Withycombe Barton - Bystock

May 1998 – Tim Hills: The yew is all but lost behind thick twiggy growth. It perhaps saw better days when it was considered worth placing a bench around it. Only a small section of this remains, the rest lies in pieces beneath the tree. I was able to make out the three branches rising from a low bole, as described in 1878.
This yew has been erroneously recorded as one of the 30′ girthed trees in Lowe’s list. At the ground it appeared to girth less than 18′.
Peter Norton – 2017: The churchyard is very large and contains many Irish and two European yew. The large male grows just south of the tower and comprises three main stems from a small mound. Ivy, alder and butchers broom all grew around the bole and prevented any measurements from being recorded. Foliage in the crown looked healthy.
A younger female yew with a girth of 10′ 8” at 1′ grew south of the male yew. Its foliage was sparse. Recent removal of ivy has led to a numerous cuts on the bole.