The Knavesmire is one of a number of large, marshy undeveloped areas within the city of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England, which are collectively known as '' Strays''. Knavesmire, together with Hob Moor, comprises Micklegate Stray. It has been suggested that the name 'Knavesmire' may share a derivation with

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...

—Cenward's mire.

History

Situated in the south-west of the city, some distance outside the historic walls, Knavesmire's low-lying position makes it liable to severe

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing in times of heavy rain. As a consequence, it remained undeveloped as the city expanded around it. The Knavesmire was the site of York Golf course for many years. During the Second World War, parts of the Knavesmire were farmed, while other parts were used for military purposes including an anti-aircraft battery and a prisoner of war transit camp which was located near the grandstand. Knavesmire was also the site of

Knavesmire Secondary School Knavesmire Secondary School was a secondary modern school based in York, England from the 1960s (c. 1965) to the 1980s. During the 1960s it was a girls only school. The building was located on Bishopthorpe Road next to York Racecourse Yor ...

, which then became one of the campuses of The College of Law till 2014.

Millthorpe School Millthorpe School is a mixed secondary school located in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in South Bank, York, and can be accessed via Scarcroft Road (the A59). It is close to two primary schools, Scarcroft Primary School and Kn ...

uses the Knavesmire for

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. Knavesmire Primary School is located on Campleshon Road, at the southern end of Knavesmire Road. In 1864 a letter was sent to the York press from H. J. Jenkinson of the Leeds football club suggesting that the citizens of York form a football team and that they should play a friendly match on Knavesmire.

York gallows

For many years, Knavesmire was the site of public

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

s in York. The gallows were erected in 1379, a few miles outside the city on the main southern approach road (now known as the '' A1036 Tadcaster Road''). The execution site was often referred to as "York Tyburn" after the original

Tyburn gallows Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern Ox ...

in Middlesex. Probably the most famous people to be executed there were

Rhys ap Maredudd Rhys ap Maredudd ( 1250 – 2 June 1292) was a senior member of the Welsh royal house of Deheubarth, a principality of Medieval Wales. He was the great grandson of The Lord Rhys (died 1197), prince of south Wales, and the last ruler of a unit ...

, a Welsh nobleman and rebel, hanged in 1292, and

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

, who was hanged in 1739. Catholic priests

Alexander Rawlins Alexander Rawlins (1560 - 7 April 1595) was an English Roman Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life While Richard Challoner says that Rawlins was born somewhere on the border between Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, Rawlins stated to the ex ...

and

Henry Walpole Henry Walpole (1558 – 7 April 1595) was an English Jesuit martyr, executed at York for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy. Early life Walpole was born at Docking, Norfolk, in 1558, the eldest son of Christopher Walpole, by Margery, heir ...

were

hanged, drawn and quartered To be hanged, drawn and quartered became a statutory penalty for men convicted of high treason in the Kingdom of England from 1352 under Edward III of England, King Edward III (1327–1377), although similar rituals are recorded during the rei ...

on 7 April 1595. Another Catholic priest,

Nicholas Postgate Nicholas Postgate (1596 or 1597 – 7 August 1679) was an English Catholic priest who was executed for treason on the Knavesmire in York on 6 August 1679 as part of the anti-Catholic persecution that was sweeping England at that time. He is on ...

, was hanged, drawn and quartered there in 1679. By the beginning of the 19th century, it was felt that the gallows did not create a good first impression for visitors to the city. The last hanging at Knavesmire was in 1801, after which the gallows were moved to a more discreet (although still public) location near the castle. A paved area with a small plaque today marks the position in which the scaffold stood.

Present day

Today, the Knavesmire is used for recreation and for public events. It is a popular site for dog-walking, and a large part of it is occupied by

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

. The York Races were first moved to the Knavesmire from

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

in 1731. Since January 2012 it has been the location of the York

Parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior parkrun) ...

, a free 5k running event held every Saturday morning. It is also home to Yorkshire's largest beer festival, which has been held on Knavesmire since 2009. The annual York

CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is the ...

Beer & Cider Festival is held in a marquee on Knavesmire opposite the Grandstand. The Little Knavesmire is the home of Ovington CC.

References

{{commons category Villages and areas in the City of York Parks and commons in York Execution sites in England