In the twelfth century the area was controlled by a French knight, Walter L’Espec. In 1120 his son was killed in a riding accident at the corner of the road to Firby. The father erected a simple cross in memory of his son, and then went on to create the priory of Augustinian or Black Canons between 1122 and 1130. The first cross eventually got separated from its base and subsequently disappeared. The base, now to be found at the entrance to the car park, has a small depression where the cross stood. It became mistaken for a stone trough, and the property standing here took its name from this – Stone Trough Cottage. In April 1982, planning permission and a promise to restore the cottage to its original state, resulted in the conversion to The Stone Trough Inn which opened in August 1983.