The Bats & The Bees...

Wildlife seems to be high on the agenda at the Hall this week, with a wide variety of creatures - great and small - making their presence known.

This little fellow made an appearance in The Gatehouse last week - he was incredibly tiny and tangled in the cobwebs on the wall by the window. A quick check on The Bat Conservation Trust website confirmed that he really shouldn't be there and he was popped in a box awaiting collection by one of their Volunteers.

At 9:00pm that night, a slightly odd assortment of people gathered around a cardboard box to see what it was that we had... a baby bat - less than a week old.

It was imperative that he was reunited with his mother and we spent over an hour scouring The Gatehouse for possible bat entrances, but unfortunately none could be found. It was decided that perhaps mother had been carrying him whilst searching for food and either abandoned him - or he had simply fallen off.

Back out in the Courtyard Nick (otherwise known as The Bat Man) set up his bat detector and we spent a further hour watching in awe as bats swooped and soared around us. He identified at least three species, including the solitary Long Eared Brown Bat. Nick is planning to return in order to identify the possible roosting sites within the Courtyard.

Another new arrival at the Hall - Hadrian's Bees. If you read the Blog on a regular basis you will already have come across Hadrian, the Hall's Dry Stone Waller. Not only is he a superbly talented waller, he is also a keen Apiarist. 

He has installed two hives of bees to the west of the Hall, positioned so that they will (hopefully) take full advantage of Spring Wood and the abundance of wildflowers that flourish there.

Lumps, Bumps, Bodies and... Bunnies!

South of the Hall, and sitting along-side the main drive, is a peculiarity of the Hall - known affectionately as The Lumps and Bumps Field. It is Scheduled as an Ancient Monument, along with the land that the Hall sits upon and all the land within the Park Pale.

The area is described as follows in the Scheduling document originally drawn up in 1977:

To the south of the current farm buildings, which lie to the immediate south of the moat, are the substantial earthwork remains of the service buildings for the medieval complex. These buildings lay within an outer court and include well defined remains of at least four buildings laying either side of a later field wall. The remains survive up to 0.5m high and include a building platform 10m by 5m surrounded by a shallow gulley some 1.5m wide. To the east of these remains are two substantial earthen banks 5m apart and up to 0.5m high which extend east for 70m then turn to extend south for 100m, and which are interpreted as the sides of a track way. The curtain wall which surrounded the outer court survives as a prominent bank along the western side of a track extending south west from the farm buildings. To the west of this wall, outside the outer court, are remains of ridge and furrow cultivation. The southern and eastern sides of the outer court are defined by the park pale but the location of the boundary on the north side is currently unknown.

Various people, at various times over the years have hazarded various guesses about the origins of these Lumps and Bumps. The general consensus - and the version told during guided tours of the Hall - is that they are the remains of the original mediaeval village that would have sprung up to support the Hall and its associated activities - such as labourers, craftsmen, farmers and the like. This possibility is also hinted at in the English Heritage Scheduling:

A park pale was the boundary around an area of land often set aside and equiped for the management and hunting of deer and other animals although farming also took place. They were generally located around or adjacent to a manor house, castle or palace. Parks could contain a number of features, including hunting lodges, a park keepers house, rabbit warrens, and enclosures for game. They were usually surrounded by a park pale, a fenced, hedged or walled boundary often on a massive bank with an internal ditch. The peak period for the laying out of parks, between AD 1200 and 1350, coincided with a time of considerable prosperity amongst the nobility. Parks were established in virtually every county in England and were a long lived and widespread monument type. Today they serve to illustrate an important aspect of the activities of medieval nobility and still exert a powerful influence on the pattern of the modern landscape. Where a park pale survives well, and is well documented or associated with other significant remains they are normally identified as nationally important. The medieval fortified house complex at Markenfield Hall survives well. The full extent of the outer court is known and earthwork remains of its enclosing wall and buildings are preserved. The associated park pale also survives well and is unusually complete. Taken together the remains demonstrate a rare survival, offering important scope for understanding the nature and functions of a medieval complex and its impact on the wider economy and landscape.

This belief was changed briefly back in 2011 when Historical Dowsers worked their way across the Courtyard, the Car Park, the One Acre Paddock and the Lumps and Bumps Field to try and identify what historical archaeological secrets could be hidden under the surface. They identified the outlines of numerous buildings within the Courtyard, and it was truly fascinating to see the outlines of buildings from days gone by begin to take shape in front of your eyes.

When the Dowsers got to the Lumps and Bumps Field however they did not find the anticipated mediaeval village - instead they identified three plague burial pits. Not exactly the "View from the Gatehouse" that a girl wants each day!!!

Then, not a year later, we were privileged to welcome historical writer Richard Almond to the Hall. He was speaking for The Friends on the subject of the Park Pale and mediaeval hunting in general. He identified the Lumps and Bumps as rabbit warrens. 

