The Bleeding Yew - Nevern, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
N 52° 01.525 W 004° 47.712
30U E 376833 N 5765386
A 700 year old, Yew Tree - Gives rise to an unexplained phenomena, & an ancient mystery, surrounded in Local Legend & Folk Lore. The Bleeding Yew, can be found in the Churchyard of Saint Brynach, Nevern, in Pembrokeshire, South Wales
Waymark Code: WMT09C
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/02/2016
Views: 1
Fact: An ancient Yew Tree, located in St Brynach Churchyard, has a red liquid slowly bleeding from one of its broken branches, & has done as far back as anyone can remember.
Legend & Some Facts:
"An avenue of ancient Yew Trees (Taxus baccata) forms the pathway up to the church. One of these yews near to the gate is called the “Bleeding Yew” which is about 700 years old. It has a blood-red sap running out of it which has the consistency of blood – though it dries pink rather than brown. (There is not any distinctive smell or stain, but as people say that most parts of the yew tree are poisonous so please don’t try and taste it!)
Local legend says the red sap (resin) will continue to ooze from this tree until ‘the castle on the hill is once again occupied by a Welshman’. Another legend says that a monk from the early Celtic monastery was hanged from the yew tree, which may mean these trees were here before the present day church! About 1oo yards to the south-west of the church, along a footpath beside the river Nyfer leading off the Frongoch road, in the direction of Glandwr is the famous Pilgrims’ Cross built into a rock face and, below that a ‘very’ well-worn stone bearing a small incised cross. These mark the pilgrimage route between Holywell and St David’s – Nevern being one of the places where medieval pilgrims would stop, and kneel down to say prayers, before continuing on their long, arduous journey to where St David, patron saint of Wales, lay buried." Text Source: (
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Saint Brynachs Church - Nevern.
"Nevern Church, is dedicated to St. Brynach, a Welsh Saint, of the 6th century.The architecture was Norman originally and In 1809 a few of the Gothic designs were replaced by modern more contemporary styles. The long nave and chancel may be all of the 15th century. The pier and two arches are Victorian insertions below a wider flatter original arch and the west tower is 16th century. The church has stone carvings which are over a thousand years old, such as the “Braided Cross Stone” with two cords apparently being woven together to make the cross. There is an even older carving, the Maglocunus stone, which throws light on the version of ancient Celtic once used in these parts of Wales, called Ogham." (
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