Welcome to St Mary's Priory Church

St Mary's Safeguarding Info

old-malton

Old Malton is a delightful village midway between York and Scarborough. Quaint cottages are to be found on both sides of the main road as you drive through the village. Two traditional pubs, the Royal Oak and The Wentworth Arms offer excellent hosptality but the gem of the community is the medieval priory church (St Mary’s) at the west end of the village.

The choice of this site for a church was probably largely dictated by nearby quarries for suitable stone, while the name Ladyspring Wood, given to nearby woodland, implies that the artesian springs, still welling up there just by the river, were possibly a pre-existing sacred site.

Although set in the village of Old Malton, St Mary’s is the parish church of a community much larger than the village itself and includes most of the housing and business linking Old Malton with the town of Malton. Malton Community Primary School on Highfield Rd is thus in the parish of Old Malton.

Many families in the area have strong ties with St Mary’s as a result of baptisms, weddings and funerals of family members which have taken place at this fine parish church.

The present church is all that remains of a priory of the Gilbertine Order, the only fully English monastic order, founded by Gilbert of Sempringham in about 1131.

You are welcome to visit at any time and we’d love to welcome you to worship with us.