The White Horse is a historic two-storey, thatched-roof inn, believed to be at least 400 years old. Located at the heart of Welton on the High Street, it has served the local community for centuries and remains a quintessential village pub.
Circa 2020
The building is constructed in traditional Northamptonshire stone and features beams and log fires.
Over the years, the White Horse has played an important role in village life. It was frequently used for auctions, selling everything from timber to land, livestock to houses, and in fact was still being used for auctions in the 2000s! Numerous newspaper reports record outings and social gatherings beginning from the pub. ‘Smoking concerts’ are something we hadn’t come across before!
The pub was also used for legal matters and trials, for example, the inquest of poor Thomas Townsend.
The White Horse was offered for sale on 17 April 1817, when the pub with ‘brewhouse’ was occupied by Mr Rogers, and it was up for sale again in 1826. It was advertised once more on 9 January 1833, when the occupant was Mr Farr. Could this be Issac Farr, the wife of Jane Farr who brewed her own beer from her home opposite the pub?
It appears the sale was unsuccessful because here it is again in 1834, still occupied by Mr Farr, stating the sale is to pay off a mortgage. We can also see that there was a butcher’s shop adjoining it.
The White Horse and Northampton Brewery Company
By the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, the White Horse had become a tied house of the Northampton Brewery Company (NBC). NBC was established in 1856 and went on to become a major regional brewer and owner of tied public houses. Its distinctive branding was displayed on many of its houses, including the White Horse.
The photo on the left below dated approximately 1895–1905, shows a prominent NBC sign on the side of the building advertising its “Noted Stout”.
Left approx 1895 – 1905, right approx 1990
The photograph aligns with the period when Thomas Rixon was landlord, which was between at least 1898 and 1902. There is a sad report on how his young son died at the pub in 1902 after having had a fit.
Other landlord/ladies that we are aware of are listed below. If you have any more information please let us know:
Recorded landlords of The White Horse – click here
1808 – Mr Piddington
1817 – Mr Rogers
1833 – Mr Farr
At least 1847–1854 – Henry Harris
At least 1869–1871 – William Harris (son of Henry), his wife Elizabeth, son Thomas and daughters Jane and Elizabeth
1885 – Elizabeth Harris (daughter of William)
At least 1890 – 1892 – Thomas Harris (son of William)
1894 – George Dunkley
At least 1898–1902 – Thomas Rixon, his wife Edith, children George, Edith and Harry, and parents-in-law George and Elizabeth Osborne. Their son Horace died in 1902 as a baby.
1906 – Frederick Green
At least 1911–1920 – John Henry Dench, his wife Mary Ann Dench and daughter Mary Ethel
At least 1939 – 1940 – Percy B. Woodward and housekeeper Ida Lamb
1940 -1947 – Ida Beatrice Lamb (Mr Woodward’s housekeeper)
1947 -1951 – Harry Smith
1952 – Phyllis May Mawby and her husband Wal, a plumber
1953 – Alice Dora Garratt
1955 – Henry Clarke
1958 – Lilian May Smith
1959 – 1960 – Peggie Lizzy Corney
1960 – 1963 – Fred and Pam Cave
1963 – Gordon Ferdinand
1969 – 1981 – Maureen and Colin Brown with sons Stephen and Darren
mid 1980s – ??? Jacobs
1987 – Carol and David ???
1990 – 1994 – Dennis Ellerby
1994 -1997 – Colin and Valerie Whale
1997 – 2005 – Jason and Nicola Stacey
– ?? – 2011 John and Jackie Collier
2011 – 2022 – Margaret Elcock
2022 – present – Ellie Ponder
Interestingly, in 1892, while the White Horse was held by NBC, the pub was reportedly due for closure. This may have due to the death of Thomas Harris, as can be seen by the cutting on the left.
Fortunately for Welton, this did not happen, and the White Horse continued to serve the village.
In 1957, NBC merged with Phipps & Co. to form the Phipps Northampton Brewery Company.
When you could live in the dining room
The part of the pub that is used as the dining room used to be a separate cottage, as can be seen on the painting below. This was around the 1940s/50s, and local woman Barbara Franklin lived in the cottage as a child. This discovery explains the 2nd door that still remains today. Note in this picture the roof appears to be tin.
Disaster strikes for the locals
In 1963 villagers went for three months without beer thanks to a dispute between landlords Fred and Pam Cave and the Phipps Brewery. It seems they felt they were having to subsidise the pub out of their own money. After 3 months the pub got its beer back when a licence was granted to Gordon Ferdinand in May of that year.
