Hardham

1835: Horsfield’s History recorded that ‘in the churchyard stands a hollow and venerable yew, it measured 21′ at the ground’.
Lowe was informed that it was destroyed by a storm in about 1840. The following text accompanies the drawing, but the name of the source is not known: We are indebted to Taper, Audrey Ryder who sent in a copy of the illustration and comment reproduced below, from an 1838 publication entitled The Mirror of Literature, Amusement and Instruction.
“This beautiful specimen of an ancient English yew tree, stands in the church-yard of Hardham Church. Few trees of the kind have reached the gigantic dimensions this venerable relic has attained. Its trunk is capable of containing twenty-seven people – its girth is twenty-three feet, and supposing the trunk were yet solid, it would contain not less than five hundred cubic feet of wood. About eighteen years ago the top of this tree was unfortunately blown down, and it is to be feared that in a very few years scarceley anything of this wonder of the vegetable creation will remain, so old and worn is the wood. No doubt can exist as to its being more than two thousand years old.’
H.M. The editor responded with the following: ‘I have been assured that this tree no longer stands in Hardham church-yard.’