Payhembury

May 1998 – Tim Hills: Four separate trunks. As far as we could ascertain two were male, one female and the 4th uncertain. The split tree at Llanerfyl also displays both sexes.
November 2013 – Peter Norton: Two trees grow at the northeast corner of the church. The larger is classed as one of Devon’s greatest trees which has four remaining stems and girthed around 35′ close to the ground. The individual trunks average out in girth to around 12′.
A second yew is female and girthed 12′ 5” although this included at least four thick ivy stems so the measurement should be used as a guide only.
7th March 2006: A site meeting was held with members of the local community to discuss this fine tree as part of the Great Trees of East Devon project. Later in the year the yew was nominated by Robin Stanes and is now officially recognised as one of the Great Trees of East Devon.
Since my first visit in 1998 ivy had been treated and the removal of elder made the tree accessible. It remains a conundrum. Its 4 gnarled stems appear to be the same age, yet there remains the uncertainty that they are all of the same sex. Girth around all 4 fragments has in the past been exaggerated with records up to 46′ but on this occasion I recorded closer to 35′.