The church at Settrington is thought to date back to the 13th century, though some
Norman remnants are contained within the church, however no mention is made in the
Domesday Book of there being a place of worship at Settrington. A parson named only as
Angot was recorded for the village between 1132 and 1137, and it is known that the village had a vicarage and a rectory, which were combined by
Archbishop Gray in April 1248, so a place of worship at that date must have existed, with most of the church's current structure being able to be dated to the 13th century. A the time of the
Norman Conquest, the manor and church for the parish were located at
Buckton. The Norman lord who came to own the area around Settrington post 1086 built a church and a vicarage, and the church at Buckton which was mentioned in
Domesday was abandoned, but the rectory or vicarage remained, and was grouped together with that at Settrington, with
the living at Buckton becoming a
sinecure.
Pevsner ascribes the bulk of the church to the 13th century and describes it as "..a large church with a Perpendicular west tower." The rest of the church is largely in the
Perpendicular style except the south doorway which is
Norman Transition in its style. Early descriptions of the tower detail it as having a steeple, though some have doubted that the tower ever did have a steeple. However, in 1723, a meeting held between the churchwardens, the clerk, curate and the Archdeacon of East Riding about the upkeep of the church required the church staff to carry out such duties as "...the ash tree growing upon the church porch to be stubbed up by the roots, as also the tree growing out of the steeple.." The tower is square, set in three stages of grey stone and is embattled. Glynne visited the church in 1842 and describes the steeple being similar to the steeple at
Pickering. The font dates to the 13th century and has a dwarf column at each angle. One of the panes of stained glass in the east window dates back to the 14th/15th centuries. The west window also has stained glass within it. The church was occasionally known as
All Hallows, an alternative name for the feast of All Saints. A second renovation was planned for 1861, but remained unexecuted, but between 1867 and 1868, a second design was undertaken by
John Loughborough Pearson where the chancel was rebuilt and a new herringbone roof was installed. In 1872, the wall at the east end was painted in
encaustic to a design by Knowles of York. A new clock was erected in 1903 as a memorial to the recently deceased Lady Julia Middleton. The clock was made by W. Potts & Sons of Leeds.
Archdeacon Long is buried in the churchyard. Raph Tompson (or Thompson), one of
Queen Elizabeth I's doctors is buried at Settrington church; he took over from Matthew Hutton. There is one Commonwealth War Grave in the churchyard. == Clergy ==