Wharram Percy

Wharram Percy is a deserted medieval village and former civil parish near Wharram-le-Street, now in the parish of Wharram, on the western edge of the chalk Wolds of North Yorkshire, England. It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Wharram-le-Street and is signposted from the Beverley to Malton road (B1248). In 1931 the parish had a population of 40. It was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Ryedale, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. The earthworks of the village have been known for many years, and outlines of house platforms were drawn onto the first Ordnance Survey six-inch maps of Yorkshire published in 1854. The site was researched each summer by combined teams of archaeologists, historians and even botanists, from about 1950 to 1990 after it was singled out for study in 1948 by Professor Maurice Beresford of the University of Leeds. The site is now in the care of Historic England (formerly English Heritage).

1. History

Although the site seems to have been settled since prehistory, the village appears to have been most active from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The name Wharram possibly derives from the plural form of either the Old English hwer meaning 'cauldron', or the Old Norse hvarf meaning 'bend'. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as 'Warran' or 'Warron'. The suffix 'Percy' stems from the prominent, aristocratic family that owned the area during the Middle Ages. The Black Death of 1348–49 does not seem to have played a significant part in the desertion of Wharram Percy, although the large fall in population in the country as a whole at that time must have encouraged relocation to larger settlements. In 1402 or 1403, the Percy family exchanged their holdings in the area with the Hylton family. Following changes in prices and wages during the 15th century, pastoral farming (particularly sheep) was more profitable for landowners than cereal farming. Over the century following, the Hylton family devoted more and more land to sheep, as their employment of agricultural labour decreased. During the early 16th century, the last residents of Wharram Percy were evicted and their homes were demolished to make room for more sheep pasture. Wharram Percy was an ancient parish, which continued long after the depopulation of the village. The parish also included the townships of Burdale, Raisthorpe, Thixendale and Towthorpe. In 1866 Thixendale, Towthorpe and Raisthorpe and Burdale became separate civil parishes. On 1 April 1935 the civil parish of Wharram Percy was abolished and merged with Raisthorpe and Burdale and Wharram le Street to form Wharram. In 1974 the parishes of Wharram and Thixendale were transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire.

1. Present site

The site is now in the care of Historic England. Although only the ruined church is easily visible above ground, much more of the village layout can be seen in the surrounding fields. The site has been subject to archaeological investigations since the 1950s, with excavations directed over 40 years by Maurice Beresford and John Hurst. In 2002 English Heritage (now called Historic England) undertook an archaeological investigation and analytical field survey of Wharram Percy. A 2004 study of a sizeable collection of human skeletal remains, excavated from the churchyard of the deserted village, reveals details of disease, diet and death in the rural medieval community. This used the latest scientific techniques to make observations about childhood growth, duration of breastfeeding, and osteoporosis and tuberculosis. The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail passes through the site, and the Centenary Way long-distance footpath passes to the east of the village.

1. St Martin's Church

St Martin's Church has evolved, through six phases, between the early 12th and early 17th centuries. The tower collapsed in 1959 and thereafter the interior was excavated, revealing a smaller, mid-11th-century stone church and an earlier, mid- to late 10th-century, timber building.

1. References


1. Further reading

Wrathmell, Susan (1996). Wharram Percy: Deserted Medieval Village. ISBN 978-1-85074-620-1.

1. External links

Wharram Percy in the Domesday Book Wharram Percy by the former chief guide of the Beresford excavation English Heritage – History of Wharram Percy Investigation history at Historic England Bodies theories at BBC News English Heritage's investigation of the site in 2002 Abandoned communities ..... Wharram Percy BBC Radio 4 programme on Wharram Percy