Markenfield’s History

Over 700 years of history.

Markenfield is the seat of the Grantley family – builders of nearby Grantley hall and is the  much loved home of the present Grantley family.

Mediaeval Markenfield is largely untouched and its fortunes were deeply entwined with those of Fountains abbey prior to the Reformation.

This great house was one of the most vital centres of The Rising of The North in 1569 and this was also its tragic downfall. This act of treason by Sir Thomas Markenfield saw the estate swiftly confiscated and it slumbered on in relative obscurity until 1761 when it was purchased by Sir Fletched Norton, later to become Lord Grantley, First Baron of Markenfield, a title still held by the family to this day.

Now tucked away along a mile long winding drive, the Hall is not visible from the road. A glimpse of the imposing east wall cannot be seen until visitors reach the old medieval rd. But for a chance of fate and the turnpike act of 1777, Markenfield would have been one of the most recognisable houses in Yorkshire and the A61 would run along this mow bridleway just 200 yards from its facade.

Markenfields history can largely be divided into five periods, to explore this use the menu…..