The local vernacular building style is sandstone and cobble construction with slate or pantile roof.

The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book as having 30 ploughlands and belonging to Count Alan of Brittany.

[5] The township became a separate civil parish in 1866,[6] and in 1974 was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire.

[7] Rainton continues to host Christmas parties for local children, lunches for retired people, and other social events including a gardening club.

[1] In 2015, North Yorkshire County Council estimated that the population had fallen slightly to 440.