Some yews must be older than the churches, wouldn’t be the first time the upstart religion has adopted the old customs and sites to gain a toehold.
Certainly churches were established on existing pagan sites, in order to encourage the locals to come and worship, and the yew, along with oak and a number of other trees, as well as parasites like mistletoe were considered sacred.
Also, all parts of the yew are toxic, with the exception of the red flesh around the seed, which meant that livestock was kept away from churchyards, avoiding disturbance of the deceased.
Yew will also spread itself through its roots, and a branch that droops and touches the ground will establish itself as another tree, as well as the seeds. I’m going out around the woods above Castle Combe to find some established yew seedlings to fill up some gaps in my front hedges, along with some hawthorns, I’ve already planted a couple of holly that were growing at the bottom of my garden, to join some others already there. About half the original Pyrocanthus has died off, it’s at least fifty years old, so not too surprising, really.
