| Summary : Disused parish church of Wharram Percy, now partly ruined and lacking its roof. The standing fabric is mainly 12th to 16th century, and retains evidence for numerous phases of modification, but the building stands on the site of 10th and 10th to 11th century chapels, the earlier built in timber, which were only revealed by excavation. Following the desertion of Wharram Percy circa 1517, the church gradually fell into disrepair, with a series of complaints about the condition of the chancel from 1555 onwards. The construction of a church in Thixendale in 1870 robbed St Martin's of most of its congregation: although repairs and alterations to the building were made in 1917, burials ceased in 1906, the last marriage was celebrated in 1928 and the last service held in 1949. The fittings were then removed and half the tower collapsed in December 1959, leading to the removal of the roof. The interior and exterior of the church were extensively excavated between 1962 and 1974; the report was published in 1987. The consolidated ruin is Listed Grade II* and lies within the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Wharram Percy deserted medieval village, which is curated by English Heritage and open to the public. |
More information : (SE 8584 6414) St Martin's Church, Wharram Percy
In June and July 2002, English Heritage carried out a detailed investigation and field survey of Wharram Percy and its environs following a request from Dr Stuart Wrathmell, in order to underpin the completion of a synoptic publication of the long-running Wharram Percy Research Project.
Disused parish church of Wharram Percy, now partly ruined and lacking its roof. The standing fabric is mainly 12th to 16th century, and retains evidence for numerous phases of modification, but the building stands on the site of 10th and 10th to 11th century chapels, the earlier built in timber, which were only revealed by excavation. Following the desertion of Wharram Percy c.1517, the church gradually fell into disrepair, with a series of complaints about the condition of the chancel from 1555 onwards. The construction of a church in Thixendale in 1870 robbed St Martin's of most of its congregation: although repairs and alterations to the building were made in 1917, burials ceased in 1906, the last marriage was celebrated in 1928 and the last service held in 1949. The fittings were then removed and half the tower collapsed in December 1959, leading to the removal of the roof. The interior and exterior of the church were extensively excavated between 1962 and 1974; the report was published in 1987. The report contains a set of microfiche sheets with details of mason's marks, structural details, morturary material culture, pottery, small finds, and environmental and technological evidence, with numerous illustrationa of architectural features and phase plans. (1a).
The consolidated ruin is Listed Grade II* and lies within the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Wharram Percy deserted medieval village, which is curated by English Heritage and open to the public.
The Level 3 report on the investigation, which includes full textual description and analysis, plans at various scales, photographs and interpretative drawings, is available through the NMR. (1)
Description of the three early 11th century grave slabs found during excavation at the east end of the vestry to the south of the chancel. (2)
Detailed description of the archaeological and architectural development of the Church at Wharram Percy, with numerous line drawings of architectural details, phase plans and elevations. (3)
Overview of the analysis of the human remains from the churchyard. The anaylsis suggests that burials began in the mid 10th century, bfore the construction of the first stone church there. Most of the burials dated from between the 11-14th century. A total of 687 burials were excavated, which is estimated to be about 10% of the burials in the churchyard. Of the total excavated, 15% of the individuals died before their frist birthday. This represents a lower rate of infant mortality than in many predictions of medieval mortality rates. Growth in individuals up to the age of 1 year was similar to modern populations, but from above that age the growh of the mediecal children from Wharram was slower and poorer. Life expectancy was reasonable for the period, with 40% of individuals surviving to over 50. Males outnumbered females in the population by 3-2. Evidence of disease encountered included Tuberculosis. In comparison to contemporary remains at York, this population had a lower incidence of infectious diseases. (4)
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