Grinton never developed past village status, but its noted crossing point of the River Swale afforded it more importance than other settlements.

The church is notable for having a chained bible, a Jacobean pulpit with sounding board, and a hagioscope in the south wall.

[5][6] Originally, the church was staffed by the Augustinian monks, when it was referred to as Ecclesia de Swaledala,[7] but in the late 13th century, a vicar was appointed to be the parish priest.

[10] Pevsner called St Andrews a "low, grey, spreading Perpendicular church", whilst acknowledging that it contained the original Norman architecture and also Decorated stylings too.

[15][note 2] The nave has a Jacobean pulpit, which was fitted with a sounding board in 1718 allowing for increase audibility.

[21] The porch has grooves in its stonework which are thought to have been cut by men who were waiting for the lords to finish their church service before going out hunting.

[25] At the same time, the bells were recast, the tower received a new clock,[26] and the Norman font was returned to the church.

When the people of the upper dale (around Muker and Keld) wanted relatives burying, they had to carry the coffin the 12 miles (19 km) down to Grinton.

This practice ended in 1580 when a new church was built in Muker (St Mary's) which had consecrated ground.

[31][32] As St Andrew's was the focal church in Upper Swaledale and a point of interest, it became known as The Cathedral of the Dales, a name that it is still referred to in modern times.

A supposed edict by Henry VIII, ordered churches to have one chained bible on show, though there are instances of this happening before The Reformation.