Puritan's Pit owes its notability to Willam Yeo, a Presbyterian clergyman who was installed as Rector of Wolborough in 1648 by Oliver Cromwell.

Yeo was reportedly very assiduous in his duties and would walk around the town after Sunday service with a constable, to ensure that the sabbath was kept holy.

At this time he was effectively an outlaw as can be seen from an order of sessions that was made in 1683 offering a reward of 40 shillings to anyone who apprehended a dissenting minister.

The Act of Toleration 1689 brought this episode to a close, and Yeo's house was certified to be used as a place of worship.

The bottom of the pit is covered with large limestone boulders and the remains of trees that have fallen in.