P. S.--I cannot agree with your correspondent J. G. CUMMING, that the yew
is one of "our few evergreens." I doubt our having in England any native
evergreen but the holly.
The etymology of the name of the yew-tree clearly shows that it was not
planted in churchyards as an emblem of evil, but one of immortality. The
name of the tree in Celtic is _jubar_, pronounced _yewar_, _i. e._ "the
evergreen head." The town of {448} Newry in Ireland took its name from two
yew-trees which St. Patrick planted: _A-Niubaride_, pronounced _A-Newery_,
_i. e._ "the yew-trees," which stood until Cromwell's time, when some
soldiers ruthlessly cut them down.
In the Note by MR. J. G. CUMMING, a derivation is evidently required for
the English word _yeoman_, which he suggests is taken from "yokeman."
Yeoman is from _e[=o]_, pronounced _yo_, _i. e._ free, worthy, respectable,
as opposed to the terms _villein_, serf, &c.; so that yeoman means a
freeman, a respectable person.