Whorlton Old Church and Castle

Where	Whorlton	Type of Event	Site Visit
When	Monday 9th July at 2 pm	Tutor	Carol Cook and James Lawton

On a cold, overcast but thankfully dry July afternoon, around 20 members enjoyed an interesting afternoon in Whorlton. There is now little left of the old village so the main points of interest were the remains of the old castle and the church. We divided into two groups to learn more from our tutors, Carol Cook and James Lawton. Carol, a local historian with a wealth of knowledge of the history of the castle, showed us around the remains, telling its story and giving us an insight into how it would have looked during its lifetime from its origins in the early 12^th century to its demise in the 18^th century. She also pointed out various earthworks, the remains of the deer park that once encircled Whorl Hill.

James, an archaeology graduate and a “local boy” from Swainby, showed us around the Holy Cross Old Church, showing us the various points of interest and describing how the building had evolved from its early, probably Saxon, origins. Of particular interest was the effigy made of bog oak and commemorating the second Lord Nicholas de Meynell of Whorlton Castle, who died in 1322. It is thought to be the only wooden, London-made military effigy in Yorkshire.

He then took us a few hundred yards along the road to view the site of an iron age settlement that had been the main source of inspiration for his Master’s degree.

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