TWO notable old Herefordshire yew trees merit a mention in a new book.

The Linton Yew, in St Mary's churchyard, is thought to be one of the country's oldest trees and certainly more than 800 years old.

There are experts who believe that it pre-dates the church by a considerable margin with some speculation giving it an age of 4,000 years.

At the greatest point, the circumference of the tree is more than 32 feet.

The Much Marcle Yew, in St Bartholomew's churchyard, holds a seat that can take up to eight people

The parochial church council has a certificate which proclaims the tree to be around 1,500 years old, meaning that it started to grow in 500 AD.

It has a girth of more than 30 feet and when pruned for the first time in many years in 2006 an estimated six tons of timber was removed.

More about these and other notable historic trees, as well as a host of tree facts can be found in A History of Trees by Simon Wills, published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd.

The author tells the history of 28 common trees in an engaging and entertaining way, and every chapter is illustrated with his photographs.