Kinlet is a small village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in the south-east of the county of
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, England. The parish is on the northern edge of the
Wyre Forest
__NOTOC__
Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural (partially unmanaged) woodland and forest measuring which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England. Knowles Mill, a former corn mill owned by the National Trust, lies wi ...
and is in the
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Histor ...
District of Shropshire. The parish incorporates the
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
s of Kinlet Village, Button Bridge and
Button Oak
Button Oak is a small village in the English county of Shropshire, England. It is 3 miles north east of Bewdley.
Button Oak is very similar to nearby village Kinlet, in whose civil parish it lies, and Button Bridge which are also small residen ...
. Kinlet is located south of
Telford
Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in t ...
, the main town in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
and west of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
.
The village is located in the centre of the parish. Its
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
has a population of 680 according to the
2001 Census,
The land within the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
totals .
increasing to 901 at the 2011 census. There is little in terms of employment in the parish, with residents travelling to nearby towns and cities.
History
The name Kinlet, a combination of kin (royal) and lett (district), comes from the time of Queen
Edith of Wessex
Edith of Wessex ( 1025 – 18 December 1075) was Queen of England from her marriage to Edward the Confessor in 1045 until Edward died in 1066. Unlike most English queens in the 10th and 11th centuries, she was crowned. The principal source on h ...
, wife of
Edward the confessor, who held the knoll at Kinlet.
The earliest known human activity was the scatter of flints near Catsley in the centre of the parish, south of Kinlet village.
The parish as it is today, was once two smaller parishes, Kinlet in the north and Earnwood in the south.
Queen Edith had inherited Kinlet and
Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226.''Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi ...
from the late
Edward the Confessor, at the time of the ''
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
''. Kinlet was then given to
Ranulph de Mortimer
Ranulph I de Mortimer (''Ralf'', ''Ralph'', ''Raoul de Mortemer'') (born before c. 1070–died in/after 1104) was a Marcher Lord from the Montgomery lands in the Welsh Marches (border lands between Wales and England). In England, he was Lord of Wi ...
, who subsequently passed it down to his son,
Hugh de Mortimer Hugh de Mortimer (c. 1100 – 26 February 1180/81) was a Norman English medieval lord.
Lineage
The son of Ranulph de Mortimer, he was Lord of Wigmore Castle, Stratfield Mortimer, Cleobury Mortimer and at times, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle a ...
.
The Mortimers were passionate about hunting and used Earnwood as a private hunting ground.
The Mortimers were succeeded by Bryan de Brampton in 1176.
The De Bramptons gave significant gifts of land in Kinlet to
Wigmore Abbey
Wigmore Abbey was an abbey of Canons Regular with a grange, from 1179 to 1530, situated about a mile (2 km) north of the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, England: grid reference SO 410713.
Only ruins of the abbey now remain and on Histo ...
and other religious institutes. This was intended to encourage woodland clearance and increase production.
Kinlet was passed through the Cornwalls, to
Sir John Cornwall on the death of his father, Sir Brian Cornwall in 1391. His only surviving daughter, Elizabeth, inherited Kinlet in 1414, before marrying Sir William Lichefeld. Sir William Lichefeld held Kinlet until his death in 1446, Kinlet was then passed down to Isabel, sister of Sir John Cornwall and second wife of Sir John Blount II. Sir John Blount II had a son with Isabel, also named John. John inherited Kinlet after his father's death. The estate was passed onto Humphery Blount (grandson of Sir John Blount and his marriage with Isabel) in 1453.
Sir George Blount inherited Kinlet in 1531, on the death of his father,
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
. In 1581, Sir George Blount gave Kinlet to Rowland Lacon, son of his eldest sister Agnes, married to Sir Richard Lacon, instead of his only surviving child, Dorothy.
At his death, Rowland Lacon was succeeded by his son, Sir Francis Lacon, who married Jane, daughter of the Viscount of Montague in 1589.
The marriage of Ann Lacon to Sir William Childe in 1640, bought the Childe family to Shropshire. Their eldest son, Sir Lacon Childe, was left the lordship at Kinlet and
Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226.''Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi ...
, whilst their younger two sons, Thomas and William, were left the manor of Earnwood. After the death of Sir Lacon Childe, Kinlet was held by his nephew, William Lacon Childe. He rebuilt
Kinlet Hall in 1729.
The surrounding village is likely to have been cleared at this time, with the building of the village school in its current location, establishing this as the centre of the village.
He also earned substantial revenue from the Kinlet estate. This included sales of produce, bark and rent payments.
His daughter inherited Kinlet and married Charles Baldwyn. In 1919, much of the Kinlet estate was put up for sale.
