99 Yews - St. Mary's

St. Mary's Church - 99 yews
The Domesday Survey of AD 1086 records that there was a priest in Painswick from which it may be assumed that  a church stood on this site in Saxon times. The first church building was probably built about 1040, and then added to in the Thirteenth century.  The oldest part of the church still standing is St Peter’s Chapel, which was built in about 1377. The tower was added in 1430, building of the Nave was commenced in 1480 and the sanctuary and present High Altar date from 1546.
The original spire was erected on the tower in 1632. It has been rebuilt more than once since. Within 12 years it was besieged by Royalist troops who used cannon and firebombs to drive out the Parliamentarians quartered inside.
The ninety nine yew trees and the unique ledger tombs date from the early eighteenth century.
The tradition of planting yew trees in churchyards has been around for nearly a thousand years now. The tree’s ability to regenerate, and live for hundreds of years at a time, symbolises rebirth and echoes many chapters of Christian texts. It started during the Saxon era when early Christians would plant the trees to advertise that the area was sacred and Christian. However, usually, this would be just a couple – not 99!
The legend surrounding the 99 Painswick yew trees goes that the Devil would never allow the 100th tree to grow. Despite the legend, the churchyard does have over 100 trees. They ended up braving the storm and planting the 100th tree to mark the Millennium.
However, in 2007, one of the yew trees toppled over – many put this down to the Devil and the reputed curse.
This was an amazing cemetery to wander through, you can see remnants of the Pagan faith in carvings and tombstones. The oldest year of death i could read was 1799, many stones too eroded to read.Læs mere