Marton cum Grafton is a civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate of North Yorkshire, England. The parish has only two settlements (Marton and Grafton), and has a magnesian limestone and sandstone geography, which has been used for quarrying. The landform is broadly flat, though there are some small hills with the Marton and Grafton being separated by 98 feet (30 m) despite being only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) apart.
History
Archaeological evidence shows that just to the south of Grafton there was an Iron Age fort. However, quarrying and the installation of allotments and modern day structures, led to the site being de-scheduled as an ancient monument.[2][3] In 1835, the population was 482,[4] which had risen to 499 by 1851.[5] However, by 1901, the population was at 299, and saw a rise of 50 people to 349 by 1911.[6] At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 516 which had dropped to 503 by the 2011 Census.[7][8] In 2015, North Yorkshire County Council, estimated the population of the parish to be 510.[1] In 1872, the parish covered an area of 1,198 acres (485 ha), and in 1901, covered 2,167 acres (877 ha), but at the 2011 Census, it was 2,470 acres (998 hectares).[9][8]
The two settlements of Grafton and Marton are contiguous, and since 1979, they have been formed into one conservation area.[13] Besides agriculture, the other major source of employment in the area has been quarrying, with gravel pits still in evidence across the parish.[3] The former Allerton Park Quarry, now the Allerton waste recovery park, was historically in the township of Marton.[14] The geology of the parish is largely of a magnesian limestone ridge, with Sherwood sandstone to the east of the ridge. The earth has been described as being "slightly acid loamy, and clayey soils, with impeded drainage."[15] The land is capped with sands and gravels, which has led to large-scale quarries in the parish.[16] The land is fairly flat given over to agriculture, but the parish has some hills; despite being only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) apart, Grafton is 125 feet (38 m) above sea level, whereas Marton is 202 feet (61.7 m).[17][18][19][20]
Quarry in the parish
The original church in the parish was located some 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of the village of Marton.[21] It was built in the 12th century and repaired after being sacked by the Scottish in 1318. It again fell into disrepair (c. 1540), until being rebuilt in 17th and 18th centuries. It was given after the Dissolution to St John's College in Cambridge, and its dedication was unknown, but after 1692, it is thought to have been the Church of St John after is benefactors, in the College of St John.[22][23][24] Until it closed, the church was a prebendal peculier in the Deanery of Boroughbridge and the Diocese of Chester.[25][26] In 1876, a new church, with a dedication of Christ Church, was built with stones from the former ruined church; Pevsner states the doorway re-erected inside the church is Norman.[27] This structure is now grade II listed.[28]
For a survey of burials in the churchyard see 'External Links' below.
^Liber Ecclesiasticus. An authentic statement of the revenues of the Established Church compiled from the report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Revenues and Patronage of the established Church in England and Wales. London: Hamilton, Adams & Co. 1835. p. 134. OCLC1064949647.
^Yorkshire returns of the 1851 census of religious worship. York: University of York, Borthwick Institute of Historical Research. 2000. p. 57. ISBN1904497101.
^Census of England and Wales, 1911 : (10 Edward 7 and 1 George 5, ch. 27): Administrative Areas. London: HMSO. 1912. p. 389. OCLC40808794.
^Howard, Henry Fraser (2010) [1935]. Account of the Finances of the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge 1511-1926. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 117. ISBN978-1108012225.
^Whellan, T (1871). History and Topography of the Wapentake of Claro. Beverley: Longman Green. p. 295. OCLC504016489.
^Kelly, E. R., ed. (1881). Kelly's Directory of West Riding of Yorkshire, 1881. [Part 2: Places L-Y]. London: Kelly & Co. p. 854. OCLC1131686669.
^Page, William, ed. (1907). The Victoria history of the county of York. vol 3. London: Constable & Co. p. 88. OCLC500092527.
^Pevsner, Nikolaus, Sir (2003) [1959]. Yorkshire The West Riding (2 ed.). London: Yale University Press. p. 362. ISBN0-300-09662-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Reports and papers of the architectural and archaeological societies of the counties of Lincoln and Northampton. York: Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society. 1879. p. 236. OCLC3896686.
^Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. p. 100. ISBN9781840337532.
^Gledhill, Raymond (1 April 1974). "White Rose ties hold fast despite amputations and shake-up of boundaries". The Times. No. 59053. p. 31. ISSN0140-0460.
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