Adapted from the Monmouthshire Beacon 30/11/16
In November 2016, five new trees were planted to mark the meeting point of four Monmouthshire parishes, next to the B4293 and shown by the orange arrow on the accompanying map (click to enlarge).
The meeting point of the boundaries of the parishes of Cwmcarvan, Mitchel Troy, Penallt and Trellech at Lydart was traditionally marked with five trees, with one for each parish and one at the central point.
The majority of the original trees which were planted some 200 years ago have died over the years, leaving only two sycamores which are suffering from decay and have been severely cut back in the interest of safety.
A boundary stone with a plaque was erected in the 1980s when some remedial work was carried out on the site but this did not fully address the fact that the trees were reaching the end of their lifespan.
To restore the trees, Trellech United Community Council (TUCC) resolved to buy five new British native trees for the site, as MCC’s budget could only stretch to keeping the existing trees in a safe state.
The inscription on the plaque reads:-
Five Trees Boundary
At this point the Parishes of Cwmcarvan, Mitchell Troy, Penallt and Trellech meet. Prior to 1800 four trees were planted to mark the junction and a fifth was planted in the middle as the central point. The site was restored by Trellech United Community Council and Mitchell Troy Community Council during 1982/83 with the assistance of young persons employed under the Youth Training Scheme.