“My dad grew dahlias in the day and would adorn the pub. I would walk down with them and the lovely Maureen {Brown} gave me Coca-Cola, crisps, chocolate, raisins, peanuts and all manner of confectionery.”
Resident’s memory from the early 1970s
At some point in its life the original thatched roof was covered with a tin one. The situation was rectified by Dennis Ellerby when he moved from being a tenant to a lessee in 1990. Here’s the pub getting a new thatch during an eight week process, using reeds imported from Hungary, at a cost of £20,000.
The thatch was replaced again after this in the 2010s and still looks beautiful!
The White Horse continues to quench the thirst of villagers today, and has been voted most dog friendly pub in Northamptonshire and in 2026, was recognised for the quality of its beer when it was awarded the regional CAMRA Country Pub of the Year award for 2026.
The original village hall was the “Old School” building, put to this use once the school moved onto its current site in 1915.
It was a substantial stone building, built by the Clarke family around 1820. For many years it served as an important centre for village life, providing a venue for education, meetings, entertainments, religious activities and community events.
Darker buildings next to pub: Old School building and master’s house circa 1955
The first headmaster to lead the school in the new building, Mr Bond, still lived in the master’s house adjoining the old school building, and was followed there by Miss Burrows. The old school could also be brought back into use on occasions when circumstances required it. During one such period, when burst pipes affected the present school, lessons were held in the old building.
The interior
The hall was relatively basic by modern standards. Lighting was provided by oil lamps suspended from the ceiling, while heating came from a central stove, usually fuelled with coke, together with an open fire at the end of the room. The arrangements reflected the limitations of a village building of the period and would certainly not meet modern standards of fire safety.
A small stage was provided for performances and concerts. Although considered inadequate, it was used regularly and provided the setting for many successful village productions. The stage was evidently in poor condition, with local memories recalling performers occasionally disappearing through gaps at the sides before being retrieved and the performance continuing.
Costumes for productions were made locally. Mrs Mary Pimlett’s mother and the caretaker, Mrs Clarke, are particularly remembered for making costumes to suit the different characters and performances.
Welton Players 1920s
Entertainment and social activities
The hall provided one of the principal venues for entertainment in the village. Concerts and theatrical productions were regularly staged, including performances by travelling theatrical companies. The Church Army also visited with its ‘Magic Lantern’ shows, which provided an important form of visual entertainment before modern cinema and television became widely available.
Note:
The Church Army used magic lanterns extensively from the late 19th through the early 20th centuries as a primary tool for evangelism, temperance education, and social outreach across the UK. Operating through dedicated mobile vans and urban mission halls, evangelists projected hand-tinted glass slides to draw crowds and illustrate gospel messages.
Dancing was another popular activity, with music provided by Mr Sam Cox and his players. The hall subsequently hosted old-time dancing lessons and other social gatherings.
The Mothers’ Union, Girls’ Club and, later, the Women’s Institute were all active users of the building. Mrs Garrard of Welton Place was a prominent figure in all of these organisations and in village activities more generally.
The library and Sunday School
A small room adjoining the main hall served several purposes. It housed the crockery and other equipment required for refreshments, but also contained books used by the Sunday School.
The Sunday School itself was held in the old school building. It was initially taught under the guidance of Miss May West who in later life became Sister May West – a nun – and lived in Plympton. And later by Mrs Joan Gulliver, who continued to teach generations of local children for approximately thirty years.
Religious and community events
The building was also used for religious purposes when St Martin’s Church was undergoing renovation, with services being held in the hall during the work.
May Day was an important village occasion. Following activities around the village and the outlying farms, children were welcomed back to the hall for tea. The day’s collection was divided as part of the traditional celebrations.
May Day celebrations 1920s
Photographs of village events were also taken at the hall. One recollection describes villagers proceeding down the stone steps into the yard to have their photographs taken by Mr Long, using an early camera.
The hall played a role in charitable activities as well. During the winter, food was distributed to those in need, while the annual Harvest Festival included a sale of donated produce and goods, orchestrated by Mr Gil Tebbit.
The hall during wartime
During the Second World War, the building continued to serve the community. Dances were held as part of fundraising activities for Salute the Soldier, a wartime savings campaign.
