Ever wondered what the difference is between Old Malton and ‘new’ Malton? Here Howard Campion offers an explanation.
UP to a century ago it was commonplace to see both ‘Maltons’ marked on maps.
This no longer happens but both do still retain their original character – one, essentially still a village on a through road (Town Street), the other, a market town with (comparatively) more economic activity.
Old Malton has an important and unique building, the Priory Church of St Mary.
It is unique because it is the only remaining active formerly Gilbertine Priory.
However, its appearance does suggest that some of it is missing – which is the case.
Its present image must be compared with an assumed illustration of it during its heyday.
At the time, it must have been an extremely important factor in the local area’s employment profile, considering the woman/manpower needed to keep it going as a day-to-day basis.
It seems that Old Malton suffered from political issues during early Mediaeval times and parts of it were destroyed by fire in the 1100s.
The new borough was developed ‘down the road’ near to the already existing Malton Castle and the existing crossroads that had been there since Roman times.
Read more articles by Howard Campion:
- Looking back at Malton and Norton during the Second World War
- A look back at the Royal past of a road in Malton
- Looking back at underground watercourses in Malton and Norton
To avoid Old Malton’s fate, a defensive wall was built around this new venture.
Castlegate and Low Street were excluded possibly because there already was a Castle Wall nearby anyway.
Newbiggin was also excluded – it might have been a separate settlement at the time and it did have its own Back Lane too (Wentworth Street).
It has been suggested that New Malton’s ‘village green’ was originally based around ‘Green’gate. Its name is certainly appropriate as is the proximity of its Parish church (St Leonard’s was actually a Chapel of Ease to the Old Malton Priory).
New Malton changed over the following centuries into what we see today. And this account is a simplification of what most probably happened in the years preceding its development.
- Howard Campion is a trustee at the Malton and Norton Heritage Centre
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