Knaresborough

Knaresborough is a small town located on a cliff above the River Nidd in the Claro wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is the caput of the Honour of Knaresborough, held since 1175 by William de Stuteville for the service of three knights.
The town has been a borough since 1168.
Its castle is notable for sheltering the four knights who murdered Thomas Becket; one of the four was Hugh de Morville, who held the honour from 1158 to 1173, when he fortfeited it for his part in the Young King's Rebellion.
The hermit Robert Fleure lives in a cave beside the River Nidd less than a mile from Knaresborough.

Defences

Castle

History

Knaresborough was part of the royal estate of King Edward the Confessor before the Norman Conquest. It remained in royal hands as part of the Honour of Knaresborough until 1175, when William de Stuteville was enfoeffed with the Honour as a baronage, though its revenues were farmed out to several people in return for a set annual cash payment.
In 1066 it had 24 carucates (c. 2880 acres, enough to support 2.5 knights), of land and was worth £6 a year. By the time of the Domesday Book (1087), following the Harrying of the North, it was worth just £1.
The settlement recovered from the Harrying - many others were laid waste entirely - and by 1158 it was recognised as a borough (a town with urban crafstmen and merchants), and likely had an informal market, though the first specific mention of a market was in 1209. A charter of King Edward II, in 1310, amended Knaresborough's market charter to specify a weekly market held every Wednesday. That market is held in the town's market square every Wednesday to this day.

Type

Town