The ecclesiastical history of Ramsgill goes back to the Norman Conquest, when land in the area was given to the de Mowbray family by William I. Robert de Mowbray ceded land to the Abbey of Byland and to Fountain's Abbey. Indeed, in time, the whole of the upper end of the valley was in monastic hands - Stonebeck Up and Stonebeck Down owned by Byland and Dacre, Bewerley and Fountain's Earth by Fountain's.
Ramsgill was the site of a monastic grange, a farm manned by lay brothers and the east gable wall of the grange chapel can be found behind the modern church. The rest of the chapel, stretching out to 45ft in length and 18ft. in breadth, was demolished to make way for the new church
At the Dissolution in 1540, all monastic land passed to the Crown. Ramsgill land was initially rented out, but within a short period the lands were owned by John Yorke and they remained a principal family in the Dale until the last century.
The church in Ramsgill dates to 1841, when the decision was taken to build and construction began in 1842, when John Yorke - not the same one! - laid the foundation stone. The dedication to St. Mary echoes the monastic history, as all Cistercian houses were dedicated to her.
In 1992, the 150th anniversary of the church, a very helpful history of the church and village was written by Eileen Crabtree. This highlights the many interesting features of the village.
