On the fringes of the village of Swainby and the North York Moors, lie the quiet ruins of Whorlton—a once-thriving medieval settlement now reduced to scattered stones and farmland. At its heart stands Holy Cross Church, the last substantial relic of a village lost to time. Also known historically as the Church of the Holy Rood, it sits just down from the crumbling walls of 14th-century Whorlton Castle, both echoing the ambitions of the Norman lord Robert de Meynell, who built the original stronghold shortly after the Conquest.
The current church was founded in the 12th century also under the patronage of the de Meynell family. Its Norman roots are visible in the chancel arch and nave. Over the centuries, the church adapted to changing styles and needs, most notably with the addition of a 15th-century west tower in the Perpendicular Gothic style built of local stone.
Despite Victorian restoration, much medieval fabric lingers. A weathered stone font, parts of the original rood screen, and the faint outline of a vanished chantry chapel once built into the north wall, where prayers were said for the souls of the founder and their family, and which was torn down by the Victorians.
Among the church’s most remarkable features is the effigy of the second Lord Nicholas de Meynell (now unfortunately inaccessible), who died in 1322. Carved from bog oak and once filled with charcoal for preservation, it is thought to be the only wooden military effigy of its kind in Yorkshire—comparable in craftsmanship to those in Westminster Abbey.
By the 19th century, the church had fallen into disrepair. Its final service was held in 1875 before a new church was built in Swainby using stone from the old castle. The nave was dismantled a century later, though the ruinous chancel and tower still stand. Religious services are held in the old church twice each year: Holy Communion on St Stephen’s Day (26th December) and Holy Communion on Easter Monday.
Address: Whorlton Old Church, Whorlton Ln, Northallerton DL6 3HT, United Kingdom
Books by Dr Emma Wells
