780 K N A 
KNAF'WEED, f in botany. See Centaurea. 
KNARE, f. [Arcor, German.] A hard knot. 
A cake of fcurf lies baking on the ground, 
And prickly Hubs inftead of trees are found ; 
Or woods with knots and knares deform’d, and old ; 
Headlefs the moll, and hideous to behold. Dryden. 
KNA'RED, a town of Sweden, in the province of Hal- 
land : fourteen miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Halmftad. 
KNA'RESBOROUGH, a borough, market-town, and 
pariih, in the wapentake of Claro, Weft-Riding of York- 
fhire, is fituated on a rocky mountain, at the foot of 
which runs the river Nid. It is one of the ancient burghs 
that were part of the demefnes of the crown, found un¬ 
der the title of Terra Regia in Domefday-book and other 
records. The fite of Knarefborough correfponds with 
the defcription given of the towns of the Britons; being 
placed on the bank of a river for the fupply of water, and 
on the lkirt of a foreft for conveniency of hunting and 
pallure. The remains of a ditch and rampart, which may 
yet be traced, include an area of 900 feet in length, and 
600 in breadth. Soon after the Norman conqueft, a ftrong 
caftle was built here by Serlo de Burgh, who accompanied 
the conqueror to England, and received this manor, with 
feveral others, as a reward for his fervices. The caftle, 
having fallen to the crown, was granted by Henry III. to 
his brother Richard earl of Cornwall, in the year 1257. 
In 1327 it was taken by John de Lilburn, an officer be¬ 
longing to the earl of Lancalter; but, being befieged by 
the king’s order, and Lilburn finding no profpeCt of re¬ 
lief, he furrendered, having firft deftroyed all the records, 
and every memorial of the liberties and privileges of the 
burgh. In 1371, the caftle and manor were granted by 
iEdward III. to his fon, John of Gaunt, duke of Laiicai- 
ter ; from whofe time it has been an appendage to the du¬ 
chy of Lancafter. The town and caftle had a confidera- 
ble fhare in the civil war of the 17th century; after a 
brave refiftance, the caftle furrendered to lord Fairfax; 
and was ordered by the houfe of commons to be rendered 
untenable. The walls and towers have ever fince been 
mouldering away. This caftle contained nearly two acres 
and a half within its walls, which were flanked with 
eleven towers ; thefe, with feveral other buildings in the 
different wards, afforded accommodation for a numerous 
garrifon. Part of the principal tower is ftill remaining, 
and appears to have been built about the time of Edward 
III. It confifts of three ftories above the keep or dun¬ 
geon. The firft room on the ground-floor has been, from 
time immemorial, the repofitory of the ancient records. 
On the iecond ftory is a (late-room, called the king's chamber, 
in which Richard II. was imprifoned after his depofition. 
Beneath this tower is the dungeon, to which there is a de- 
fcent by twelve fteps ; the roof is arched with ftone, and 
fupported by one round pillar, nine feet in circumference. 
In a part of the ruins, are the remains of a fecretcell, or hid¬ 
ing-place, conftruCted in the middle of the wall; this re¬ 
ceptacle is three feet four incheshigh, two feet eight inches 
wide, and more .than twenty feet in length. In the caf- 
tle-yard is the entrance to an arched fubterraneous paffage 
leading to the moat. Leland, fpeaking of this caftle, lays, 
“It ftandeth magnificently and ftrongly on a rock, having 
a deep ditch hewn out of the rock, where it was not de¬ 
fended by the river Nid.” 
The church of Knarefborough, dedicated to St. John 
the Baptift, was a grant from the crown at the beginning 
of the 12th century. On the north fide of the choir is a 
chapel belonging to the Slingfby family ; on an altar-tomb 
are whole-length, figures of fir Francis Slingfby and his la¬ 
dy ; the knight in complete armour; the lady in a long 
robe, with folding plaits.down to the feet; here are alfo 
figures of fir William Slingfby and Henry Slingfby, efq. 
and various other monuments and infcriptions. On the 
fouth fide of the choir is a chapel belonging to the Plump- 
tons of Plumpton, though no traces now remain of that 
ancient family, except their arms ftained on glafs in the 
window. The feats on either fide of the choir, and a pul- 
K N A 
pit facing the eaft window, appear to be ancient. Knaref¬ 
borough is 17 miles diftant from York, and 202 north of 
London. The population, as returned to parliament iti 
the year t8oo, was 3388, inhabiting 766 houfes. A mar¬ 
ket is held on Wednefday, which is plentifully fupplied 
with all kinds of provifions; the quantity of corn fold 
here weekly is fuppofed to exceed that of any other mar¬ 
ket in the county. In the year 1708, queen Anne grant¬ 
ed to the burgeffes five annual fairs, with a court of pie¬ 
poudre to redrefs diforders committed in them. 
