Aspects of Markenfield 3: The Parish of Markenfield Hall by Dr Brian Crosse, Timothy Knight and David Rhodes

The Parish of Markenfield Hall is a most unusual parish, partly
on account of its unique 14th century moated hall and also
because, over the centuries, the parish has remained small, its
boundaries almost identical with those of the estate. Unlike
surrounding parishes, no hamlet or village has grown up around
the hall. Through the ages the name has changed from
Merchefeld to Markenfield with the main variants being
Merchingfeld, Merkingfeld, Markynfeld, Merkyngefelde,
Markinfeild and Markingefeild. In addition, it has been a
manor, parke, mannor, hall and today it is the Parish of
Markenfield Hall.

The parish has at present only five registered adult residents, in
a total of five dwellings with a potential of perhaps ten voters.
Needless to say it does not have the population for a Parish
Council but does have Parish Meetings twice a year. It might
have been so different had the Reformation not dissolved the
adjoining Fountains Abbey or had the nearby mediaeval village
of Aismunderby not been deserted, possibly due to the plague…