All Saints Church, Thornton-le-Dale

All Saints is the Church of England parish church of Thornton-le-Dale. Historic England lists it at Grade II* (list entry 1241098, listed 10 November 1953), the middle of the three listing grades, for buildings of more than special interest. It stands on a hill beside the A170 Pickering to Scarborough road, overlooking the village. For the village around it, see things to see in Thornton-le-Dale; for the long view, read the history of Thornton-le-Dale.

Historic England dates the church to the 14th century (nave, chancel and tower), with the arcades and chancel arch added in the 15th. The Victoria County History of the North Riding (1923) says the church was rebuilt in the early 14th century and that the tower came late in that century. A round font of the 12th or 13th century suggests an earlier church on the site (see our history page).

The Victorians left their mark. In 1865 to 1866 the architect Edward Wyndham Tarn rebuilt the chancel and vestry, restored the nave and replaced every window. The south porch was added in 1900. So the chancel is largely a Victorian rebuild, while the nave and tower are medieval.

• The tower. A four-stage west tower with buttresses, a battlemented parapet and crocketed pinnacles. Its clock is the village's First World War memorial: it was dedicated in November 1920 as a thank-offering for peace and paid for by public subscription (War Memorials Online).
• The fabric. A stone-flagged roof, a nave with north and south arcades, and a gabled south porch (dated 1900).
• The setting. The church stands on raised ground above the road, with steps up from road level to the entrance.

• The tomb niche. In the north wall of the chancel is a 14th-century canopied recess holding the figure of a woman with a dog at her feet. Historic England says the armorial shields beside her suggest she may be Lady Beatrice Hastings. Our history page, following the Victoria County History, mentions the shields of the St Quintin and Conyers families. Nobody can say for certain who she is.
• Piscina and sedilia. A 14th-century piscina (a small basin for washing the communion vessels) and restored sedilia (seats for the clergy) in the south wall of the chancel.
• Arcades. Double-chamfered pointed arcades and a tall, narrow tower arch.
• Memorials. Historic England records a detached urn on a carved pedestal to John Hill (died 1773), made by Fisher of York; a wall tablet to Richard Johnson Hill (died 1793); and brass tablets to John Porter (died 1686), Jane Porter (died 1705) and Thomas Mason and his wife (both died 1744). The Hills were lords of the manor of Thornton for over 250 years, and lived at Thornton Hall opposite.
• Glass. Every window was renewed in 1865 to 1866. A GENUKI transcription of an 1890 directory says five stained glass memorial windows were inserted in the church after the restoration. Two windows are recorded on Geograph: The Presentation, designed by Henry Holiday and made by Powell's in 1897 in memory of John Richard Hill, and a window showing the miracles of Jesus, in memory of Lucy Heslop, from 1860.

Local tradition links a notorious knight, Sir Richard Cholmley of Roxby, with All Saints. Here is what can be said, kept apart from what cannot.

What is recorded. Sir Richard Cholmley of Roxby (about 1516 to 17 May 1583) was knighted in 1544 and sat as MP for Yorkshire in 1558 (The Peerage). He was known as "the great black knight of the north", a title that an 1890 directory text on GENUKI explains in two ways: one writer called him that because of his swarthy complexion, while another (Burke) gave the title to his father, Sir Roger.

What is tradition. Several local sources say he is buried at Thornton-le-Dale, but they do not agree on the spot. The Visit Thornton Dale village history places him in the chancel, beside a recessed monument with a figure believed to be his wife. The GENUKI text says he "was interred in Thornton church, wherein is an old monument with a recumbent figure, supposed to be his wife's". It gives his death as 1578, not 1583, and a knighthood date of 1644 that is plainly a misprint for 1544. A Yorkshire Moors gazetteer lists his grave among the notable graves in the churchyard.

What does not fit. Historic England's listing describes a 14th-century tomb niche with a woman and a dog, mentions no Cholmley, and dates the niche well before his lifetime, so the figure cannot be his wife. We have found no burial register entry or monument inscription naming him, and the sources differ on his year of death (1583 in The Peerage, 1578 in the 1890 directory). Treat it as a local legend, not a confirmed fact, and a pleasing one.

The churchyard stands on raised ground above the road. Two local sources (Visit Thornton Dale and a yorkshiremoors.co.uk gazetteer) mention a memorial to a soldier, Matthew Grimes (died 1875), said to have served as one of Napoleon's guards on St Helena. As on every page of this guide, please treat the churchyard with respect: it is a place of burial and quiet.

All Saints belongs to the Church of England Diocese of York. It is one of a group of local churches that includes St Hilda's, Ellerburn; the local Visit Thornton Dale site says the group has five churches. A Church Near You lists the group as the Benefice of Moor and Dale, which has its own website at mooranddale.church. St Hilda's is described as the mother church.

• Opening. A Church Near You gives the church as open from 10am to 4pm every day, and Visit Thornton Dale says it is open during daylight hours, with visitors welcome to look round and pray. It is a working church, so access can change for services, weddings and funerals. Check locally before a special trip.
• Service times. Please check before travelling. See the Moor and Dale benefice website, the church listing on A Church Near You, or the notice board in the porch.
• Where. The church is on the hill beside the A170 as it passes through the village. Sources give slightly different street names, so ask locally or use the main road as your guide.
• Parking and access. See parking for the village car parks. A Church Near You lists a ramp, an accessible toilet, a hearing loop, large print and guidebooks, and says assistance dogs are welcome. Our general accessibility guide covers the rest of the village.
• Respect. Quiet voices, no photographing worshippers, and check whether dogs other than assistance dogs are welcome before you bring one in.

The church stands on a rise at the eastern end of the village (Yorkshire Moors gazetteer), by the A170. Thornton Hall, home of the Hills, stands opposite. Nearby in the village are Lady Lumley's almshouses. The sister church, St Hilda's at Ellerburn, lies outside the village; see the Ellerburn circular walk for the route on foot.