A look at the history of Holy Trinity Church, Wensley, with Dr Emma Wells

Enveloped by the rolling Wensleydale hills and the River Ure, Holy Trinity Church, Wensley, is now managed by the Churches Conservation Trust, but has graced the same site for almost a millennium.
Built in the 1240s, when the village was thriving under a 13th-century market charter, the church boasts Saxon stonework and a 10th-century cross shaft.

But it is within where the true marvels await. Closely linked to the influential Scrope family, builders of nearby Bolton Castle, their legacy is evident in the 17th-century pew comprising a classical front and richly carved early 16th-century parclose screen made originally for the family chantry over at Easby Abbey which was then brought to Wensley following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. There is also a Purbeck marble monument commemorating family members.

The nave also houses a unique 14th/15th-century traceried panelled box, perhaps a former reliquary chest which was converted to an alms box with an old padlock, which is also believed to have come from St Agatha’s Abbey at Easby.
 
Deeper inside, medieval art flourishes. Fragments of medieval wall paintings on the north nave depict The Three Living & The Three Dead, a stark memento mori, while another illustrates St Eloi shoeing a devil-possessed horse, symbolising the struggle between good and evil.

The brass effigy within the chantry floor commemorating Sir Simon de Wensley d.1394, rector and knight, is a striking example of Flemish-style memorial art, regarded among the finest in England. The chancel itself features oak pews crafted in 1527 by the renowned school of craftsmen, the Ripon Carvers, famous for their intricate woodwork in Ripon Cathedral. The pews are richly adorned with poppy-head bench ends featuring mythical and realistic creatures whilst the choir boasts further elaborately carved misericords— the Latin
for pity or mercy, therefore hinged seats which tipped up to form a ledge for the clergy to rest on.

Blending medieval artistry with later additions, Holy Trinity Church remains a treasure trove of history.

Address: Holy Trinity Church, Low Ln, Wensley, Leyburn DL8 4HX

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Books by Dr Emma Wells