The History of St Mary’s Parish
Down the hill from Harrogate, came a weary pedestrian. As it was a fine day, he had thought the walk would be pleasant, but by the time he had reached the High Bridge, he was glad to rest his arms on the parapet and admire the scene, forgetting his arduous efforts.
He surveyed the happy throng below, rowing up and down the River Nidd. He admired the elegant arches of the railway viaduct a little way down the river. High on the left rose the tower of the Parish Church, once dedicated to Our Lady, but now to St. John In the distance rose the walls of the once massive castle. Only the keep remains. It was here that the knights who murdered St Thomas Becket took refuge.
Now, refreshed, he resumed his walk and mounted the gentle slope of Bond End. A little way up, he came to a solid stone building resembling a hall, on the right. But the Statue of Blessed Mary on its wall indicated that it was a religious place. So it was. “The Catholic Church of St. Mary” ran the inscription at the door, He passed through the doors and peeped inside. There he saw a typical example of a country church—the altar clearly to be seen at the end—and the gallery above at the west end. Some notices attracted his attention on the board, one evidently of a historical nature. Taking it down, he went into the church and sat gratefully on one of the seats. And this is something of what he read.
The recorded story of St. Mary’s Knaresborough begins in 1693 when English Benedictines became chaplains to the Plumptons, whose ancient home lay about two miles south of the town. The names of the secular clergy who ministered in the district before that date have not been recorded, but some well known names of parishioners are known, such as the Knaresboroughs of Farnham and Byrnands of Knaresborough, Swales of Rudfarlington, Trappes of Nidd Hall, Percys of Scotton, some Slingsbys at Scriven and Inglebys at Ripley. Robert Bickerdyke martyred at York in 1586 and Fr. Wilks, Confessor, in 1642 were born here. Guy Fawkes’ mother lived and died at Scotton. The Plumptons remained Catholic to the last. In 1749 the family name of Plumpton died out—the estates were sold—and the chapel was closed. The priest therefore had to find somewhere else to live, and stayed in a farm at Thistle Hill for some time. This priest was John Charlton, O.S.B. Being in danger of prosecution for marrying a couple; he had to leave England for a time.
So about 1775, some land was purchased at Follifoot, about two miles from Knaresborough, and on it was erected a large house to serve as priests’ house, chapel and school. In this chapel on July 3rd 1796, Bishop Gibson confirmed one hundred catechumens of different ages.
The names of the Benedictine priests who served as chaplains to Plumpton Hall, and at Follifoot, have been preserved:
PLUMPTON HALL
| SERVED | PRIEST | DIED |
| 1693-1702 | William Cuthbert Hutton alias Salvin | 1702 |
| 1702-1717 | Richard Bernard Bartlett | 1735 |
| 1717-1725 | John Maurus Buckley | 1729 |
| 1726-1740 | Francis Rich | 1740 |
| 1740-1745 | Anthony Cuthbert Hutchinson | 1760 |
AT PLUMPTON HALL AND THEN THISTLE HILL
| SERVED | PRIEST | DIED |
| 1745-1762 | John Charlton | 1786 |
AT THISTLE HILL THEN FOLLIFOOT
| SERVED | PRIEST | DIED |
| 1762-1764 | Bede Newton | 1777 |
AT FOLLIFOOT
| SERVED | PRIEST | DIED |
| 1765-1787 | John Joseph Storey | 1799 |
| 1787-1791 | Richard Bernard Butler | 1825 |
| 1791-1795 | Stephen Hodgson | 1816 |
| 1795-1802 | Thomas Anselm Appleton | 1842 |
In 1791, a Catholic Relief Act was passed by Parliament, and many new chapels were built in the country. Consequently, the house at Follifoot was sold to Mr. Jackson of Hewood for £650, with five acres of land and a property was bought in Briggate in 1797. The house at Follifoot is still in occupation and is known as the Priory. The priest went to live in Knaresborough for the first time on 2nd August 1797. This building in Briggate was built in 1790 by a cotton manufacturer who failed owing to the war with the French Republic. It cost £450. The commodious building enabled the priest to carry on his work more fruitfully. On 9th November 1808, Bishop Gibson confirmed about sixty persons in it. Little is known of the activities in the parish at that time, but the names of the priests who served there have been preserved.
