Robert of Knaresborough (d. 1218) was a twelfth-century hermit who was born in York of upper class parents. His father, Tok Flower, had twice served as Lord Mayor (though the office was not called by that name then). His father's name was Danish, as was his mother's name, Siminina. His name was not Norse but French, and was associated with the Cistercian reform through the Cistercian Abbot of Newminster, Robert. According to the thirteenth-century Life of Robert, he "never once succumbed to sexual pleasure [and] was so equipped with every virtue and so illumined and inspired by the indwelling grace of the Holy Spirit that he was set on the way to perfection in the fullness of God." Robert spent a great deal of time in churches and "even more time in monasteries, and [he] had the intention of serving God more fervently in the priesthood." Robert was ordained to the subdiaconate, but for some mysterious reason never pursued further holy orders. Robert eventually went to the Cistercian Abbey of Newminster (founded 1138), a daughter-house of Fountains Abbey. Here he became a conversi, and his holiness, discipline, and aestheticism were upheld as models for the other monks. After four months and fifteen days, Robert obeyed what his biographer says was a call from the Holy Spirit, left the abbey, and returned to his parents.

Upon his return to Knaresborough, he went to a cave near St. Giles where a local hermit. The hermit turned out to be a knight who later returned to his wife, leaving Robert alone and without means of support in the hermitage. He led a very austere life, until a local matron offered him the Chapel of St. Hilda the Virgin and some land to till. There he continued to live as a hermit until robbed by thieves. At this point, Robert went to Spofford, where his holiness attracted a great throng of admirers. Robert believed that the excessive praise of the throng detracted from his life of humility, austerity and prayer, and went to live with the monks at Hedley. There, his austerity and purity caused some conflict, and he apparently often criticized the monks there. Although he had left the Cistercian Abbey of Newminster, he had not left the white habit behind.

Leaving Hedly, he returned to the Chapel of St. Hilda the Virgin. The old woman who had helped him later died, and he was again troubled by outsiders.

Finally, Robert left the chapel to return to his original hermitage at Knaresborough, only to find no traces of its existence. He erected a shelter from tree branches, and there he stayed. His reputation spread, and once again people began to flock to the hermit. His brother Walter eventually heard of his holiness, came to see him, and helped him to build the little cave we will see below. He also helped him to erect a wooden shelter to extend the boundaries of the cave so that Robert could receive pilgrims.

The cave of St. Robert of Knaresborough is located from Knaresborough on the way toward York off the A59. After turning right at the traffic lights, one takes the next right on the Abbey road.

Here, buried in the trees near the river Nidd, lies the (cave) hermitage and remains of the chapel of Robert of Knaresborough.

The cave is accessed by descending a recently renovated stairway, which can be seen in the photo of the oratory below.

Once down the stairs, one can see the entrance to the cave itself. There is a bench on the outside of the doorway cut out of the natural rock.

Robert's cave was an enlargement of a small cave in the rock wall. It is 17 feet long, about 8 feet wide, and 6 feet high. As one can see from this picture, there is no natural light in the cave except the small amount which enters through the tiny doorway.

It is very dark and damp inside the cave. During Robert's lifetime, the cave became so damp that he had to cut a drain outside to siphon out the water. There are some post holes in the stone outside the doorway, which may have been the wooden shelter Robert's brother Walter allegedly helped him to erect.

After exiting the cave, we look back towards the stairway, and we can see the remains of the oratory (once called the chapel of the Holy Rood or Holy Cross) of St. Robert and the outlines of the grave in which he was originally buried. Robert was a hermit for approximately twenty years, and died around the age of forty.

A close-up view of the altar; A closer view of the altar.

Robert's hermitage was on a very secluded site. In fact, one can barely glimpse the river Nidd through these trees at the boundary of the oratory.

This little site is an excellent example of continued zeal for the eremitical life, which was often overshadowed and hidden by the success and visibility of the many cenobitic communities in the Middle Ages.

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Dr. Deborah Vess
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Amarillo College
PO Box 447
Amarillo, Texas 79109

The author regrets that she cannot respond to all questions or e-mail generated by this site.