known Battle of Hastings in 1066 (Battle of Hastings - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings).
William the Conquerer and his Norman army landed in Pevensey in 1066 (Pevensey - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pevensey)) and proceeded to Crowhurst where they burnt King Harold's manor house. It has been claimed that the invading Normans may have used parts of the tree to make bows (Tree older than 1066 Conquest Historic Crowhurst Yew shortlisted for award - Hastings Observer - Published: 13:41 Monday 11 September 2017 (https://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/tree-older-than-1066-conquest-historic-crowhurst-yew-shortlisted-for-award-1-8144574)).
Williams' army subsequently advanced inland to Battle where they met King Harold's forces. King Harold of course was killed, and the rest is history.
Yews were prized by the English for making longbows, but now the plant's main use is for extracting a chemical precursor of taxol, an anti-cancer agent (Taxus baccata - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxus_baccata)).
This remarkable tree on the grounds of St. George's parish church in Crowhurst, Sussex, England is sometimes confused in the literature with another ancient and magnificent yew located at St George’s parish church at Crowhurst in Surrey, England. I should do a YewTube video on this!