Records of a church on this site date back to at least 1114 when records from Nostell Priory, Wakefield show that King Henry I granted the "Church at Cnaresburgh" to the canons at Nostell.

[1] The church was originally dedicated to St Mary but was changed to its current name in the 16th century following reform after the English reformation.

On 5 February 1952 the church was designated a grade I listed building.

The church was the seat of the suffragan Bishop of Knaresborough.

The parish of Knaresborough is part of the Archdeaconry of Richmond and Craven in the Diocese of Leeds.