Knill

{{Short description|Village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England}} {{for|the surname|Knill (surname)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:Knill 2008.jpg|right|thumb|Knill]] [[File:St Michaels Church Knill (geograph 4373462).jpg|right|thumb|St Michael's Church]] [[File:War Memorial tablet, Knill - geograph.org.uk - 2504512.jpg|thumb|right|[[World War I|Great War]] plaque]]

'''Knill''' is a village and [[civil parish]] in [[Herefordshire]], England.

==History== Recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Chenille'' (from the Old English meaning 'Place by the hillock'),{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} the small village of Knill is just inside the Herefordshire border with [[Wales]], {{convert|4.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} south west of [[Presteigne]] and set within "[[Welsh Marches|The Marches]]" as these borderlands are known. The ancient boundary between [[Mercia]] and the Welsh, [[Offa's Dyke]], runs along the ridge above the village with the modern border running along the 'Hidden Valley' floor.

The population of the village in the 1861 census was 84 but has declined to figures in the 20s.

The parish church of St Michael dates from the 12th century and is a Grade II* listed building. Inside are the [[funerary hatchment]]s of the Walsham family, who formerly lived at Knill Court, a large country house that was destroyed by a fire in 1943.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1081487 |desc=Church of St Michael |grade=II* |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref>

Knill is one of two [[Thankful Villages]] in [[Herefordshire]] – those rare places that suffered no fatalities during the [[World War I|Great War of 1914 to 1918]]. There is thus no [[war memorial]] in the village but in the parish church there is a carved stone plaque on the wall, with the inscription:

<div style="text-align: center;"> <small> TO THE GLORY OF GOD<br/> AND IN THANKSGIVING TO HIM FOR<br/> THE VICTORY GRANTED TO US IN THE<br/> GREAT WAR OF 1914–1918<br/> AND FOR HIS MERCIES IN BRINGING<br/> SAFELY HOME THE MEN OF THIS PARISH<br/> WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY OVERSEAS </small></div>

== References == {{Commons}} {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/knill-st-michael-all-angels/ St Michael & All Angels church]

[[Category:Villages in Herefordshire]]