The hall also provided temporary accommodation on at least one occasion. During a miners’ strike, striking miners passing through the area were reportedly allowed to stay overnight in the building.
Later uses
In later years the hall continued to accommodate a wide range of village activities, including first-aid courses, dancing classes, fêtes and wedding receptions. Notices advertising forthcoming events were displayed in the hall windows, and at Christmas the building was decorated with a Christmas tree.
The annual fête was among the regular community occasions associated with the building, with local volunteers taking responsibility for organising and running events and sales.
A centre of village life
The old school and village hall therefore served a much wider purpose than its original educational role.
Its importance reflected the close-knit nature of village life at the time. Families knew one another, children attended activities together and many organisations relied on the same building.
The old building remained an important part of Welton’s community life until the provision of a new village hall.
The new village hall
During the 1960s it became apparent that the Old School was not really fit for purpose and a Village Hall Committee was established, led by the vicar Rev Pilkington, with the aim of fund raising to pay for a new one.
An initial time scale of 12 years was envisaged, but the village was extremely grateful to Lady Reddish (of Welton House), who donated the whole cost of building a new hall. Her generosity had brought down the waiting time to 12 months.
It was built during 1966, on land donated by Sir Halford Reddish and was opened in April 1967 by Mary Pilkington, wife of the vicar. It is clear from the press cutting below that the whole village was involved in getting the project completed.
Fortunately Welton had a resident builder, and the physical build was conducted through the ‘skilful hands of Mr Frank Emery and his son’. Frank is seen, left, working on the project.
The Emerys are a long established Welton family, still residing in Welton today. Frank also built Kiln House, which he then lived in, and the next door bungalow for his son John as well as many other buildings in the village.
Today’s hall remains at the centre of village life with a full diary accommodating exercise and sports, theatre, bridge, brownies and guides as well as hosting parties, celebrations and wakes over the last 60 years.
We do not know exactly when the first chapel was built on this site, but there was certainly one here in Anglo-Saxon times, the foundations of which are believed to lie beneath part of the church. It began as a chapel attached to the priory church at Daventry, and the Anglo-Saxon font can still be seen in the present building (see later in article).
Because it was a chapel rather than a parish church, burials were not permitted in the churchyard. Instead, villagers paid a “heriot” (burial fee) to the church in Daventry to be permitted to bury their dead there.
Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, life may have remained relatively calm for a few years. However, probably during the 1070s, Osbern de Neufmarche and his forces arrived and “violently seized” the chapel.
This was likely connected to the widespread rebellion in support of Edgar the Ætheling and his claim to the English throne. We can imagine local rebels seeking refuge inside the chapel, although the historical record does not tell us how events unfolded.
In 1135, William de Neufmarche, his son, returned the chapel to the monks of Daventry requesting pardon for himself and his father, as they had “unjustly and forcibly taken” the chapel.
On 2nd February 1141 the chapel was redesignated as the Parish Church of St Martin’s, rather than remaining a chapel of St Augustine’s Church in Daventry, which was attached to the Priory there. Even so, burial rights continued to belong to the Priory. Villagers still had to carry their dead to Daventry and continue to pay a “heriot” for burial. Church Court records show that when people were buried in Welton without permission, the bodies had to be exhumed and taken to Daventry.
Structural history
It is presumed that the base of the tower is oldest part of the current building. The walls of the building, of squared and coursed ironstone rubble are very thick except for a recess at the west end beneath the tower, which may have been the original entrance to the church.
The higher level of the tower appears to have been added later, with windows in the Early English style – i.e. simple, lancet windows with a pointed rather than rounded top.
This may have been when the roof of the nave was lowered. If you look closely at the east side of the tower where the tower wall links to the nave, you can clearly see the pointed inverted V line of an earlier, higher but narrower nave roof from a time when the church was far more modest in size.
The early medieval roof would have been thatch. The church tower had corner pinnacles until 1945 when 2 were removed, leaving the remaining 2 until 1950.
By the 13th century, Welton’s population had grown significantly from the 10 households recorded in the 1085 Domesday Book.
The field records for the late 13th century showed a higher population within the area, indicating the need for a larger church, so it is likely that the nave was widened by the addition of the north and south aisles at this time, although it was still smaller than the present building. A carving of a lion’s head on the west wall dates from this period. Viewed from the side, it appears to have wings, suggesting it may represent the winged lion, symbol of St Mark, and perhaps once formed part of a set of apostolic carvings around the church.
