The history of East Cowton is tied up by land ownership with that of South Cowton and to a lesser extent North Cowton. The whole area to the south of East Cowton was badly drained and mainly a lake until more recent times.
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Cowton
Castle and St.Mary's Church (see Churches) were commenced by Christopher
Conyers and completed by Sir Richard Conyers about 1470. The Castle, a
fortified manor house built at the time of the Wars of the Roses, is
located between Atley Fields farm and Pepper Arden, and can easily be
seen from the road at Atley Hill. Today B & B Pat Clark 01325
378272.
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The name of Temple House farm, nearer the village, refers to the Knights Templar who were a religious and military sect and were once landlords. Local deserted villages exist at South Cowton and Atley Hill, the site of what was called Atley Cowton.
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Arden Hall was built in 1742 by Prescott Pepper, a local farmer and
landlord, as a country house and remodelled in 1870 by Henry Hood, a
Victorian Ironmaster. He included the ornate water tower landmark that
we see towering over the trees close to the house.
A very rural existence continued in the village until the arrival of the railway and the construction of East Cowton Station in 1841. |
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The Scots invaded more recently and liked the place so much they decided to stay -and some are still here!
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Many
old village houses have been replaced with more modern constructions,
but the village still retains many cottages and its essential rural
charm.
A 90 page "Brief History of the Cowtons" is available, published by the Cowtons' History Group, including extensive records of titles and land ownership, costing five pounds + postage, it is great value, request here. |