From Chenaresburg to Knaresborough

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Though the exact origin of the town's name is lost, its development through various different spellings can be traced through documents going back to the eleventh century.

Author's Note
The research for this article was carried out mainly at The National Archives in Kew. The major sources of information are described in References
Alyson Jackson

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The name of Knaresborough can be divided into two parts "Knare" and "borough". "Knare"may come either from the name of a chieftain, or it may derive from "knar" meaning a rocky outcrop. The "borough" is derived from "burgh", an Anglo-Saxon word for fortress or fortified settlement.

In the Domesday Book of 1086 (Ref 1) the town is written as CHENARESBURG and the description translates as (Ref 2)

"In Knaresborough 6 carucates with 11 outliers: WALKINGHAM (Hill), 3c. less 2 bovates; FERRENSBY, 3c. less 1 bovate; SCRIVEN, 6c.; BESTHAIM, 4c.; FEWSTON, 3c.; BREARTON, 6c.; SUSACRES, 1c.; CAYTON, 2c.; FARNHAM, 3c.; (South) STAINLEY, 2c. Together there are 42 carucates of land, less a half, taxable. There is land for 24 ploughs. King Edward had this manor in lordship; now it is under the King's hand; waste.
Value before 1066 £6; now it pays 20s."

Thereafter the name of the town traces a course to the present day spelling. Below various representations are tabulated together with the source and links to images of some of the documents.

Unless otherwise stated the source of the information is a Pipe Roll.

Information about the Domesday Survey, Pipe Rolls, Rotuli Litterarum and John of Gaunt's Register can be found in References

DATE	SOURCE	NAME
1086	Domesday Survey	Chenaresburg
1130	31 Henry I image click to close Facsimile of a page from the Pipe Roll of the 31st year of the reign of King Henry I, 1130 click to close	Chenardesburg
1155 - 1156	2 Henry II	Chanardesburc
1156 - 1157	3 Henry II	Canardesburc
1158 - 1159	5 Henry II	Cnardesburc
1165 - 1166	12 Henry II	Cnardesburc Cnardeburc Cnardeb' Cnarreburc
1167 - 1168	14 Henry II	Cnarreb(urc) Cnaresburc
1169 - 1170	15 Henry II	Cnarreburg (note ~ over g)
1171 - 1172	19 Henry II image click to close Facsimile of a page from the Pipe Roll of the 19th year of the reign of King Henry II, 1171 - 1172 click to close	Chanaresburch (note ~ through h) Chanarreburc Chnareburc
1178 - 1179	25 Henry II	Cnarreburch
1187 - 1188	34 Henry II	Cnarreburch
1189 - 1190	1 Richard I	Cnarreburc
1199	1 John	Cnarresburc
1203	5 John image click to close Facsimile of a page from the Pipe Roll of the 5th year of the reign of King John, 1203 click to close	Cnarreburc
1211	13 John	Cnarreburc
1213	Rotuli Litterarum image click to close A facsimile of a page from the Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum of the 15th year of the reign of King John, 1213 click to close	Knarresburg(note ~ over g) Knarresburgh(note ~ through h)
1215	17 John	Cnareburc
1221	5 Henry III	Cnarreburc Cnarresburg
1372	John of Gaunt's Register image click to close Facsimile of a page from John of Gaunt's Register, 1372 click to close	Knaresburgh

References

Domesday Book "A Survey of the Counties of England", 1086; Compiled by Direction of King William I is a general survey and valuation of landed property in England. For more information go to TNA - the Domesday Book
Yorkshire edition of the Domesday Survey with translation into modern English; editors: M.L.Faull, M.Stinson; Phillimore, Chichester, 1986.For more information go to TNA - the Domesday Book
The Pipe Rolls contain the accounts of the King's revenue. The dates of the Pipe Rolls are linked to the year of the reign of the monarch - e.g. 31 Henry I is the 31st year of the reign of King Henry I i.e. 1130. A ~ above or through a letter, in the middle or at the end of a word, signifies omission of more than one letter.
The Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum, also called the Close Rolls, consist of Mandates, Letters and Writs of a Private nature. On Close Rolls, letters are addressed in the King's name, folded up, or closed up, and sealed on the outside with the Great Seal. Letters Patent were addressed to all the King's liege subjects, not closed up, but had the Great Seal attached at the bottom, and are enrolled as the Patent Rolls. The earliest Close Roll now extant is that of the 6th year of King John, 1204.
John of Gaunt's Register, ed. for The Royal Historical Society from the Original MS. at the Public Record Office by Sydney Armitage-Smith, 1911. In 1371 the manor and castle of Knaresborough were given by Edward III to his son John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.