The church was also extensively modified during the late 13th / early 14th centuries in the “Early English / Decorated” style of Gothic architecture: put simply, this is recognised by the introduction of pointed arched lancet windows, although some later windows have more elaborate stone tracery (carvings) within the windows, characteristic of the “perpendicular” style of architecture that developed later in the 14th century.
A document dating from the late 13th century refers to the Alter to St. Mary in the Church of St Martin’s, which was probably situated at the East end of the South Aisle (i.e. to the right of the chancel as you enter the church today.)
The Church and the Black Death
Extending a church is often indicative of increased wealth within the area. Whilst we cannot be sure that applies here, it is certainly reasonable to assume that the building would have been developed prior to the 1348 pestilence, after which reduced population sizes and financial difficulties within the Priory would have made any rebuilding both impossible and unnecessary.
The Black Death devastated Welton, as it did across the country, reducing the overall population by between 30% and 40%. It devastated villages in waves of outbreaks right up to the 1360s.
It is believed that the south porch and vestry are later additions to the building. The nave possibly 19th century and the porch 16th / 17th century.
The Church in the later Middle Ages
Historically, Daventry Priory held the “Chapel of Welton.” In 1526 the Priory was closed on the orders of Cardinal Wolsey, shortly before the Dissolution of the Monasteries led by Cromwell for Henry VIII. Daventry was just one of several priories that Wolsey “dissolved” to generate income, much of which he used to found an Oxford College in his name: initially Cardinal College, Oxford founded in 1525, now Christ Church College. Thus, Daventry Priory’s rights over Welton, along with associated tithe lands, were transferred to Christ Church, Oxford.
The college still holds the silverware of Daventry Priory to this day.
St Martin’s Silver and Plate - click here
Item
Description
Silver paten (c.1700)
Weight: 8.3 oz; diameter 6¾"; foot 2¾"; height 1¾".
Marks: D H in irregular oblong, indistinct, twice repeated.
Gilt upper surface; embossed oak leaf border; closed foot plate.
Silver paten (1809)
Weight: 9.15 oz; same size as c.1700 paten.
London marks.
Made to match the first paten; identical except not gilt.
Silver flagon (1814)
Weight: 18.1 oz; height 9½"; top diameter 3"; foot 3½".
London hallmarks.
Jug‑shaped; embossed oak leaves; flat lid and handle.
Inscription around foot:
“The gift of John Plomer Clarke and Anna Maria Charlotte his wife 1811”.
Silver cup (1878)
Weight: 7.14 oz; height 7"; bowl diameter 2½"; foot 2¾".
London hallmarks.
Small spherical bowl, gilt inside; sacred initials outside; slight knop on stem; plain foot.
Replaced an older acorn‑shaped cup (similar to Fotheringay).
Two pewter plates
Diameter: 9".
Marks:
(1) X crowned
(2) Flower between leaves; “Francis” above; “Piggot” below
(3) Oblong: “Newgate Street, London”
Pewter plate
Diameter: 9".
Marks:
(1) Rose crowned with “London”
(2) Wheel with “In. Watts”
(3) Scroll: “WI…Aldgate”
Pewter plate
Diameter: 9".
Marks:
(1) I.W. in two joined semicircles
(2) Lion passant
(3) Britannia
(4) Covered cup
All marks in small oblongs.
All four pewter plates are plain.
John Plomer Clarke
Son of John Plomer (who took Clarke name and arms).
Born August 1776; married daughter of Sir John Nethorp of Scawby.
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1814); Lt. Colonel of Western Regiment of Northamptonshire Militia.
Died 23 March 1826; buried in chancel of St Martin’s.
Monument erected by his wife.
Note
A paten is a shallow precious‑metal plate used in the Eucharist to hold the consecrated bread.
After this transfer, burials were finally permitted in Welton itself, probably following the reconsecration of the “chapel” (as it was still called in some documents) in 1531.
It is believed that there were some burials within the church and there is a family crypt of the Clarke family, but the exact location of this is no longer known. 19th Century refurbishment plans suggest stairs in the nave, north of the tower arch, which may have led to a crypt.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Lord of the Manor was Richard Knightley, a committed Puritan. Not unsurprisingly, Welton Church became one of the radical Puritan churches within Northamptonshire.
As a result of the Puritans’ very strict belief in simplicity and lack of adornment – as well as their hatred of all things deemed to be “popeish” and associated with the Catholic Church - the decorated rood screen (a feature of early medieval churches that shielded the chancel from the nave) was likely removed and the walls covered with whitewash to hide decorative medieval wall painting at this time.