This place was fummoned to fend members to par¬ 
liament in the firft year of queen Mary ; from which time 
it has returned two representatives; the right of elec¬ 
tion is vefted in the holders of burgage-tenures, eighty- 
four in number. In the diary of fir Henry Slingfby, who 
was elected in 1640, is the following note : “ There is an 
evil cuftom at fuch elections, to beftow wine on all the 
town, which colt me fixteen pounds at leaft.” The prac¬ 
tice of purcbafing the burgage-houfes began about the 
year 1714; fince which a majority of the votes has been 
in the pofleffion of the dukes of Devonfhire, who have no¬ 
minated the two members. The town, though a borough, 
is not incorporated ; but is governed only by a bailiff and 
conftable. When an election comes on, a number of men 
are fent from a diftant part of the country, and a certain 
burgage-houfe conveyed to each of them for the day; 
they are then told who they are to vote for, and the “ cry 
goes round.” Some man is chaired as proxy for the a blent 
member. There are no refident electors ; the men who are 
fent to vote are the duke’s tenants; they come if there is 
occafion, from his eftates in the Eaft Riding ; but gene¬ 
rally they are thofe about Bolton-bridge, near Skipton, 
twenty miles from Knarefborough, on the other fide of the 
wfild mountainous foreft. The number of houfes in 
Knarefborough is about five hundred. If the burgage-te¬ 
nures were taken away, it is fuppofed there would be three 
or four hundred men, who pay all manner of affeflinents ; 
and thefe are chiefly manufacturers, farmers,'and fliop- 
keepers. No diminution of votes has taken place in con- 
fequence of the aCt refpefting revenue-officers. The cir- 
cumflance of the members neverappearing at the elections, 
but having fome old pauper chaired by way of proxy, 
which is Laid to be the conftant practice, is really infult- 
ing. It cannot be proved, however, that there is bribery 
and corruption, as the elections are managed almoft with¬ 
out any vifible expence whatever. This place, which is 
an ancient borough by prefcription, as mentioned before, 
is without a corporation, being governed only by a bailiff, 
(the duke’s Reward,) who is the returning-officer. The 
right of election (1690, 1691, May 17) is in the burgage- 
holders. The number of voters is about one hundred. 
Here are a fpacious market-place, and a neat market- 
crofs, which was ereCted in the year 1719. Over the river 
is a good ftone bridge. On the eaft fide of the church is 
a free-fchool, endowed, in 1616, by the Rev. Robert Chal- 
loner, a native of Goldborough, and reftor of Amerfham, 
in Buckinghamfhire : the prefent building was ereCted by 
fubfcription in 1741. In Windlor-lane is a Diffenters’ 
chapel, founded by lady Hewley, of Bell-hall, near Y ork ; 
the prefent edifice was built, on the ancient fite, in 1778. 
In Gracious-ftreet is a Quakers’ meeting-houfe, ereCted in 
1701. A confiderable manufacture of linen has been car¬ 
ried on here for many ages, and is ftill in a flourifhing 
condition ; upwards of 1000 pieces, each twenty yards in 
length, being often woven in a week. In the year 1764* 
an aCt of parliament was obtained for the better fupply of 
river-water, of which the conveyance before was, from 
the elevated fituation of the town, rendered difficult and 
expenfive. In the,Long Walk, clofie by the- river Nid, is 
the dropping well, or petrifying fpring, which iffues from 
a lime-ftone rock, about forty yards from the bank of the 
river; and, after running about twenty yards, divides, 
and fpreads itfelf over the'top of a ledge of rock, whence it 
trickles or drops down, from thirty or forty places, into a 
channel hollowed for the purpofe. The fpring is fup¬ 
pofed to fend forth twenty gallons in a minute. This 
rock. 
