Britain's Most Famous Deserted Medieval Village | WHARRAM PERCY, ENGLAND.

THE ONLY UNCUT WALKING TOUR OF THIS HISTORIC SITE ANYWHERE ON YOUTUBE! Join me on this peaceful English country walk around Wharram Percy, the most famous deserted medieval village in Europe. Wharram Percy has been on my wish list for some time so when the weather finally cleared up I grabbed my boots and camera. The village wasn't the only place to be abandoned in this area as I discovered when stumbling upon the old Malton and Driffield Junction Railway. We explore a bit of the old railway before walking around the deserted village. The ancient track leading into Wharram Percy was in use by about 50 BC or possibly earlier when a nearby settlement was established. The Malton and Driffield Junction Railway was a railway line in Yorkshire that ran between 1853 and 1958. The construction of the Burdale tunnel began in 1847 before opening in 1853 and ran an impressive 1,747 yards. It was bricked up for safety reasons after suffered two collapses in 1977 and 1988. The tunnel is now understood to be a nesting site for bats. The village of Wharram Percy, in the Yorkshire Wolds, was continuously occupied for about 600 years. Since 1948 the settlement has been the focus of intensive research, which has made it Europe’s best-known deserted medieval village. Probably founded in the 9th or 10th century, it flourished between the 12th and early 14th centuries, when members of the noble Percy family lived in the village. But by the early 16th century it was almost deserted, as a result of gradual abandonment and forced evictions. The village’s origins are much debated. Some experts believe that a scatter of small buildings represent an earlier village which can be dated by the presence of mid 7th-century artefacts. The Percys who acquired the lordship of Wharram were a minor branch of the Percy family. By 1176, William Percy had acquired half the large landholding, making him the major owner in the village. In 1254 Henry Chamberlain sold his remaining rights in Wharram to Peter Percy I, making Percy all-powerful within the village. The name Wharram Percy probably came into use soon after. During the late Middle Ages the rising price of wool forced many landowners to switch to sheep farming, converting arable land to pasture. This spelled disaster for many small English communities that had lived by the plough. Wharram Percy was one of them. The village surrounded by its open fields comprises the earthworks of around 40 crofts (houses) and tofts (land) laid out along three main trackways, one of which originated in the Roman period. Patterning in the lay-out of the plots is suggestive of a planned settlement; although the date of this planning is uncertain, the 10th century seems most likely. Grouped in three rows they were probably built in stages between about 1166 and the late 13th century. East Row (by the side of the path) comprises small plots that may have been occupied by cottars, who held no land other than their tofts. West Row contains several larger long-houses, including an excavated 14th-century example (outline displayed), which had a ‘cruck’ timber frame and – unusually – glazed windows. The foundations of a brick-faced stone farmhouse from 1807 overlies the site of a narrower timber-framed farmhouse built before 1674. The ruined St Martin's church is the last standing medieval building and has 10th century origins but the building we see today is mostly 12th to 16th century. It remained in use until 1949. Research has found that at least 10 bodies excavated had been decapitated and dismembered. There was also evidence of bones being burned and broken after death. Filmed on 06.02.2025 ► SUPPORT THE CHANNEL https://buymeacoffee.com/walktheworldaway ► LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE! Subscribe to the channel here 👉🏻 https://www.youtube.com/@walktheworldaway?sub_confirmation=1 ► MORE VIDEOS FROM WALK THE WORLD AWAY • ROBIN HOOD'S BAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ8hhcju8bg&t=4347s • TEALBY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmsbTkXMQ3M • FOUNTAINS ABBEY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRuhSh-qp4U&t=1531s • FLAMBOROUGH HEAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQX1aE4YDf4&t=35s • BOLTON ABBEY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvMVQr3I_0M&t=275s • SCARBOROUGH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqxhX-KVy2s&t=3626s • YORK CITY WALLS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tul8JtS2qE&list=PL8XBXmBMsyqFCtdq5e9P5CtZbIlAc6uun • LINTON FALLS to GRASSINGTON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp5xlg3XOR4&t=4185s || About Walk The World Away || Hello everyone, my name's Jamie Paul and this is my walking channel. Since I love the outdoors and walking in nature so much I decided to start filming my walks so that I could share them with you lovely people wherever you are in the world. So sit back, relax, and allow yourself to just be in the moment while we Walk The World Away. Peace, Jamie Paul 🕊️ Intro music: Soldier On by Jamie Paul. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m7z-DjY7mSMR5J0PubjmgBVlRxvvxwM8o