Salisbury DAC (Aug 15)
Salisbury DAC Guidance note
PLANTING OF YEW (AND OTHER) TREES IN A CHURCHYARD – some practical points to remember
General, common sense:
1. Remember that in time, the tree will grow and become large - hopefully! Therefore, avoid planting in close proximity to any building, boundary walls and any known ancient monuments etc.
2. Also, look above to see if there are any overhead cables (telephone, electric or other) nearby and remember to check for underground services such as gas, water, electric and sewer pipes where root growth could have a detrimental impact. Avoid planting where these services are present
Archaeology
Firstly, though shallow ground disturbance from landscaping, renewing or laying paths and tree-planting, is normally not archaeologically sensitive in ancient churchyards without evidence of former buildings or earlier occupation, each case should be examined in its particular circumstances
-tree planting is not a matter for archaeological concern, generally, although there may be exceptions, so each case needs some thought
Secondly, in general, the most archaeologically-sensitive area is that close to the present church. Elsewhere, extensive disturbance is likely to have been caused by more recent burials, but this area seems to have been avoided in modern times (presumably for the very practical reason that a deep hole could undermine the foundations of a church). Hence, there is the potential for the survival of Saxon and Medieval burials (which can provide important archaeological information on the local population, methods of burial, etc) and remains of earlier church buildings (which can provide valuable information on the development of the building and churches in general)
-thepoint about the danger of undermining church foundations by digging graves close by also applies to tree planting. It is assumed that the cases where a tree is to be planted close to a church will be very rare. Nevertheless, if there are any such cases, the potential archaeological implications will need consideration, and it may well be appropriate for an archaeological trial trench to be excavated beforehand to understand what the archaeological impact of the tree would be