The Grenadier apple was first recorded in 1862 and quickly became one of the most widely grown cooking apples in both commercial orchards and gardens before being overtaken by the Bramley. It is a hardy apple that will succeed in difficult conditions with some resistance to both scab and canker and was widely planted in the north of England for that reason. The fruits are tangy and juicy and good for both baking and pies. It ripens early with a picking time of mid-September in the Kirkbymoorside area.

The parent tree was found growing on the burgage plot behind an old cottage on West End. The concept of burgage plots dates from mediaeval times and they are defined as a long narrow plot of land running at right angles from the street frontage in a town. The old houses along West End and Piercy End in Kirkbymoorside were built with these ‘burgage plots’ behind and they provided a means for the householder to grow food for themselves and supplement their income. Over the years some of these plots have been sub divided or sold off but much of the original pattern can still be seen in the conservation area.