Richard Knill

Richard Knill (14 April 1787 – 2 January 1857) was an English missionary.

Life

He was born at Braunton, Devon, on 14 April 1787, the fourth child of Richard Knill, a carpenter (died 15 December 1826), and Mary Tucker (died 1826). In 1804 he enlisted as a soldier, and was shortly afterwards bought out by his friends. He became a student of the Western Academy at Axminster in 1812, and under the influence of a sermon by Dr. Alexander Waugh, volunteered for missionary work.

He was accepted by the London Missionary Society, and embarked for Madras 20 April 1816. There he engaged in English services for the schools, soldiers and residents, while studying the native languages. His health soon failed, and he was sent in September 1818 to Nágarkoil in Travancore, where, after suffering from the cholera, he returned to England 30 November 1819. A cold climate was recommended, and he sailed on 18 October 1820 for St. Petersburg, intending to proceed to Siberia as a missionary. On the persuasion of the British and Americans, he consented to remain in that city, where he laboured successfully, and obtained the support of the emperor and the royal family.He also met various members of the Russian nobility including several of the Golitsyn family especially Prince Aleksandr Nicolaevich Golitsyn who served as President of the Russian Bible Society. He was a friend of John Venning and John Paterson who were missionaries as well as advocates of Russian prison reform.

Knill

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

Recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Chenille (from the Old English meaning 'Place by the hillock') the little village of Knill sits just inside the Herefordshire side of the border with Wales, 4.5 km (2.8 mi) south west of Presteigne and very much in '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 and this has now 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 hatchments of the Walsham family, who formerly lived at Knill Court, a large country house which was destroyed by a fire in 1943.

Knill is one of two Thankful Villages in Herefordshire - those rare places that suffered no fatalities during the 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, which greets visitors with the inscription:

Knill (surname)

Knill is a place.

Knill may also refer to: The surname Knill is of Manx origin and is the equivalent of McNeill, MacNeill or Neill (Mac Néill in Irish; Mac Nèill in Scottish) in Ireland and Scotland. It is derived from the Manx for "son of Neill" and is an alternative to the more common Anglicisation of Kneale.