Old churchyard Ommetje Knegsel

The first mention in history about Knegsel dates back to 1281. The village was then called "Cneczele". The village was originally located where the Old Cemetery is still located but relocated after 1688, when it was largely destroyed by French army troops.

Residents settled elsewhere, creating hamlets - "corners" - such as Sneidershoek, Driehuis, Den Hoek, Wolfshoek, Nardushoek. In search of fertile land, people settled more in the vicinity of the Rijt brook valley, and the road pattern created a brink, today's village centre. For this reason, Knegsel is also called a brink village, meaning "a plaetse built on three sides".

Traditionally, Knegsel is an agricultural village. Cooperation was necessary, hence a Farmers' Union was established even before 1903. Butter making was one such form of cooperation, and from 1897 a shed, located next to the transformation house, served as a butter factory under the name De Vooruitgang. Around 1917, the small hand-powered dairy transferred to a steam-powered dairy nearby.

Knegsel already had a few taprooms in the 19th century, but a real café near the church came about in 1899, when Johannes Heeren had a café built on the Groen. Café 'in 't Groen' later became café 'Klein Antwerpen' and today it is the house ( het Groen 32 ). For decades, the village square also had a grocery shop ( het Groen 30 ). The village square is now used for village events and under the beautiful lime trees are the Jeu de Boules courts. The square is often the starting and finishing point for cyclists and walkers.

Old churchyard

The Oude Kerkhof, a special place. The monument stands on the site where the small medieval church in Knegsel stood. It survived looting by French army troops in 1688, but had been closed since the Reformation. Pastor Eijcken, had the foundations of the little church uncovered and a monument erected around 1900. On the monument he had telling sayings affixed, alluding to the past Reformation.

Houtwallen

The 'long rampart' surrounded almost all the arable land of Knegsel and separated fields, hayfields and farmers' yards from the heathland, also called "the gemeynt", on which cattle grazed. This prevented cattle from damaging the fields.