St Mary's Church, South Cowton

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church standing in open countryside in the former village of South Cowton, near Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

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South Cowton Castle

South Cowton Castle is a 15th-century fortified dwelling house in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the land that was once the medieval village of South Cowton. The castle was built by Sir Richard Conyers in 1470 and it is the oldest surviving building in any of the Cowtons. The castle was built at the time of the Wars of the Roses, which gives an indication of why what is a country gentleman's house is so heavily fortified. The castle is a grade I listed building; it is situated near the 15th century St Mary's Church, and overlooks the field markings from the abandoned village of South Cowton. The building is rectangular in plan, with two towers at the south western and north eastern corners. It is three storeyed with four-storey towers. The castle was altered in the 19th century and, after a roof-fall in 1979, repaired between 1980 and 1982. The castle is now used as a private farmhouse, it can be found just off the B1263 road near Atley Hill.

Castle Historic Site

South Cowton

South Cowton is a village and civil parish located on the site of an abandoned medieval village in the county of North Yorkshire in England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 188. The original village was founded some time after the Norman Conquest; the Domesday Book says that South Cowton was owned by Count Alan of Richmond, and was ruled by Godric the Steward. The archaeological remains of the village suggest that there were at least 20 houses during the Medieval period. The two major historic buildings in South Cowton are South Cowton Castle and St Mary's Church. Both buildings were erected in the 15th century. Both were built by Richard Conyers, one of the few lords of the many Cowton manors ever to actually live there. Between 1489 and 1490 Conyers demolished the village of South Cowton, evicting its tenants in order to convert the land into pastures. The current village consists of little more than a few widely dispersed farms, the castle and the church. The former villages of Temple Cowton and Atley Cowton, and the hamlets of Atley Hill and Pepper Arden, have been incorporated into the parish of South Cowton.

Castle Church

Atley Hill

Atley Hill is a hamlet in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the B1263 road between the A167 and the village of Scorton. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. There is a pub called "The Arden Arms", it has closed and reopened several times over the last decade, the main reasons for the closures being the drink driving laws, lack of rural public transport and the general decline of the rural economy. Currently run by landlord Alex Liddle. Situated on Atley Hill above the current settlement was the (abandoned) Medieval village of Atley Cowton.

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Temple Cowton Preceptory

Temple Cowton Preceptory was a priory in North Yorkshire, England. The preceptory was in the village of East Cowton, 5 miles (8 km) north west of Northallerton. Temple Cowton was founded in c. 1142 by the Knights Templar and was regarded as an important location on account of Edward I starting there in 1300, and at its suppression in 1308, various documents relating to all their possessions and estates in England and Scotland, were found at Temple Cowton. As with other sites owned by the Knights Templar, after the order was suppressed, their estates were given to the Knights Hospitaller.

Historic Site