Sinnington Hall

In the civil parish of Sinnington. In the historic county of Yorkshire North Riding (Modern Authority of North Yorkshire, 1974 county of North Yorkshire).

The standing and roofed remains of a C12 great hall located 40m NNW of All Saints Church, Sinnington, just to the east of the later Sinnington Hall. The hall is believed to have been built by Guisborough Priory in the later C12 for the grange that was acquired from Ralph de Clere after 1168. At the same time, de Clere had given the church at Sinnington to the Benedictine nunnery at Yeddingham. In 1239 Yeddington Priory agreed to support the chapel at St Martin and the other buildings at Sinnington owned by Guisborough Priory. In 1431-32 Matilda of York paid for a series of modifications to the chapel at Sinnington, which has been identified as the great hall, including the installation of partitions and flooring, and the filling of old windows. After the Dissolution in the 1530s the hall is thought to have reverted to domestic occupation, becoming the rectory of William Thwaytes, but in the following centuries, probably C17 or later, the building was re-roofed and converted into a barn and stables. The hall is orientated north-south and is approximately 21m by 11m externally, limestone built with a pitched slate roof. The west wall retains two partially blocked three light C15 windows and, at the north end, a pair of two centred arched doorways. The east wall has an original C12 door and window together with an additional larger three light 15th century window, all of which are now blocked. There is part of a large blocked C15 window in the south wall. Internally the hall has four bays, with the two end bays divided from the central pair by stone partition walls. The central pair of bays were originally divided by a C15 oak screen which survived into the early C20. The carved oak cross beam for this partition believed to have been paid for by Matilda of York is still in place. Ingham quotes Pevesner as writing "must once have been the great hall of a manor house or castle", but there does not seem to be any suggestion the site was fortified.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 382504)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE746861

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 60248
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

• Books
  • Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p26-7
    Rushton, J., 1986 (2edn), The Ryedale Story p129
    Platt, Colin, 1969, The monastic grange in medieval England: a reassessment p233
    Pevsner, N., 1966, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, North Riding (London) p342
    Page, Wm (ed), 1923, VCH York, North Riding Vol2 p489-92 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64697
    Page, Wm (ed), 1913, VCH York Vol3 p127
• Journal Articles
  • McConnel, J., 1966 April, 'The Bridge on Sinnington Green' The Ryedale Historian Vol2 p50-3
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p544, 568
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • North Yorkshire and Cleveland Vernacular Building Study Group report no 611