BARTON-le-STREET is a village that has not exactly grown with the times. Nearly 1,000 years ago, it is recorded in the Domesday Book as Bartun, old English for barley farm (the ‘le Street’ was not added until hundreds of years later).

The population back then was less than 200: about the same as today. Some things never change, as the Bishop of Selby, Martin Wallace says.

Since becoming bishop and moving into Barton in 2003, Bishop Martin has dedicated himself to researching the village’s history. The result is an entertaining book of just under 80 pages, entitled In Good Company.

Half the book consists of a lively and informative text covering more than 1,000 years of the village’s history. The remaining half consists of more than 90 fascinating photographs, giving a glimpse into life in the village over the last 100 years or so.

There are many interesting snippets in Bishop Martin’s book. We learn about Gertrude, daughter of Fulke Paynell, the “tenant-in-chief” or Lord of the Manor of the village, who went abroad to fight on the side of the French against King John (he of Robin Hood fame). In 1205, the King repaid her treachery by stripping her of her lands.

The 14th century was particularly hard for the villagers. In 1308, a band of Scots loyal to Robert The Bruce, king of Scotland, ravaged the village, “probably destroying both families and their farmland”, the Bishop notes. Just 40 years later, and following further Scots incursions, the Black Death reached Barton and “killed nearly all the remaining villagers, themselves probably weak and exhausted as this scourge swept across the countryside”.

Bishop Martin describes the village’s resident witch, who lived at the foot of the hill in the village. “She would cast a spell on the waggoners and their team as they passed through, and the horses would apparently often stop in their tracks and refuse to go any further.”

And there is also an account of the Barton Cavalry, the “Home Guard” formed by Colonel Sir Isaac Leetham of the Manor House, in 1803, in the time of the Napoleonic wars. The Colonel’s son commanded the 52-strong force “a huge number of men considering the total population of the village was only 170”, the Bishop notes.

The 20th century brought new wars, and the formation of another Home Guard. There is a lovely description in the book of the village bracing itself for the Second World War, but managing to get on with everyday life at the same time. “At the edge of the village on the corner of the road to Butterwick, a hole in the wall was created to provide cover for a gun and sentry. Prisoners of war from nearby Eden Camp worked on some of the local farms.

On a lighter note, the soldiers enjoyed dances and football matches with the villagers and on the green near Manor Farm the village men played quoits using an iron post hammered into the ground.”

What many will particularly enjoy this book for, however, is its wealth of old photos. We have room for only a handful, here. But we hope they give at least a taste of what is on offer in the book itself.


* In Good Company: a history of the village of Barton-le-Street by Martin Wallace, is published by Barton parochial church council. It is available, priced £4 including p&p, from the Bishop’s House, Barton le Street, Malton YO17 6PL.