wharram percy

History
Although the site seems to have been settled since prehistory, the village appears to have been most active from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as 'Warran' or 'Warron'. The suffix 'Percy' stems from the prominent, aristocratic family that owned the area during the Middle Ages.
The Black Death of 1348-49 does not seem to have played a significant part in the desertion of Wharram Percy, although the large fall in population in the country as a whole at that time must have encouraged relocation to larger settlements.
In 1402 or 1403, the Percy family exchanged their holdings in the area with the Hylton family. Following changes in prices and wages during the 15th century, pastoral farming (particularly sheep) was more profitable for landowners than cereal farming. Over the century following, the Hylton family devoted more and more land to sheep, as their employment of agricultural labour decreased. During the early 16th century, the last residents of Wharram Percy were evicted and their homes were demolished to make room for more sheep pasture.[4]
View north across the fish pond to the deserted village
Present site
The site is now in the care of Historic England. Although only the ruined church is easily visible above ground, much more of the village layout can be seen in the surrounding fields. English Heritage has installed information panels around the site, and provided an audio tour downloadable in mp3 format from the English Heritage website.
The site has been subect to archaeological investigations since the 1950s.[5] In 2002, English Heritage (now called Historic England) undertook an archaeological investigation and analytical field survey of Wharram Percy.[6] A study of a sizeable collection of human skeletal remains excavated from the churchyard of the deserted village, published in 2004, reveals details of disease, diet and death in the rural medieval community.[7] This used the latest scientific techniques to make observations about childhood growth duration of breastfeeding, and osteoporosis and tuberculosis.
The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail passes through the site, and the Centenary Way long-distance footpath passes to the east of the village.

[@joshuabarrick5468]

Hi dbg666 my name is Josh and I am an Archive Researcher for a Science Channel tv show. I was just wondering whether you had an email address so I could enquire about having permission to use some of your footage for our show?

[@dronezone7212]

Hi there yes its
[e-mail]

[@Barrick_Creative_Media]

We’ve just been today - first time in 40 years. Took my drone with me, but they now have signs up - “Drone use prohibited”. That’s English Heritage for you 🙄