THE ROYAL FOREST OF KNARESBOROUGH

The most important fact to determine medieval Harrogate’s growth and development was its position as a community within the surrounding Royal Forest of Knaresborough. It is likely that the Royal Forest was established in the late eleventh century as a hunting estate, and that its associated industries of agriculture, miming, forging, and weaving developed as royal hunting activity diminished. The town of Knaresborough was never part of the Royal Forest but formed a Liberty with the surrounding villages. It is likely that both the Forest and the Liberty were identified with Knaresborough because of the strategic significance and fame of Knaresborough castle, the first known reference to which dates from 1129-30.

The royal forest was owned by the Crown of England but it was not a Crown estate; it was rather a Duchy of Lancaster possession from its creation in 1351.

The Harrogate area contained the two most important Royal Forest parks, one being east of Harlow Hill at Haverah, the other being north of Starbeck at Bilton.