Knaresborough Castle

Knaresborough Castle in North Yorkshire has been for centuries the property of the Duchy of Lancaster, that large ducal estate which subsidises the monarch. It was once the property of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and protector of the great John Wycliffe. Upon his death, King Richard II confiscated it from his cousin Henry, who should have inherited it from his father, John. Exiled and penniless, the popular young lord returned to claim his patrimony and then the crown itself from his peevish, thievish relative. Richard II spent a night as a prisoner at Knaresborough before he was relocated to Pontefract, whereat he was likely murdered.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Henry IV and Richard II, it was ironic that the castle which the latter ‘stole’ should become his own prison, albeit briefly. That which he requisitioned from the Duchy of Lancaster remains now a part of it, six centuries later. That which he coveted became his very gaol.

If that which we own is only on loan, how much more so for the thief? He who steals from others will not enjoy his spoils for long, and shall find them adding to the weight of his sentence when before the great Judge he appears. That which we give away shall return to bless us; that of which we keep hold, we may not keep; that which we crave and steal will only become the dankest dungeon to confine us. Think on.