The extraordinary tale of how Yorkshire townsfolk rioted over garden

Author Jackie Glew, a volunteer with the Knaresborough Museum Association (KMA), began researching the story behind a blue plaque from Knaresborough Civic Society. What emerged was a fascinating insight into one of the biggest events in the town’s history.

"It has been absolutely amazing, to see the response from the town," said Ms Glew. "And the more the layers built up, the more interesting the story became."

Events on October 3, 1865, were to spark a momentous period in Knaresborough's history when hundreds of residents descended upon a doctor’s pleasure gardens in Castle Yard.

John Simpson, a physician, had closed off the land to create his own private idyll. Then, on hearing children’s laughter from a neighbouring school, he threatened to sue.

There was uproar, and a public meeting. This was common land, residents insisted, for the benefit of all. So perhaps 1,000 townsfolk decided to take it back.

“This was land that, although it belonged to somebody, had been used by the people of Knaresborough for centuries,” said Ms Glew.

“What was extraordinary about this was it transcended social class," she added. “There were linen workers, shopkeepers, bankers. One or two came with axes and swords, and started chopping down trees on land they said belonged to the people of Knaresborough.”

The key question later was is this a riotous assembly?. When it came to court appearances for 11 men that April, there was surprise testimony from a neighbour who claimed to have heard threats to the gardener: “Stand by or I’ll chop your bloody legs off."

The men were sentenced to three months of hard labour. Only nine made it home. And for those that did return, it was to a hero's welcome. Thousands crowded the market place, with brass bands and a feast, lining the streets from Harrogate to Knaresborough.

Each of the men was presented with a silver tankard, to be passed to their children, so that events may "never be forgotten". One was discovered many years later by rioter Thomas Johnson's great-grandson Howard Johnson, whose research helped secure a blue plaque.

To Ms Glew, a large part of the story was in unearthing the impact on the men afterwards, and how it shaped their lives. What she finds fascinating isn't the dates or deaths but the stories that emerge alongside: "They are the making of us, in more sense that DNA. Sharing these stories is important."

The Extraordinary Tale of the Castle Yard Riot, for £8, is available on Amazon or at knaresboroughtownmuseum.org.uk, where £2 from each sale goes to the museum.