22-569: The Nesscliffe Training Area is a military training facility located near Nesscliffe in Shropshire . The training area is located on and around the former Central Ammunition Depot at Nesscliffe. The CAD was fed from the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway which ran through the camp and the training area. The railway was taken over by the War Department in 1940. Since 1961, the 1,681 acres (680 ha) of flat pastureland form
44-474: A reputation for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. In return, the locals protected him, and gave him and his horse ('Beelzebub') food. One time, in an attempt to capture Kynaston, the local sheriff removed several planks from Montford Bridge , to keep him from crossing the River Severn , but his horse managed to leap and safely clear the distance. It is also said that he was a regular patron at
66-526: Is found on Nesscliffe Hill. The Nesscliffe Rock Cave is part of the Nesscliffe Country Park. It is a small sandstone cave and is better known as Kynaston's Cave as it is the place he and his steed Beelzebub sought refuge. The entrance to the cave is six metres above ground level and stairs were cut into the soft rock, however over time the stairs have eroded. Inside the cave can be seen two chambers approximately four square metres big and
88-599: Is located south of the entrance to the Park and was said to be the watering hole of Humphrey Kynaston. Inside, the seat from Kynaston's cave is now part of the Inn's fireplace. The park itself is divided into three areas, from south to north: Nesscliffe Hill, Hopton Hill and The Cliffe (latter also accessible by footpath from Ruyton-XI-Towns ). Shruggs Common, believed to be the smallest common in Shropshire of approximately 1/4 acre,
110-507: Is one working pub , The Old Three Pigeons ; a former pub, the Nesscliffe Hotel , was ultimately a Chinese restaurant /takeaway called China Rose but it has been closed and near-derelict for a number of years. It appears that the owners wish to develop the site for housing. The Nesscliffe Village Hall is used by the whole community for clubs, groups, meetings and events. There is a strong and dedicated committee who ensure that
132-522: Is represented on the Great Ness and Little Ness Parish council, which meet on the first Tuesday of every month, except for January and August, at Nesscliffe Village Hall or Little Ness Village Hall. It is also represented on the unitary Shropshire Council and in the Shrewsbury and Atcham Parliamentary constituency . The village has a primary school (St Andrew's C.of.E. ) and post office. There
154-512: Is situated in the parish, in the nearby village of Little Ness . The Great Ness parish First World War war memorial, in form of a red sandstone cross, is located in Nesscliffe at the old A5 roadside. It lists nine men who died and 57 who served in that war. Nesscliffe Country park lies just off the A5 between Oswestry and Shrewsbury. The Old Three Pigeons Inn , dated back to the 15th century,
176-443: Is well known, how he died and where are disputed. Some sources claim he lived comfortably in an estate near Welshpool until he died, and others claim he died of illness in his cave. Today, the cave is known as Kynaston's Cave, and is located at 52°46′1.78″N 2°54′46.09″W / 52.7671611°N 2.9128028°W / 52.7671611; -2.9128028 . It has two rooms; Kynaston lived in one, and stabled Beelzebub in
198-610: The British Army 's Nesscliffe training area (NTA), capable of accommodation up to 530 personnel. The bunkers once used to house ammunition are still used as of 2014 in training exercises. As well as Regular and Reserve troops, Nesscliffe is used extensively by local CCF and ACF units. The NTA is also used constantly through the year by helicopters from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury for training pilots and crew. Despite
220-623: The United States Army Air Forces , the second being in Shepton Mallet , Somerset. Locomotives and train drivers were provided by the Royal Engineers , who also maintained the extensive network. Their main servicing depot for rolling stock was on the stub-junction of the former branchline to Criggion . Ammunition storage officially stopped in 1959 on site, and the ammunition depot closed in 1961, when
242-536: The Hall is well maintained, and who organise events throughout the year. Events and news are published on the community website and Facebook page. The site of a cave used by the highwayman , Humphrey Kynaston now forms part of the Nesscliffe Hill Country Park. One mile south-west are the earthwork remains of Wilcott Castle, a small motte castle. The independent girls' boarding school Adcote
