A 13th-century wooden church dedicated to St Michael was rebuilt in sandstone in the 14th century by monks of the Trinitarian Order from Knaresborough Priory.

The church stands on Main Street in the historic core of the village of Pannal, at about 85 metres above sea level.

[3] The church stands opposite Pannal Hall, which from 1724 was the seat of the Bentley family: landowners whose memorials line the walls of the chancel.

de Santo Martino resigned the ministry of Pannal, and when the village was also called Rosehurst.

They belonged to the Trinitarian Order of St Robert of Knaresborough, and it may have been this event which inspired the rededication of the church.

[6] There are parish register transcripts for Pannal, dating from the 16th century onwards, at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.

[2][8] The church was listed as Grade II*, number 1149449, on 18 July 1949 on the grounds that the tower and chancel constitute a medieval element of the dressed and coursed sandstone structure.

The chancel is lower and narrower than the nave, and was built in the 14th century, the east window tracery dates from 1350.

During the ministry of William Raper and after becoming derelict, the nave was rebuilt in 1772 with Georgian elements in the churchwarden style, including "rounded Georgian windows with amber glass, a plaster ceiling with a decorated cornice, box pews and a three-decker pulpit (all now gone).

[5] The same section was remodelled again in 1929 when the ceiling and some oak roof beams were replaced, and electric light installed.

[15] On the south side a porch and choir vestry were added in 1952, the glazed and polygonal chapter house was built in 1977 and the parish meeting rooms and kitchen in 1988 or 1999.

The interior chambers of the tower appear tiny because of the space taken by the spiral staircase inside its south wall.

The church's ribbed west door, in a "segmental-pointed" arch with "broad chamfer" is in the lower exterior stage.

[5][8][18] It is a small window in the point of an arch, showing a coat of arms with two oaks above a red and blue Trinitarian cross.

[19] On the south-west and north-west buttresses of the tower are ancient and almost-illegible carvings about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across, and about 3 feet (0.91 m) from the ground.

At first sight the carvings appear to be Tudor roses or the fleurs-de-lis used by English monarchs from the 14th to 18th century, but the raised "petals" may be the gaps between the curved arms of the deeply engraved cross.

[11] The "tie-beam roof on corbelled brackets, with cusped arcading over the beams" of the nave has been rebuilt and remodelled several times, but may perhaps be mainly attributed to the 19th century works.

[17] English Heritage describes the fixtures in the nave and chancel as follows:[11] The font, probably of 1772, is of polished marble and of unusual oval shape.

The church leaflet mentions legends of its origin in Fountains Abbey or in a mansion where the font was once a wine cooler.

It contains three floors, a very narrow stone spiral staircase on the south side, and a roof area with a trapdoor.

The gateposts leading from the car-park to the churchyard were once reputedly the posts for the original village stocks, which have been replaced with a replica.

[5][22] The churchyard was enlarged by half an acre on the south side with land given by Eliza Bentley in 1868.

[6] Near the south entrance there is an old sundial-base, which once said, "PB 1675, Redime Tempus", referring to St Paul in Ephesians V.16: "redeeming the time, because the days are evil".

The first in 1271 was William de Sancto Martino, listed as Monsigneur Martyn of St Clements Priory.

[26] The same Reverend Lister Simondson was "instituted vicar on the presentation of the king" George II in 1745.

From 1980 onwards, Pannal and Beckwithshaw churches operated as a joint benefice, sharing one vicar.

[30][31][32][33] The patrons of the church are: the Bishop of Leeds Nicholas Baines, Peache Trustees; jointly.

As of 2018 the vicar is the Reverend John Smith, previously curate of Holy Trinity Church, Idle, in the former Diocese of Bradford - now Leeds.

[17] The church hall hosts local events, including the annual beer festival in the chapter house.

[45] In March 2013 there was a Red Nose Day tea in the chapter house, and local people played pranks, wearing their children's school uniform.