Wharram Percy

Wharram Percy lies in the chalk Wolds of North Yorkshire, a quiet stretch of rolling hills where the remains of a medieval village stand among grassy earthworks. The site was first settled in prehistory, but the village flourished from the 10th to the 12th centuries before falling into decline. It sits about a mile south of Wharram-le-Street, marked by signs from the Beverley to Malton road. The outlines of houses were recorded on 19th-century maps, and archaeologists studied the site every summer from 1950 to 1990. The village’s story is tied to powerful families like the Percys, who took control in the 13th century and built a hunting park. By the 14th century, a series of disasters—deaths, raids, and the Black Death—weakened the community. Tax records from 1334 show the village was worth just 18 shillings, far below its neighbours. By the 16th century, the last residents were forced out to make way for sheep pasture. Today, visitors walk among the earthworks of long-gone houses and the foundations of St Martin’s church. The outlines of tofts and crofts mark where families once lived, while the hollows of hollow-ways show the old trackways. The site is cared for by Historic England, its quiet fields offering a glimpse of medieval life. The surrounding Wolds stretch away in gentle curves, a landscape little changed since the village’s final days.