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#1732790190717264-641: The High Sheriff of Shropshire, he was convicted of murder in 1491. After being outlawed, he moved into a cave in the area and lived a lifestyle compared to Robin Hood . Kynaston was the youngest son of Sir Roger Kynaston (c. 1432/1433–1495), High Sheriff of Shropshire , who was thought to have killed Lord Audley at the Battle of Blore Heath , and Roger's second wife, Lady Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, 2nd Earl of Tankerville and Antigone Plantagenet ,
286-528: The Old Three Pigeons tavern at Nesscliffe in Shropshire, and his original seat is still there. He may have been pardoned by Henry VII in 1493, but some accounts state that in 1513, Humphrey provided 100 men to aid Henry VIII in France, and in return received a royal pardon 3 to 5 years later. Kynaston left a will dated 1 May 1534, which was proved 26 January 1535. While the year of his death
308-494: The date 1564 carved into one of the walls, followed by the initials of H.K., reputedly of Humphrey Kynaston . A wooden staircase once existed to give access to the cave but was not extant as of 2015; today the steps have been fenced off and the mouth and window of the cave shut off by grids. During the 1930s, there was a recognition of a need to provide secure storage for munitions within the United Kingdom. The proposal
330-510: The estate to fall into disrepair. He was married at least twice, firstly to Mariona ferch Williamus ap Griffith ap Robin. They had two children: Kynaston later married Isabella ferch Maredudd ap Howell ap Morrice of Oswaldestre ( Oswestry ), daughter of Maredudd of Glascoed and Thomasina Ireland of Wrexham , Denbighshire . They had six children: It is further thought that he married Margred ferch William on 4 August 1497, with whom he had another two children: On 20 December 1491, Kynaston
352-511: The extensive property, the MoD took over the virtually defunct Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway from 1941, and built extensive additional service tracks along the 8.75 miles (14.08 km) of railway line from Maesbrook to the former Ford and Crossgate railway station, south of the River Severn . Like a typical ammunition depot, the site was laid out over an extensive area to avoid total destruction should an accidental explosion occur, or
374-499: The legitimised daughter of Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester (son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun ) and second wife Eleanor de Cobham . He was raised in Myddle Castle , which Roger had inherited from his first wife Elizabeth Cobham. He received his "wild" nickname from his outrageous lifestyle, which frequently got him into trouble with the law. Kynaston later inherited Myddle Castle from his father, but allowed
396-522: The name of the nearby village, officials at the Ministry of Defence spell the camp and training area Nesscliff . Nesscliffe Nesscliffe is a village in Shropshire , England, located north of the River Severn . The village comes under the Great Ness parish. The A5 road , which previously ran through the village, now runs around the village on a dual-carriageway by-pass. Nesscliffe
418-583: The railway tracks were removed. Operational locomotives were moved to the Longmoor Military Railway , while the non-operational were sold-off commercially. Since 1961 the site has been part of the Nesscliffe Training Area . Shropshire Council website: Humphrey Kynaston Humphrey Kynaston (died 1534), aka Wild Humphrey Kynaston , was an English highwayman who operated in the Shropshire area. The son of
440-501: The site be attacked by enemy. The site was made up of four sub-sites: Kinnerley, Pentre, Ford, and Argoed. The four sites were capable of storing around 50,000 tonnes (55,000 tons) of shells. There was also a sub-site at Loton Park, under the Alberbury medieval deer park , used for storage of both incendiary ammunition and chemical weapons shells from 1943. This was one of two CW depots operated in co-operation with and guarded by
462-508: Was found guilty of the murder of John Hughes at Stretton , and declared an outlaw by Henry VII . Some time after that, he moved from Myddle castle to a cave in Nesscliffe Rock . Some sources claim that the reason he moved was due to the criminal charges, and others claim that he was outlawed due to debts. From 1491 to 1518, Kynaston supposedly lived a life that would match the fictional character Robin Hood . It seems he had
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#1732790190717484-515: Was to create three Central Ammunition Depots (CAD) in easily hewn and relatively horizontal rocks: one in the south ( Monkton Farleigh ); one in the north of England ( Longtown, Cumbria ); and one in the Midlands (Nesscliffe). While Monkton Farleigh came into operations in 1939, CAD Nesscliffe was developed by the War Office / Ministry of Defence after the start of World War II . To service
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