In the churchyard of the Parish Church of St Mary in the historic village of Selborne in Hampshire is the remains of a yew that was measured by the famous naturalist Gilbert White in 1789. It was then measured as 23 feet (7 metres) in girth and became one of the most famous trees in England. It is so old that it was standing when King Henry VIII was on the throne. The yew was designated as one of Britain’s fifty great trees to commemorate the Golden Jubilee and has therefore been conserved. It now stands as a memorial to Gilbert White.
