The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Cattun. The head of the manor is noted as Gilling and lands before the Norman conquest belonged to Earl Edwin and Ulf. After 1086 the lands were granted to Count Alan of Brittany, with a small allocation to Godric, the steward and an unnamed individual. The manor became a mesnelordship and was granted to Adam de Mounchesny during the reign of Henry III. This passed to the Fitz Alan family around 1260 until the early 15th century when they were the possession of John Brough. His direct line of inheritance ceased around 1558 with the death of Sir Ralph Bulmer. Thereafter the descent followed that of the other Cowton manors nearby. The last confirmed lord of the manor was the Earl of Tyrconnel and thence possibly his cousin Walter Cecil Talbot. The etymology of the village name is a combination of the Old English words of cū and tūn meaning Cow farm. The East is to distinguish it from other Cowtons in the area. The village was previously known as "Long Cowton" and before that "Magna Cowton". On 22 August 1138 the English armies defeated the Scottish at nearby Cowton Moor in the Battle of the Standard. The fields behind Holywell Lane are perhaps the burial grounds for the Scottish; the medieval name for the area was "Scotch Graves". The name of a local public footpath called Cramble Cross is thought to derive from a cross marking the last stand of the Scottish soldiers. Nearly two centuries later, the Scottish had their revenge on North Cowton, raiding it regularly in the early 14th century and burning it to the ground in 1318. The disbanded Eryholme-Richmond branch line passed nearby with a former railway station at Moulton End, around ¼ of a mile from North Cowton. The line was opened in 1846 by the York and Newcastle Railway Company. At one time 13 trains a day passed through Moulton End railway station in each direction. The line was closed in 1969. The old station house, station cottage and railway bridge are Grade II listed buildings.
According to the 2001 UK Census, the parish was 50.4% male and 49.6% female of the total population of 550. The religious make-up was 84.5% Christian with the rest stating no religion. The ethnic distribution was 100% White. There were 216 dwellings.
2011 Census
According to the 2011 UK Census, the parish had a total population of 503 with 50.3% male and 49.7% female. The religious make-up was 68.4% Christian with the rest stating no religion. The ethnic distribution was 99.8% White with a small Mixed Ethnic minority. There were 223 dwellings.
Community
The local school is North and South Cowton Community Primary School which has around 40 pupils split between two sites. It is within the catchment area of Richmond School and Sixth Form College for secondary education, to the age of eighteen. The village public house is the Blacksmiths Arms. There is also a village hall, football pitch, children's playground, bus stop, war memorial, public telephone box and a postbox. A petrol station/shop is just outside the village on the B1263 road. The village is served by a bus service which runs between Darlington and Northallerton. There are a number of public footpaths and bridleways, including Cramble Cross.
Religion
There are two churches, St Luke's Church of England and the Methodist Chapel. The chapel was built in 1827 and restored in 1881. St Luke's was built as a pastoral centre in 1968 and consecrated as the parish church on 21 October 1990.
