Harrogate and Knaresborouch - The Story of the English Towns Book

Text extracted from opening pages of book: THE STORY OF THE gNGUSH TOWflS HARROGAT& AND KNARESBOROUGH BY J, S. FLETCHER MEMBER OF THE YORKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE NEW YORK : THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1920 PREFACE T-J ARROGATE, as it presents itself to-day, is one of the newest of English towns ; Knares borough is one of the oldest. Knaresborotigh has been very much what it is now for several cen turies; Harrogate, within the memory of man, has so increased as to dwarf its ancient neighbour. But while one represents antiquity, and the other the modern spirits of improvement and progress, there is a close link between the two, and in writing local history it is impossible to separate them. In the following, chapters an attempt is made to deal with episodes in which they have a common interest ; for example, the discovery of the medi cinal waters which attract so many thousands to Harrogate every year, was originally a matter affecting Knaresborough only, for Harrogate, as we know it, had then no existence. Again, the career of John Metcalf is almost as closely con perned with the new town as with the old. And 4 PREFACE as no one goes to Harrogate without visiting Knaresborough, there seems to be good reason for dealing with one place in union with the other. J. S. Fl/ ETCHER. THE CROSSWAYS, HAJOROOK, CHICHESTER. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE FOREST OF KNARESBOROUGH ... ... 9 II. THE MURDERERS OF THOMAS BEKET ... ... 20 III. THE CULT OF ROBERT FLOWER ... ... ... 28 IV. MEDIEVAL KNARESBOROUGH ... , ... 38 V. MOTHER SHIPTON ... ... .., ... 48 VI. WATERS OF HEALING ... ... ... ... 57 VII. CAVALIER AND ROUNDHEAD ... ... ... 67 VIII. HARROGATE IN 1750 ... ... ... ... 77 IX, EUGENE ARAM ... ... ... ... ... 86 X, BLIND JACK OF KNARESBOROUGH... ... ... 96 XL HARROGATE IN 1830 ... ... ... ... 105 XII. NEW TOWN AND OLD BOROUGH ... ... 114 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE Low HARROGATE ... ... ... Frontispiece From a Drawing by JP. Nicholson^ 1796 ST. ROBERT'S CHAPEL ... ... ... ... ... 32 KNARESBOROUGH ... ... ... ... ... 40 MOTHER SHIPTON ... ... ... ... ... 48 THE OLD SULPHUR WELL, HARROGATE ... ... .*. 80 EUGENE ARAM ... ... ... ... 88 JOHN METCALF ... ... ... ... ... 96 STATION SQUARE, HARROGATE ... ... ... - 116 END-PAPERS STREET PLAN OF HARROGATE ... ... ... ) v Front MAP OF HARROGATE AND KNARESBOROUGH ... ) MAP OF SURROUNDING COUNTRY ... ... Back AUTHORITIES ANONYMOUS, A Week at Harrogate, 1913.1 ANONYMOUS, Mother Shipton, N. D. CALVERT, M., History of Knaresborough, 1844. DEANE, E,, Spadacrene Anglica, 1626. FRENCH, J., The Yorkshire Spaw, 1652. FLOYER, SIR J., History of Cold Bathing, 1706. GRAINGE, W,, Nidderdale, 1863. GRAINGE, W., Historical ^ and Descriptive Account of Knares borough, 1865. GENT, T., Life of St. Robert, N. D. i HARGROVE, E., History of Knaresborough, 1832. HARGROVE, E., Ancient Customs of the Forest of Knaresborough, 1808. HUTTON, W. H,, Life of Bishop Stubbs, 1906. LEWIS, D., Beauties of Harrogate and Knaresborough, 1798. METCALF, J., Autobiography, 1795. SLINGSBY, SIR H., Memoirs: Ed. Sir Walter Scott, 1806. SPEIGHT, H., Nidderdale, 1894. STUBBS, BP., Genealogical History of his Family, 1915, STANHOPE, M., Newes out of Yorkshire, 1626. STANHOPE, M., Cures without Care, 1632. WATSON, E. R,, Eugene Aram, 1913. WHEATER, W., Knaresburgh and its Rulers, 1907. H ARROGATE AND KNARESBOROUGH I. THE FOREST OF KNARESBOROUGH ON the third day of September, in the year 1767, a gathering took place in the neighbour hood of Harrogate and Knaresborough which was of a much more fateful character than was probably thought of by those who had a part in it or witnessed its proceedings. On that day six men, Joseph Tullie, Receiver General of the Revenues of the Duchy of I/ ancaster, Robert Roper, Auditor for the North Parts of the Duchy, William Ashurst, Auditor for the South Farts, William Masterman, Clerk of the Council, William Marsden, Surveyor of the I^ ands, and Francis RusseRead More