Markenfield Hall
One of Yorkshire's
best kept secret gems
Tucked off the A 61, no more than a couple of miles from Bishop Monkton, is maybe one
of Yorkshire best kept secrets, Markenfield Hall, a moated medieval manor
house, mentioned in the Domesday Book and now a much loved family home. Not
visible from the road, Markenfield is perhaps a place many villagers may not
have realised was occasionally open to visitors, let alone be aware of some of
the wonderful events that are hosted there every year.
After driving along a farm track, visitors park by the side of the moat, perhaps
catching a glimpse of Roland and Sylvia, the moat’s resident black swans.
Walking over the bridge, where once stood a drawbridge, guests pass underneath
the Tudor Gatehouse and see the first glimpse of the Hall across a medieval
courtyard. Distinctively crenallated in 1310, this feature remains a feature of
the building today.
The Markenfield family owned the Hall until their fateful involvement in the Rising
of the North in 1569. This Rising was quashed and the then owner fled to the
Low Countries. The Hall and its surrounding farmland were confiscated as a
punishment for high treason and until 1761 the Hall became a tenanted farm with
an absentee landlord.
The house was bought in 1761 by Fletcher Norton, the first Lord Grantley of
Markenfield (a title still held by the family). Norton replaced the roof of the
Great Hall ensuring the house was watertight but it was not until 1980 that the
7th Lord Grantley began the Hall’s restoration turning it from a
cold and draughty farmhouse to the home that is there today.
Photos: Tim Hardy
.