Markenfield Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Markenfield Hall |
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|---|---|
| Markingfield Hall | |
Main block of Markenfield Hall,
including chapel and great hall |
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| Type | Moated manor house |
| Location | North Yorkshire |
| Nearest city | Ripon |
| OS grid reference | SE29466739 |
| Original use | Manor house |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Owner | Ian and Deirdre Curteis |
| Website | Markenfield Hall |
| Official name: Markenfield Hall moated medieval fortified house with associated service buildings and park pale | |
| Designated | 31 May 1977 |
| Reference no. | 1018774 |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Markenfield Hall | |
| Designated | 23 April 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1293954 |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Farm buildings to the south of Markenfield Hall | |
| Designated | 6 March 1967 |
| Reference no. | 1315641 |
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Markenfield Hall is a really old and cool house in North Yorkshire, England. It's a moated manor house, which means it's like a mini-castle surrounded by water! It was built way back in the early 1300s. You can find it about 3 miles (5 km) south of a town called Ripon.
Contents
What is Markenfield Hall Like?
Markenfield Hall is shaped like an "L". It has a big room called a great hall that sits above a basement area. Long ago, you had to use an outside stone staircase to get into the great hall. This hall has two large windows that let in lots of light.
The house is protected by a moat, which is a wide ditch filled with water. There's only one bridge to cross the moat. This bridge is guarded by a Tudor gatehouse from the 1500s. The whole house, including the gatehouse, is a very important historic building. It's called a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument. This means it's protected because it's so special.
Some land around the house, especially to the west and north, was once a deer park. The hall, its land, and the park's fence are all part of a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This monument is known as "Markenfield Hall moated medieval fortified house with associated service buildings and park pale."
Most years, you can visit Markenfield Hall for tours in May and June. It's also a popular place for weddings! In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was closed for a while. But the owners hoped to open again for small tours.
A Look Back in Time
Records show that there were two homes at Markenfield in 1086. This was around the time of the Domesday Book.
Around 1150, the Le Bret family owned the estate. They had a house there and started using the name "de Markenfield."
Who Built the Hall?
The Markenfield Hall we see today was built for a man named John de Markenfield. He worked for King Edward II. In 1310, the King gave John permission to build a fortified house. This means he could add things like battlements to protect it. John also became the Chancellor of the Exchequer that same year.
Famous Family Members
Later, Sir Thomas Markenfield was an important person in Yorkshire in 1484. He even fought in a big battle called the Battle of Bosworth on the side of King Richard III.
In 1569, another Thomas de Markenfield was involved in a rebellion. This was called the Rising of the North, and it was about supporting the Catholic faith. Thomas had to leave England and his home was taken by the Crown. It was then given to Thomas Egerton.
Changes Over the Years
Thomas Egerton never lived at Markenfield Hall as his main home. For a long time, it was just rented out as a farmhouse. But it still kept its old features.
In 1761, a man named Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley bought the house. He fixed the roof of the Great Hall and made sure the building was strong again. The chapel, which is a small church inside the house, was used to store grain in the 1880s! But it has since been fully restored.
The house eventually passed down to the 7th Baron Grantley, John Richard Brinsley. In 1980, he started a big project to turn the hall from a farmhouse back into a family home.
Modern Restoration
The major restoration work that began in 1980 was finished in 2008. However, smaller projects were planned to continue until about 2030. For example, the gardens around the Gatehouse and Farmhouse were restored between 2014 and 2018.
In 2019, news articles showed updated photos of the inside of the hall. At that time, Lady Deirdre Curteis lived there. She was the widow of the 7th Lord Grantley. In 2001, she married Ian Bayley Curteis, a writer and director. Their wedding was held in the restored chapel. This was the first wedding there since 1487! Ian Curteis passed away in 2021.
What's in a Name?
The name "Markenfield" has a long history. It was first written down as Merchefeld in the Domesday Book in 1086.
The name probably comes from old English words. Mercinga means "of the boundary people," and feld means "open land." So, it might mean "open field of the boundary people." A nearby place called Markington has a similar first part to its name.
Both "Markingfield" and "Markenfield" are very old versions of the name. It's not clear which one came first. The "Markenfield" spelling became linked to the family who lived there in the Middle Ages. Even in the 1800s, both spellings were used for the Hall and the area around it.
Images for kids
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Part of the moat, with the 16th-century Tudor gatehouse
See also
In Spanish: Markenfield Hall para niños
