One of the most complete little Norman churches in Yorkshire is to be seen at Salton, a village about six miles south-west of Pickering.  It appears to have been built at the beginning of the twelfth century, and afterwards to have suffered from fire, parts of the walls by their redness showing traces of having been burnt.  A very thorough restoration has given the building a rather new aspect, but this does not detract from the interest of the church.  The chancel arch is richly ornamented with two patterns of zig-zag work, the south door of the nave has a peculiar decoration of double beak-heads, and though some of the early windows have been replaced by lancets, a few of the Norman slits remain.

[Illustration:  The South Doorway of the Norman Church of Salton.  It is ornamented with very curious double beak-heads.  In the upper corners are given two of the curious corbels on the south side of the nave.]

[Illustration:  Curious Ornament in the Norman Chancel Arch at Ellerburne.  The crude carving suggests Saxon work, and it was possibly the production of Saxon masons under Norman supervision.]

Middleton church has already been mentioned as containing what appears to be a Saxon doorway in the tower.  This may have been saved from an earlier building together with the lower part of the tower, but if it did not come into existence before the conquest the tower and nave were built in early Norman times.  The south arcade probably belongs to the latest phase of Transitional Norman architecture, if not the commencement of the early English period.  Running along the west and north walls of the north aisle is a stone bench, an unusual feature even in Norman churches.

Ellerburne church has some very interesting Norman work in the chancel arch.  The ornament is so crude that it would seem as though very primitive Saxon workmen had been working under Norman influence, for, while the masonry is plainly of the Norman period, the ornament appears to belong to an earlier time.  There must have been a church at Normanby at this period, for the south door of the present building is Norman.  Sinnington church also belongs to this time.  The Norman chancel arch was taken down many years ago, but the stones having been preserved in the church it was found possible to replace them in their original position at the Restoration in 1904.  There are remains of three doorways including the blocked one at the west end.  The south doorway is Transitional Norman, and is supposed to have been added about 1180.  The porch and present chancel belong to the thirteenth century, but during the Restoration some interesting relics of the earlier Norman chancel were discovered in the walls of the fabric that replaced it.  A small stone coffin containing human remains with several wild boars’ tusks and a silver wire ring was found in the nave.

[Illustration:  The Transitional Norman Crypt under the Chancel of Lastingham Church.  It is a complete little underground church, having nave, apse, and aisles.]