Worth a visit: It is worth visiting the church at Ashby St Ledgers, where the remains of medieval wall painting suggest how St Martin’s may once have looked.
Sir Richard Knightly appointed Eusebius Walker as vicar. This was well before Puritanism became widespread in England, and bishops regarded the move with caution. Walker attracted the attention of the Bishop of Peterborough after he excommunicated Joan Green for complaining about the length of services. Sermons at the time could last 3 hours or more!
The 19th century
During the nineteenth century places of religious worship expanded in Welton, with the development of two Nonconformist chapels: a Baptist Chapel at the corner of Ashby Road and Station Road, and a Methodist (Wesleyan) Chapel in Well Lane.
In the latter half of the century, the vicar, Rev. Darnell, who also ran a boarding school from what is now Stone House, together with Richard Trevor Clarke, oversaw major restorations to the church, including repairs to the roof and floor and the installation of stained-glass windows.
At the end of the 19th century the new vicar, Edward Liddell, sought to support unemployed young men by organising woodwork classes to teach practical skills. Their craftsmanship can still be seen in the church, particularly in the intricate fretwork on the pulpit, carved in 1899 by 5 men of the village, and the carved handrail just inside the north door. A brass plaque near the pulpit records the names of those involved.
Sadly, some of the same names later appear in the list of those lost in WWI.
The wonderful wood working skills of men in Welton are also seen in the beautiful alms box. This box for collecting money for the poor of the parish is in the shape of an open hand on top of the box, with the slot for the coin in the palm. The men of the village carved this for Edward Liddell in 1899 as a dedication to his parents.
The 20th century
In 1953 the Aeolian organ was installed, donated by Sir Halford Reddish, and between 1965 and 1968 the beautiful kneelers were created by members of St Martin’s Ladies Guild (and friends), 42 women in total including Olive Hupfield from Welton Manor, Mary Orr from The Manor House (Old Manor Court) and Valerie Reddish from Welton House as well as several members from the same family – Gillott, Kaddy, Lambert, Pilkington, and a few men too: Dennis Stringer and Arthur Robbins!
In 1964 the crucifix above the pulpit was given to the church by Mrs Abbot who was a church warden and had lived at The Stone House.
The roof of the nave was badly damaged by a fire in January 1977. Fortunately, most of the church valuables were able to be saved, however the roof and pews required considerable restoration.
The church bells
The 14th century tower now houses 5 bells, however in 1552 there were “three belles in y steple...” The bells are dated / engraved as follows:
1823 – added by voluntary contribution, cast by W and J Taylor, Oxford
1629 – inscribed with “God Save the King” – a reference to King Charles I (the pledge evidently didn’t work!)
Bell 3 was recast by W and J Taylor, Oxford in 1825; this bell was inscribed “celorum chrste platiat tibi rex sonus iste – 1629” which, Google translate suggests means “Christ, may this sound please you, King”.
1629 – “IHS – Nazar envs Rex..”a variation of the Latin inscription on crucifixes standing for “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” which translates as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”IHS being the first 3 letters of the Greek name for Jesus
1627 – “CUM SONO SI NON VIS VENIRE NONQUAM AD PRECES CVPIFS IRE”- translation here is hard but the gist seems to be that the sound of the bells summons you to prayer.
Back in the day as they say, the bells were rung daily at 5am between Lady Day (22nd March) and Michaelmas (29th September) and 6am during winter months, as well as at noon and the 8pm curfew. The death knell bells also sounded: 3 tolls for men and 2 for women (naturally!) and the tenor bell before and after the funeral. The first 4 bells were rung to indicate divine service.
W & J Taylor was a prominent 19th century bell founding firm. Originally from St Neots, they expanded their operation to Oxford in 1821 until they centralised their operations in Loughborough around 1845. The company was developed by Robert Taylor who took over the St Neots foundry in 1784.
They produced a number of bells worldwide including bells at York Minster and St Paul’s Cathedral and focused on making high quality, “true-harmonic” tuned bells – so next time you hear the bells of Welton – enjoy! They are special!
The interior of the church
One of the most striking features is the floor at the east end of the chancel decorated with 19th century polychromatic marble and malachite.
It is believed that the malachite was gifted to Lady Emma Louisa Tulloch, a friend of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, in return for a quantity of lace she had made herself for his personal use.
