The following is an extract from the Eckington Court Rolls of 1586:

that Henry Wigfall cut down and carried away a taxus (yewe tree) recently growing on Ridgway More. He was therefore amerced 6s.

The word amerced means "punished by a fine" and it could be that the reason for this penalty was because the yew tree was vital for making English Longbows.

(The wage of a labourer at this time was 8d per day and, if Henry was a carpenter, his wage would have been about 12d per day. If he was able to spare 5% of his income, it would have taken several months to pay off the fine).

Notes: 6s = 6 shillings = 72d = 30 new pence