GCSE Coursework: History Around Us - eRiding

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History Around Us – The deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy2. Using a ChecklistYou could begin by gathering together a checklist of the typical features of the type of site/building youare investigating. You can use this to cross-reference these general features with the evidence from thesite you are visiting. For example if you coursework involved a study of how far Wharram Percyrepresents a typical medieval village you could construct a chart similar to the one shown below:A typical medieval village has• A mill to grind corn and othercereals grown in the village• A stone church with agraveyardEvidence from Wharram Percy• Wharram Percy had a water mill until the 13 th century. Youcould consider how typical water mills were in medievalvillages.• A small stone church was built in the village in Saxon times.The church was rebuilt in 12 th century and it was made muchlarger, as the builders added a west tower and an apse at theeast end. During the 15 th century the builders made thechancel longer and added a south aisle chapel. The buildingwas re-roofed and the top of the tower was changed. Thechurch fell into disuse by the early 20 th century. Part of thetower collapsed and the roof was removed in 1959. Thegraveyard was in use from 8 th to the early 20 th century.• A stone manor house • Wharram Percy had two manor houses, the North and SouthManor. The South Manor buildings were dismantled in the 13 thcentury.• Open fields • Open fields surround Wharram Percy, and there is evidence ofstrip farming having taken place.• Peasant houses made of mud,wood and thatch,approximately 10m x 5m insize.• Foundations of the houses were made from chalk rubblequarried from within the village area. The walls and roof wereconstructed from curved tree trunks (the peasant houses werecruck framed houses). The walls were constructed from wattleand daub. Peasant houses had a thatched roof. Housesvaried in size. Each house had a garden.• A pond • Wharram Percy has a pond that was created by damming thebeck. During the 13 th century it was stocked with fish.4© eRiding 2004
History Around Us – The deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy3. Setting Coursework TasksA study of Wharram Percy would allow your teacher to set tasks that fulfil many of the areas suggested inthe coursework guidance provided by the exam boards. A study of Wharram Percy would allow you tostudy the site in the context of one of the following suggested areas:• Prehistoric Britain – it would be possible to look at the evidence of early settlement at the site inthe context of prehistoric Britain (the time before written records began). This could lead you toinvestigate how typical Wharram Percy is as evidence of a prehistoric settlement.• Roman Britain – there were at least five farms in the valley in the Roman period and fragments ofwindow glass found on the North Manor site suggest that there was a Roman villa nearby. Theaerial photographs of the area also show the remains of a 1 st century AD farm.• Castles and fortified houses, 1066-1550 – the coursework tasks could focus on an investigationof the North and South Manor houses in the context of how typical they are as examples offortified medieval manor houses.• Church buildings and furnishing, 1066-1550 – St Martin’s Church and its graveyard haveundergone extensive investigation and would provide a useful focus for coursework tasks as thesite provides evidence of change between 1000 and 1910.• Studies in the making of the rural landscape – a study of Wharram Percy would provide evidenceof the changes that occurred as a result of the shift from arable to sheep farming in the latemiddle ages. The site has a long history of agricultural occupation from 700 BC to the 20 thcentury and it would be possible to investigate how far these changes reflect the pattern ofagricultural development in the Wolds and in Britain as a whole.• Aspects of the historical development of the locality – a study of Wharram Percy in the context ofthe development of settlement in the Wolds. It would be possible to consider why Wharram Percywas abandoned, when the neighbouring village of Thixendale continues to survive.5© eRiding 2004
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GCSE Coursework: History Around Us - eRiding

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