The village
The centre of the village is located at the meeting of the roads,
B4363 and B4194. In the centre of the village there is a primary school. Kinlet C of E Primary school caters for children aged between 4 and 11 years old.
There is also an independent, residential school to the north-west of the village, Moffats School, which is for children aged between 4 and 13 years old and has been based in
Kinlet Hall since the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Older pupils travel to the
Lacon Childe School in
Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226.''Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi ...
.
There are two
public houses
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
in the parish, The Eagle and Serpent in village of Kinlet and the Button Oak Inn in the village of
Button Oak
Button Oak is a small village in the English county of Shropshire, England. It is 3 miles north east of Bewdley.
Button Oak is very similar to nearby village Kinlet, in whose civil parish it lies, and Button Bridge which are also small residen ...
. There is also a village hall and a residential care home.
Churches
There are two churches in the parish.
St. John the Baptist church is the Anglican parish church located along the drive to
Kinlet Hall. The church is a stone structure built by the
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
and is Grade I listed by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
.
Within the church there are standing monuments to Sir George Blount and his wife, Constantia, dated 1581. There are also tombs for Sir Humphrey Blount and his wife, Elizabeth and
Sir John Blount and his wife, Catherine. The church was restored in 1892 by
John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott (17 July 1841 – 30 May 1913) was a British architect.
Biography
He was the son of Sir Gilbert Scott (George Gilbert Scott) and his wife Caroline (née Oldrid). His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles G ...
who later designed the memorial to Major Charles Baldwyn Childe (killed in
Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
1900).
St Andrew's Church in
Button Oak
Button Oak is a small village in the English county of Shropshire, England. It is 3 miles north east of Bewdley.
Button Oak is very similar to nearby village Kinlet, in whose civil parish it lies, and Button Bridge which are also small residen ...
is also an Anglican church. It was built in the 19th century as a mission church for people working in the
Wyre Forest
__NOTOC__
Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural (partially unmanaged) woodland and forest measuring which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England. Knowles Mill, a former corn mill owned by the National Trust, lies wi ...
.
Demography
The population of Kinlet was 602 at the time of the first census in
1801
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland is completed under the Act of Union 1800, bringing about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the abolition of the Parliament of I ...
.
The population fell slowly over the next seventy years, reaching a low of 431 at the 1871 census.
After this, the population of Kinlet rose sharply, reaching 558 in the 1891 census.
The early 20th Century saw the population stabilise until
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
There was no census in 1941 because of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The population increased from 494 in the 1951 census to 549 in the 1971 census.
There is very little employment in the area, with people travelling to nearby towns such as
Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226.''Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi ...
and
Highley
Highley is a large village in Shropshire, England, on the west bank of the River Severn and 7 miles south east of Bridgnorth. The closest cities being Wolverhampton and Birmingham. History
Highley began as a rural farming community, includin ...
. The last shop and post office in the village closed in the 1980s.
The census which was carried out in
2001 showed Kinlet to have a population of 680.
Population data between 1801 and 1961 is from Vision of Britain and Histpop.
The Census of 1831 showed that the majority of people were employed in the agriculture sector, surveying males aged over 20. Agricultural labourers were the most common occupation with 90, followed by retail and handicrafts with 16. Little had changed by the census of 1881 with 102 males and one female employed in agriculture. Females were also surveyed, with 74 classified as having an unknown occupation.
Transport
There is a bus service through the village, operated by
Central Buses. The number 125 bus service operates Mondays to Saturdays, from
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Histor ...
to
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...
.
Notable people
*
Elizabeth Blount
Elizabeth Blount (// – 1540), commonly known during her lifetime as Bessie Blount, was a mistress of Henry VIII of England.
Early life
Blount was the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Kinlet, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Si ...
(c.1498-1540), mistress of
Henry VIII, was daughter of Sir John Blount of Kinlet.
*
John Rea (died 1681), horticulturalist, kept nursery garden at Kinlet at time of his death.
*
John Brickdale Blakeway
John Brickdale Blakeway (24 June 1765 – 10 March 1826) was an English barrister, cleric and topographer.
Life
The eldest son of Joshua Blakeway, of Shrewsbury, by Elizabeth, sister of Matthew Brickdale, Member of Parliament for Bristol, he ...
(1765-1826), topographer, was Vicar of Kinlet 1800-1816.
*
William Bruere Otter (1805-1876), ultimately
Archdeacon of Lewes, was Vicar of Kinlet 1837-1847.
*
Professor Peter Bullock (1937 in Kinlet-2008), soil scientist and a member of the
IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ...
.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Kinlet
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Villages in Shropshire
Civil parishes in Shropshire