Kinnerley
village and civil parish in Shropshire, United Kingdom
Kinnerley (historic Welsh name: Generdinlle) is a small village in Shropshire, England. It lies between the neighbouring villages of Dovaston and Pentre and the nearest town is Oswestry. To the north is the village of Knockin.
History
A mile to the south is the motte and bailey castle known as Belan Bank. The medieval castle was destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, during the reign of Henry III.
John Bridgeman, Bishop of Chester, who died in 1652, is buried in St Mary's parish church, and Alfred Payne, a first-class cricketer who died in 1927, is buried in the churchyard.
To the north of the village is the site of Lady Ida's Well close to the Weir Brook. It takes its name from Lady Ida Lumley, wife of the 4th Earl of Bradford, who discovered a natural water spring in 1895 and championed its health benefits.
Wartime role
In the Second World War the area around the village became a top-secret bomb storage depot. Kinnerley was chosen because of its central location within the UK and because it had a railway link. The line was operated by the military (until it was closed in 1960).
The public source identifies “Kinnerley” as village and civil parish in Shropshire, United Kingdom. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kinnerley, village and civil.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kinnerley”, the useful work is to connect “village and civil parish in Shropshire, United Kingdom” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2030644. Authority coordinates are 52.782, -2.983. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1652, 1927, 1895 and 1960.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kinnerley”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kinnerley primary sources, Kinnerley archive and Kinnerley research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kinnerley”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kinnerley” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.