But who was Lady Tulloch – and what was she doing in Welton?
Lady Emma Louisa Tulloch (1819–1903) was born in Hull, the youngest daughter of Sir William Hyde Pearson and his wife, Elizabeth. She married Alexander Murray Tulloch, a distinguished Army officer and an important military reformer. Tulloch was also a pioneer in the use of medical statistics to demonstrate the devastating effects of tropical diseases on European troops.
Born in Newry, Northern Ireland, in 1801, the eldest son of Captain John Tulloch of Edinburgh, Alexander was educated in Perth before entering the Army in 1826. He served in India with the 45th Regiment and went on to become a leading figure in Army reform. In 1855, he and Sir John McNeill were sent to the Crimea to investigate the management of the British Army during the campaign. Their report was highly critical and was praised for its “faithful exposure of the errors” that had brought the Army into disrepute.
Alexander Tulloch died unexpectedly on 16 May 1864. The Illustrated London News reported that his “remains were interred on the 20th inst. at Welton, near Daventry”. It appears that he had suffered a short illness and had left London shortly beforehand to inspect a newly purchased property in Dorset. After his death, Lady Tulloch settled at Axminster, where she died in 1903 with an estate valued at £31,563 – equivalent to around £5 million today.
So why were the Tullochs buried in Welton?
The answer seems to lie in a family connection. Lady Emma Tulloch was the sister-in-law of Richard Trevor Clarke. The memorial to Alexander and Emma Tulloch pictured above is in the church.
There are over 30 memorial plaques inside the church which are detailed in the scrollable gallery below.
Sacred to the memory of Joseph Clarke Esq
Whose remains are Deposited near this Monument.
He died April 29th, 1773
In the 75th year of his age. Joseph Clarke built the Clarke family seat, Welton Place, in 1758, a grand mansion originally set in 711 acres of landscaped parkland and finally demolished in 1972. He served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. He died childless, passing the estate on to his brother Richard, below, who also died childless a year later.
Richard Clarke Esq
Departed this life Dec 6th, 1774. Aged 75.
Frances his first wife. Daughter and sole heiress of John and Frances Gardiner died July 20th, 1728. Aged 21. And is buried at Guilsboro’ in this County. John, their only son died May 29th 1729 aged 2 years.
This Mark of grateful esteem is erected by his Grand-Nephew
John, the son of John and Frances Plomer who, in compliance with his Uncle’s Will took the name and Arms of Clarke. Anno 1775
In Memory of Isaac Ashley Esq who died 27th January 173
7 aged 75 Years
Also Mary Ashley wife of the above Isaac Ashley who died 21st October 1738 aged 69 years.
Likewise Elizabeth Clarke widow of Richard Clarke Esq and daughter of Isaac Ashley and Mary his wife
Who departed this life 12th May 1779 aged 63 years
In Memory of John Plomer Esq late of this parish, who died
Dec 18th 1788 Aged 67 years, whose remains are deposited in the Church of Stone , Co Buckingham near to those of his first wife, Frances
Daughter of William Adams Esq of this Parish who died May 29th 1745 Aged 30 years.
William Adams, their second son died in his Infancy – Anno 1774
This monument is erected by desire of their elder and only surviving son, John Clarke
Sacred to the memory of John Clarke Esq, who after a life mark’d by constant and extensive justice, charity and benevolence died Jan 9th, 1805, aged 61, To the irreparable loss of the surrounding country and of his deeply afflicted widow and children by whom as a token of sincere affection this monument is erected.
Mary his pious and affectionate relict closed a truly well spent life on Christmas Day 1816 aged 73.
Henry Joseph their third son died in infancy 1729.
To the Memory of Mary Clarke
Second Daughter of John Clarke Esq
Born March 31st 1774. Died January 19th 1837
And buried in Christ Church Marylebone
“Mary, the wife of John Clarke Esq caused this monument to be placed to the memory of her grandfather James Lidderdale MD who died November 12th 1763 aged 85 , And of his wife Frances who died May 1st 1725 aged 30 and who are buried at Mansfield Co Nottingham.
Also of her Father and Mother Nicholas Child Esq and Helen his wife (only daughter of the above-named James and Frances Lidderdale) who are buried in St Bride’s Church London.
He dying March 19th 1746 aged 43, she, May 15th 1775 aged 69.
