Battlefields›Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644
English Civil War

Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644

1644
Yorkshire, England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Yorkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalists
VS
Victor
Parliamentarians
Outcome
After a siege lasting from November to 20 December 1644, Parliamentarian cannon breached the castle wall near the sallyport and the Royalist garrison, under Sir Henry Slingsby, surrendered on honourable terms.
The Battle

History & Significance

Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644 was a Civil War siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought at Yorkshire, England in 1644. Parliamentarians prevailed over Royalists. After a siege lasting from November to 20 December 1644, Parliamentarian cannon breached the castle wall near the sallyport and the Royalist garrison, under Sir Henry Slingsby, surrendered on honourable terms.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644 lies on Zechstein Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Permian. The rock here is dolomitised limestone and dolomite.

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Everything a full report reveals about Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644

This page covers Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644

Knaresborough Castle
Knaresborough Castle
Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

Knaresborough Castle is a medieval fortress situated above the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England, with origins in the late 12th century. The castle was founded by Eustace de Vesci in the 1170s and developed as a significant stronghold during the medieval period, with its distinctive round ke…

Redvers / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
High Bridge
High Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

High Bridge is a medieval bridge located in Yorkshire, England, which carries a roadway across a watercourse. The structure dates to the medieval period, likely constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries, though precise dating requires examination of its masonry and construction techniques.…

Simon Cobb / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons
St Robert's Cave medieval hermitage, 90m north of Plumpton Mill Farm
St Robert's Cave medieval hermitage, 90m north of Plumpton Mill Farm
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 mi

St Robert's Cave is a medieval hermitage located near Plumpton Mill Farm in Yorkshire. The site comprises a natural cave that was modified and utilised during the medieval period as a dwelling for a hermit, reflecting the religious practices of withdrawal and solitary contemplation that were char…

Rosser1954 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Village cross with sundial and stocks
Village cross with sundial and stocks
Scheduled monument · ~4.7 mi

Village cross with sundial and stocks is a multi-functional community monument located in Yorkshire, England. The structure combines three distinct elements typical of English village centres: a market or parish cross, a sundial mounted upon it, and stocks for the punishment or restraint of offen…

SMJ / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cross base in All Saints' churchyard
Cross base in All Saints' churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~4.7 mi

Cross base in All Saints' churchyard is a medieval stone monument consisting of the base structure of a former cross, located in the churchyard of All Saints' Church in Yorkshire. The surviving base represents the lower portion of what was originally a complete churchyard cross, a common feature…

ronnie leask / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ripley Park cross
Ripley Park cross
Scheduled monument · ~5.4 mi

Ripley Park Cross is a medieval stone cross located in North Yorkshire, England. The monument dates to the medieval period and stands as evidence of the religious and social significance of crosses in Yorkshire's landscape during this era. The cross survives as a substantial stone structure, reta…

Michael Steele / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Medieval cross base south west of St Mary the Virgin's Church
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 miles
Spofforth Castle magnates' residence
Scheduled monument · ~3.7 miles
More from this era

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In the same landscape

Battles near Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644

Reiver Raid on Knaresborough 1536
1536
~0.2 miles away
Siege of Knaresborough 1644
1644
~0.5 miles away
Battle of Farnham
892
~2.2 miles away
Roman Rescue of Cartimandua (57 AD)
57
~3.1 miles away
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