| SERVED | PRIEST | DIED |
| 1802-1808 | Matthew Denis Appleton | 1829 |
| 1808-1816 | Alban Molyneux | 1860 |
| 1816 | Thomas Jerome Brindle | 1871 |
| 1816 | Vincent Joseph Glover | 1840 |
| 1817-1824 | Thomas Austin Rolling | 1864 |
| 1825-1828 | Richard Ambrose Prest | 1860 |
| 1828-1830 | Robert Basil Bretherton | 1837 |
| 1830-1838 | Ralph Ephrem Pratt | 1875 |
Some of these priests were notable. Fr. Alban Molyneux was President of the English Benedictines. He helped to build St. Alban’s Warrington with his own hands. Fr. Appleton and Fr. Ambrose Prest were both Priors of Ampleforth. Fr. Brindle was Regent of Priory Park College near Bath and afterwards Vicar General of the Clifton Diocese.
When the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed in 1829, most of the Penal Laws were thereby repealed. So in 1831, some land was bought in Bond End and on it a house and church were built. There are no records of the building neither of the church nor of its opening, but Father Pratt probably carried it out. Tradition says that the stones for the church were brought by Mr. Swale from the ruins of the old pre-Reformation chapel of St. Hilda at Rudfarlington. The buildings are now much the same as in 1831, except for certain alterations and improvements. They are recognised by the authorities as buildings of special historic importance and interest. Behind the church is a pleasant tree-shaded garden.
The parish remained static for some years and witnessed the formation of new chapels in the neighbourhood, viz. Allerton Park by Lord Stourton in 1807 : Harrogate in 1861 ; Rudding Park by Sir Percival Radcliffe in 1874 and Starbeck in 1911. This left the mother parish much smaller, but nevertheless a school was built after 1870 at a cost of about £600.
The three large paintings in the Church were supposed to have been brought by Father Lynass, but they suffered some damage during a fire in the church in 1961. However these pictures were of no great value.
At one time, some relics of Blessed Ambrose Barlow, O.S.B., who was martyred in 1641 at Lancaster, were kept at St. Mary’s The main relic was his left hand. In Fr. Rollings’ time, the hand was given to the Stanbrook community of Benedictine nuns, where it now rests. It probably came from the Plumpton family.
In 1967, a new primary school was opened on a site off Tentergate Road, which cost nearly £50.000. The following year the building was completed with five classrooms and in 1969 there were 165 children in it.
It is interesting to look upon the photographs of the last twelve priests in charge of St. Mary’s, who preserved the Faith in Knaresborough so well. These are kept in the presbytery. The priests who served at Bond End all this time are worthy of being recorded:
| SERVED | PRIEST | DIED |
| 1838-1856 | William Jerome Hampson | 1867 |
| 1856-1873 | George Ambrose Gillett | 1874 |
| 1873-1883 | Edward Benedict Lynass | 1883 |
| 1883-1889 | Charles Gregory Smith | |
| 1889-1891 | Essington Dunstan Ross | 1902 |
| 1891-1896 | Charles Gregory Smith (again) | 1896 |
| 1896 | Henry Basil Hurworth | 1907 |
| 1896-1913 | Alfred Paulinus Wilson | 1915 |
| 1913-1938 | Abbot Ildephonsus Cummins | 1938 |
| 1939-1942 | Gerard Blackmore | 1950 |
| 1942-1945 | Theodore Rylance | 1958 |
| 1945-1950 | Patrick Gabriel McNally | |
| 1950-1954 | Lawrence Antony Spiller | |
| 1955- | Reginald Denis Marshall | |
| Jerome Lambert | ||
| Theo Young | ||
| 1998-2002 | Andrew McCaffrey | |
| 2002- | Cassian Dickie |
Of these, Fr. Hurworth and Fr. Wilson were Canons of Newport and Menevia, and Abbot Cummins was titular Abbot of St. Mary’s Abbey. York. Fr. Smith died suddenly in 1896.
The pilgrim now replaced the records and set off for the walk along the picturesque riverside to visit the Shrine and the Cave, musing as he went on the devoted work of the Benedictine Fathers long since gone to their reward.
Note: Acknowledgement should be made to Abbot Cummins who collected the old records and commented on them.