His explanation being that when rabbits were first imported to this country, they were above-ground animals used to a hot climate and that in order to survive they had to be "taught" to live underground away from snow, wind and rain. Thus it was that artificial rabbit warrens were built consisting of stone tunnels and chambers; and this is what we have here at the Hall.

I was lucky enough to meet The Muddy Archaeologist (otherwise known as Gillian Hovell) at the Ripon Local and Familiy History Fair last week and plans are under way for her to come and look at our Lumps and Bumps with a view, not only to providing a definitive answer, but to put on a lecture (or two..) about the Hall and its archaeology based on her extensive knowledge of landscape archaeology. Muddy Markenfield... it has a ring to it!

Spring Wood and beyond

Besides the Hall, and its surrounding 600 acres of farmland, the Hall also has a small woodland - situated alongside the north-west boundary of the Estate. It is not accessible to the public, as it is home to a number of rare plants and a haven for deer and other wildlife.

A recent survey of the site, carried out by the North Yorkshire County Council Department for Ecology identified 125 different species of flora and fauna within the wood.

Work to maintain, and also regenerate, the woods has been ongoing for the past three years with gulleys cleared, walls re-built and insect habitats created.

Work begins in 2011 on clearing the gulleys

One of the broken-down walls blocking the gulley

The re-built wall, courtesy of "Hadrian" the Estate's dry stone waller

 The work is ongoing, as is much of the restoration of the landscape around the Hall, and it is hoped that more species will be counted at the next survey in three years time.

20th November 1569

Tuesday 20th November saw the 443rd anniversary of The Rising of the North, the most serious of the rebellions against Elizabeth I and the end of the Markenfields of Markenfield Hall.

There are a number of annual Chapel Services at the Hall - the Requiem Mass in August, the Remembrance service in November and of course Christmas at Markenfield. Tuesday however saw the first of what is hoped will become a new annual service - a Pilgrimage to mark the Rising.

Organised by Andrew Burrell and the Catenian Society, 31 hardy souls braved the dark, damp night and gathered beneath the Gatehouse arch. The sound of Psalm 53 sounded out across the Courtyard as the procession made its way towards the Hall with lighted tapers held aloft.

It was a moving sight, and a fitting reminder of the bravery of the  men who rode out from the Courtyard all those many years ago.

40 Days and 40 Nights?

Just when you think that the sun is here to stay, we stage an Event... and down comes the rain!

I'm starting to take it personally - is someone up there trying to tell me something? Should we give up trying to entertain our faithful followers?

No of course not! Last night, despite the horrendous forecast, 60 guests enjoyed the cosy surroundings of Markenfield on an autumn night in aid of Ripon Cathedral. We obviously had someone on our side last night, as the rain held off until everyone was safely inside and enjoying the delicious homemade canapes and wine.

The Cathedral Choir put on a wonderful performance in the Great Hall, followed by The Dean talking about the Cathedral Patrons and then a talk by Ian Curteis FSA on the history of the Hall and the ongoing restoration work.

So all in all, not only were we very lucky, we were very fortunate to spend the evening in such good company.

An Evening of Champagne, Bach... and mud!

Fifty incredibly lucky people gathered at Markenfield last night for an Evening of Champagne and Bach in a simply stunning performance by Early Musicians Hazel Brooks and David Pollock - otherwise known as Duo Dorado.


As with most events at the moment, mud played quite a large part in the evening - but unlike the Great Yorkshire Show, our show went on!


The Harpsichord that Duo Dorado brought with them was a work of art in its own right. The instrument (shown left) was made in 1999 and is a replica of the 1733 Ruckers-Hemsch held in the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands Park. Transporting the priceless instrument up the stairs to the Great Hall posed challenges, but once there it looked instantly at home. We did actually offer to keep it here and look after it for them... but strangely they declined!

It is identical - down to the individual brush-strokes of the painting - to the original, and decorated with gold leaf. The sound that it produced is unmistakable and to hear it fill the Great Hall was a joyous experience of all present.


So, after pink Champagne in the Undercroft the audience made their way up the stairs to the Great Hall. The Duo were kindly introduced by Roger Chapman and then the magic really began.

Playing a selection of pieces by Bach, including the much loved Well-Tempered Clavier, Baroque Violinist Hazel kept the audience entertained with anecdotes from the life of Bach. 


During the interval David kindly showed the audience around the Harpsichord, allowing them to take a closer look at the intricate paintings that adorn it and answering the many questions that the audience had.




We sincerely hope that we will be able to welcome them back to the Hall in the future as they were an absolute delight.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Ok, so the drive to Markenfield is not made of yellow brick - nor is it paved in gold - or any other colourful quotation... in fact it is quite often paved in good old mud, but the fields either side are simply stunning at the moment. Ah ha - Fields of Gold!

It is a joy to be able to drive past views like this every day in the beautiful sunshine that we have been having this week.


There are some Markenfield residents who are none too happy about the heat though...

The cows have taken to the shade of the avenue of trees on the drive.