Wharram Percy
Last Friday we had a field trip for my Medieval Settlement and Communities course. (This is the first time I have been on a field trip since high school! There was much excitement.) One of the sites we visited was the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy …
View from the North Manor Site:
The North Manor was built at the high end of the village, placing it in a visible position of power. From the Manor, it would have been possible to look down across the entire village and the valley.
One of the earthwork structures at the North Manor site comprises a circular wall with a mound in the centre, and has often been interpreted as a dovecote. However, no excavations have yet been carried out at the North Manor to corroborate interpretations of the manor’s layout and the functions of the various buildings.
The church associated with the settlement sits nestled in the valley below the village. This is a more sheltered location, but one with unusually low visibility for such an important structure within the community.
Here it is possible to see something of the building sequence and history of the church in the cut and fill of various window arches and doorways.
There are also a number of Anglo-Saxon grave slabs which were incorporated into the church walls, a fairly common practice.
A loooong time ago, we talked about how medieval villages were set up. Here is an awesome look at what a medieval community looked like.
And wow, what an amazing field trip!
