In 1227, part of the lands were granted to Richard of Cornwall and then to Peter de Brus, lord of Skelton.

The manor was further split into mesne lordships, of which Roald of Richmond held one in 1286 and which then followed the descent of the Scropes of Bolton.

In 1579 this line too ended and the land passed to John Ward whose descendants via marriages included the Dodsworth and Killinghall families until 1762.

The remaining mesne lordship was held Raplh, son of Ranulph of Richmond in 1268 and passed eventually to the Wandesford family and finally to the Dodsworths[3][4] The etymology of the name of the village is derived from the Old English phrase bere-tūn, initially meaning barley farm, but later came to mean a demesne farm or outlying grange.

[8] The village lies 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the old Roman road of Dere Street.

Barton Beck flows north through the centre of the village creating a ford across Mary Gate.

It joins Clow Beck on the north side of the nearby A1(M) and is part of the tributary system of the River Tees.

[12] Pupils would then receive secondary education at Richmond School and Sixth Form College.

[13] There is a public house and a local village store incorporating a post office.