Little Driffield: Where quiet historic charm meets a legacy of saints, soldiers, and surprising fundraisers

Today, the village of Little Driffield is a quiet rural community with a small number of local businesses, including a pub and a few farms.

However, its tranquil atmosphere hides a rich past that spans centuries, from its early Anglo-Saxon roots to its important role in religious history.

Little Driffield is most notable for its connection to St. John of Beverley, one of the most revered saints of Anglo-Saxon England. St. John, a prominent bishop who served in both Hexham and York, is said to have died here in 721 AD, and the village proudly commemorates him with St. Mary’s Church.

The church, which dates back to the 12th century, is a testament to the village’s long standing spiritual significance.

Though modified over the centuries, it retains Norman elements and is believed to be built on the site of earlier ecclesiastical structures, possibly even where St. John himself was laid to rest.

Little Driffield’s mediaeval importance is also reflected in its mention in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The village was recorded as having a mill and considerable arable land, illustrating its role in the agrarian economy of the time.

Agriculture remained central to the village’s identity throughout the centuries, closely linked to the nearby town of Great Driffield, which became known as the “Capital of the Wolds” due to its prominence in the sheep and wool trade.

While often overshadowed by its larger neighbour, Little Driffield’s quiet charm and deep historical roots make it an integral part of the region’s story.

More recently Driffield has made it on to the map when a group of women, mostly in their 60s and older, had been exploring ways to raise money for charity through their groups Driffield’s Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club (AFVBC) and the Driffield & District Royal British Legion (RBL).

What started with a joke outside a club, as these things do, led to the eight veterans from posing naked in a charity calendar with only military-themed memorabilia to conceal their modesty.

Julie Petre, who came up with the idea with her friend, told The Yorkshire Post didn’t want to do something that everyone does “like the three peaks.”