Fortingall Yew

These are two relic trunks of the ancient yew tree in the churchyard of the village of Fortingall in Perthshire. It is estimated to be between 3000 to 5000 years old making it one of the oldest known trees in Europe. The markers show the original size in 1769 when it had a girth of 56 feet. Sadly souvenir hunters removed large sections. Children lit fires in the hollow trunk and funeral processions passed through its middle. Eventually a wall had to be built to protect it. Fortingall is reputed to be the birth place of Pontius Pilate and legend has it that he played in the shade of the tree as a child.