Last out, lock up please

The directional road sign looked forlorn sticking up out of the verge.

We are well used to huge groupings of metal posts and signage in our towns and cities but coming across a sole example in the middle of rolling countryside can be quite startling.

The brown tourist information livery bore the words "Deserted Medieval Village", in itself enough of a curiosity to act as an incentive to divert traffic from their otherwise pre-planned and determined route towards the North Yorkshire Moors and Heritage Coast Resorts.

What to expect of a village from the middle ages and one that has been deserted for all that?

For those vaguely interested enough to take the narrow side lane there must be imaginings and expectations of what lies around the bend in the road. Most of us will have studied the period in junior or secondary school at least and I can still recall the illustrations in text books of mud and thatch huts, small wicker fenced livestock pens, a lot of folk milling around and a few industrious looking plumes of smoke from kiln, smelter and brewery.

Some confusion may arise in our thoughts from images of settlements depicted on the big screen representing either a Hollywood interpretation of the Middle Ages or that mythical Middle Earth.

The car park appears. Not very medieval looking in loose dressed granite chippings and a few dispersed waste bins. There is still nothing to be seen apart from a rustic wooden arrow pointing down another narrow way, this time only suitable for those on foot, mountain bike or horse. A few may just give up and return to their vehicles at this stage as actually reaching the elusive site involves a bit of physical effort albeit downhill.

After a 100 metres or so down the track there is a kissing gate and stile to negotiate and a shallow but sparklingly clear water stream is crossed by a Pooh-sticks bridge but still  nothing at all ancient to gawp at.

Something is however changing in the natural landscape.

Beyond the watercourse the path rises again to a blind summit. This is the northern end of a high Wold valley in this part of East Yorkshire. It is a typical steep sided, "v" shaped valley common to the county but with three critically unique features, 1)It is not dry due to a continous source of water, 2) following a landslip in geologic time it has a plateau in the bottom and 3)a mainly north/south alignment before curving away and shallowing out to the west.

Unlike the other equally picturesque examples which characterise The Wolds the combination of these factors has permitted habitation by humans for millenia, at least from Neolithic times and followed by Iron Agers, Romans, Anglo Saxons , Saxon Normans and to the Middle Ages .

This is Wharram Percy.

The first part of the name is thought to have been derived from Scandinavian for "at the bends" and the second denoting ownership by the powerful Feudal Dukes of Northumberland who controlled and exacted wealth from huge tracts of North Eastern England.

Over the near horizon appears the tower of a church and in its shadow a low range pair of cottages.

A few modern information boards explain the just above ground footings of former peasant dwellings but most interesting of all is an artists impression of a thriving village with, verified by the Domesday Book, two manor houses, 35 other properties, a dam and fish pond with water mill, glebeland and other utility structures to meet the everyday needs of an estimated 150 strong community requiring self sufficiency and a means of sustenance and livelihood.

There was some value in all of this to a landowner and Lord of the Manor with, after the Percy domination control by, amongst others, an Archbishop of York and a Baron.

The depopulation in the fifteenth century was down to the wholesale eviction of the inhabitants to make way for sheep grazing.

The site remains as one of the most important of its type in the UK but yet only 6% by area has been archaeologically investigated and with the last dig and study being in 1991.

Without human attention the predominantly organic buildings rotted away or the materials were commandered and taken away by occupants of nearby hamlets and farmsteads. Part of the tower of St Martins Church fell down in 1959, some ten years after the last act of worship and the farm cottages were last lived in in the 1970's.

The church has many phases of masonry but with 10th century origins. The graveyard investigation revealed 700 skeletons and yielded much about the villagers, their physical stature, health and welfare. Unusually there was a higher than average rate of left handedness. The hard graft required to work the valley caused considerable erosion of cartilage in joints. A skull showed signs of skilful surgery to remove bone fragments from an impact injury.

Other aspects of daily life were reflected in excavated artefacts including candle holders to illuminate the hours of darkness, implements of spinning, recreational pastimes and pottery from as far away as France and the Mediterranean.

Remains of cattle and horses were plentiful for lugging heavy loads and with skeletal parts to show that dogs and cats were kept not so much for pets as usefulness for keeping vermin at bay.

To the visitor from the 21st Century it is a fascinating glimpse of the lifestyle of our distant ancestors.

It is also a beautiful place to just spend some time. Clambering past the pond and up the steep eastern slope gives an awe inspiring view to the soundtrack of meadow birds and under the shadow cast by the large wing span of a circling Red Kite.

You could easily lose a few hours if it were not for the thought of having to make the long return haul back up to the car park.