Knaresborough
Coordinates: 54°00′30″N 1°28′01″W / 54.0084°N 1.467°W
| Knaresborough | |
 View of the River Nidd from the ruins of Knaresborough Castle |
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 Knaresborough
Knaresborough shown within North Yorkshire |
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| Population | 14,740 |
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| OS grid reference | SE350570 |
| District | Harrogate |
| Shire county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KNARESBOROUGH |
| Postcode district | HG5 |
| Dialling code | 01423 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Harrogate and Knaresborough |
Knaresborough (/nɛərzbᵊrə/) is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.
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History [edit]
Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book[1] as Chednaresburg or Chenaresburg. Knaresborough Castle dates from Norman times;[2] around 1100, the town began to grow and provide a market and attract traders to service the castle. The present parish church, St John's, was established around this time. The earliest name for a Lord of Knaresborough is from around 1115 when Serlo de Burgh held the 'Honour of Knaresborough' from the King.[3]
Hugh de Morville was granted the Honour of Knaresborough in 1158. He was constable of Knaresborough and leader of the group of four knights who murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170. The four knights fled to Knaresborough and hid at the castle. Hugh de Morville forfeited the lands in 1173, not for his implication in the murder of Thomas Becket, but for "complicity in the rebellion of young Henry", according to the Early Yorkshire Charters.
The Honour of Knaresborough then passed to the Stuteville family. When the Stuteville line was broken with the death of Robert de Stuteville the 4th in 1205, King John effectively took the Honour of Knaresborough for himself.[4] The first Maundy Money was distributed in Knaresborough by King John on 15 April 1210.[5][6] Knaresborough Forest, which extended far to the south of the town, is reputed to have been one of King John's favourite hunting grounds.
Although a market was first mentioned in 1206, the town was not granted a Royal Charter to hold a market until 1310, by Edward II. A market is still held every Wednesday in the market square. During Edward II's reign, the castle was occupied by rebels and the curtain walls were breached by a siege engine. Later, Scots invaders burned much of the town and the parish church. In 1328, as part of the marriage settlement, Queen Philippa was granted "the Castle, Town, Forest and Honour of Knaresborough" by Edward III and the parish church was restored. After her death in 1369, the Honour was granted by Edward to their younger son, John of Gaunt.
During the Civil War, following the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, the castle was besieged by Parliamentary forces. The castle eventually fell and in 1646 an order was made by Parliament for its destruction (but not carried out till 1648). The destruction was mainly done by citizens looting the stone. Many town centre buildings are built of 'castle stone'.
Knaresborough House on the High Street is the home of Knaresborough Town Council and of The Yorkshire Federation Of Young Farmers Clubs.[7]
Public open spaces [edit]
The principal areas of public open space in the town are the Knaresborough Castle grounds, Horseshoe Field, the King George V Playing Field and Jacob Smith Park, a 30 acres (12 ha) parkland on the edge of the town bequeathed to Knaresborough by Miss Winifred Jacob Smith in 2003.[8]
Near to the castle are Bebra Gardens, formerly the Moat Gardens, renamed after Knaresborough's twin town in Germany. There is a current project to revamp them.[9]
Religion [edit]
The Bishop of Knaresborough is a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds.
Transport [edit]
Knaresborough is served by Knaresborough railway station, on the Harrogate Line to Leeds and York and is serviced by Northern Rail. The town is four miles from junction 47 of the A1 (M) Motorway (Great North Road) on the A59 which links York and Skipton. It is further served by the Harrogate and District bus company.
Sport [edit]
Knaresborough Town F.C. are the town's predominant football team and are based at Manse Lane; they play in the West Yorkshire Football League. Knaresborough Celtic also provide youth football with junior teams from Under 6s to Under 17s.
Knaresborough Forest Cricket Club were Nidderdale League Division 3 winners in 2005 then promoted from Division 2 as runners-up in the following season.
Another club, Knaresborough Cricket Club, have a ground along Aspin Lane. Adult teams play in the Airedale & Wharfedale Senior Cricket League and junior teams play in the Nidderdale Junior Cricket League.
Attractions and events [edit]
Sights in the town include the remains of Knaresborough Castle, Mother Shipton's petrifying well (also known as the Dripping Well), The House in the Rock, and several cave dwellings, one a chapel, dating from the Middle Ages. Knaresborough is the site of Ye Oldest Chymist Shoppe in England, opened in 1720 and the Courthouse Museum in the castle grounds.
Every year the town hosts a number of events including since 1966 the "Knaresborough Bed Race". The 2011 event attracted 25,000 people to the town.[10][11]
An annual arts festival, FEVA (Festival of Entertainment and Visual Arts) as run since 2001 in summer in the town centre.[12]
The town was used in the opening election sequence in the first episode of the ITV comedy series The New Statesman and some exterior shots for the series were filmed around Knaresborough.
The Borough Bailiff public house, currently owned by the Samuel Smith Brewery, is the oldest pub in Knaresborough.[citation needed]
The town has a Town Crier.[13]
Notable people [edit]
- St Robert, a 12th-century hermit whose cave can be found near the river Nidd.
- Ursula Southeil, known as Mother Shipton, was a medieval seer said to have been born in a cave south of the town.
- John Metcalf, known as "Blind Jack", lost his sight in childhood and was a violin player, local guide, bridgebuilder and roadmaker. A public house in the market square bears his name.
- Robert Aagaard, a Knaresborough manufacturer, founded the youth movement Cathedral Camps.
- Eugene Aram, the 18th-century scholar and murderer lived here.
- Squadron Leader James Harry "Ginger" Lacey DFM & Bar, Second World War RAF fighter pilot, attended school in Knaresborough.
Location grid [edit]
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Gallery [edit]
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Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag, Knaresborough
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House in the Rock
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Kirkgate, Knaresborough
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War Memorial, Knaresborough
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St John's Church, Knaresborough
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River Nidd, Knaresborough
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Knaresborough railway station
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Knaresborough Castle
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Her Majesty's Keeper of Castle Ravens, Igraine
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Knaresborough Castle viewed through the viaduct
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Old riverside buildings
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Knaresborough House, High Street
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River Nidd and Knaresborough
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "A Brief History". Harrogate council. 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
- ^ "Knaresborough Castle". Knaresborough online. 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
- ^ Turner, Dr Maurice. (1990). A Brief History of Knaresborough
- ^ http://www.knaresborough.co.uk/history/family/stuteville.asp
- ^ Kellett, Arnold (1991). Historic Knaresborough. ISBN 978-1-870071-66-6.
- ^ Kellett, Arnold. Knaresborough (2003) The History Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-3017-3.
- ^ "Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs". Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "Park is left for public to enjoy". Rippon Gazette. 24 December 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "Friends give Bebra Gardens a cutting edge". Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Knaresborough bed race attracts 25,000 people", The Press, 13 June 2011, retrieved 16 August 2011
- ^ Bed Race Rules, Knaresborough.co.uk, retrieved 16 August 2011
- ^ FEVA – Knaresborough Festival of Entertainment and Visual Arts
- ^ "Town Crier". Town Council. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
External links [edit]
Media related to Knaresborough at Wikimedia Commons
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