Also of her beloved Uncle, James Lidderdale Esq who having tenderly and affectionately supplied the pace of husband and father to his widowed sister and her Daughter. Died July 6th 1775 aged 66 and is buried at Chipstead in Kent.”
“In grateful and lasting testimony of conjugal happiness enjoyed in uninterrupted harmony for a period of twenty years this monument was erected by Anna-Maria Charlotte Clarke to preserve the memory of her beloved husband John Plomer Clarke who closed an useful and beneficient life at his seat in this parish March 23rd 1826 in the 5oth year of his age.
In his public character as a County Magistrate and an able Man of Business his valued services were generally and gratefully acknowledged. In private and social life by the attractive display of qualities singularly mild and amiable he conciliated the regard and esteem of all who had the honour and happiness of his acquaintance. Endued also with uncommon benevolence and tenderness of heart he eagerly sought and diligently improved every opportunity of doing good to his poor neighbours and dependents, constantly adding to their comforts as well as ministering with true Christian liberality to their wants…etc etc”
Anna – Maria Charlotte above named died June 1st 1831 (nee Nelthorp)
John Plomer Clarke was grand-nephew to Richard Clarke and inherited the estate in 1774, a military leader who raised the Daventry Volunteers and commanded the Northamptonshire local militia.
Latin inscribed table commemorating:
Richard Clarke: died 16th December 1829 (born Dec 1777)
and Phillippa (his wife) who died on 26th November 1845
(nee Tymns / born 1780)
Sacred to the loving memory of
Lieut Col Richard Trevor Clarke of Welton Place
Born 20th August 1813. Died 11th April 1897
Also of Fanny Maria, his wife
2nd daughter of Sir William Hyde and Elizabeth Janer Pearson
Died 5th June 1885
RT Clarke was a renowned horticulturalist and founder of the RHS Scientific Committee. He populated Welton Place with many exotic trees and plants.
“Sacred to the memory of Alexander Murray Tulloch, Major-General in Her Majesty’s Army, and Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath who was suddenly called top his rest on Whitmonday May 16th 1864 in the 61st year of his age.
Also of Emma Louisa Tulloch, his wife, who died June 8th 1903.
Emma Tulloch was born Pearson and was the sister to Fanny Maria, who was married to Lieut.Col. Richard Trevor Clarke above.
It seems the Tullochs were visiting Welton when Alexander died.
(For more information see profile of Clarke family)
In loving memory of George Henry Clarke, Captain R.N.
Son of Richard Clarke Esq of Welton Place
(Syrian, Turkish, Burmese and Baltic Medals)
Died at Teddington, April 10th 1899, aged 83 and of
Elizabeth Malone Clarke, nee D’Arcy, of Clifden Castle Co. Galway
Died July 22nd 1909, aged 86. (Elizabeth was a wealthy Irish heiress)
“They were lovely and pleasant in their lives.”
Sacred to the memory of The Reverend John Alexander Clarke MA
Vicar of Stratfield Mortimer, Berkshire
Second son of Richard Clarke Esq and Phillippa, his wife
Of Welton Place
Born September 9th 1814, died January 27th 1860
Also of
Mary Emma, his wife
Born January 22nd 1821
Died November 26th 1891
Sacred to the memory of Caroline Charlotte [Clarke]
Wife of Major Guiseppe Trombone and eldest daughter of Richard Clarke Esq of Welton Place and Phillippa, his wife.
Born December 2nd 1817. Died at Turin 29th September 1860.
Also of
Mary Susan, wife of Lieut. Colonel Ottavio Baratti and youngest daughter of Richard Clarke Esq of Welton Place and Phillippa, his wife.
Born November 24th 1819. Died at Milan 12th December 1802.
Major Guiseppe Trombone: An Internet search records a memorial to a Major Guiseppe Trombone: born Vercelli in 1822, he enlisted as a volunteer and died fighting the Battle of Custoza in 1866, at which point his rank was Lieut. Colonel.
Colonel Baratti was an Italian officer and pioneering figure in history of photography and is credited with founding one of the first Italian photographic periodicals “La Fotografia” in Milan in 1863.
In loving remembrance of George D’Arcy Clarke, Commander R.N.R
Eldest son of Captain G.H. Clarke R.N. (see above) who went to his rest on 31st July 1901 and was buried at sea.
Also of his wife Caroline, daughter of Sir George Kellner KCMG, CBI and of Caroline his wife; who died 3rd April 1922 aged 74.
GD Clarke served with the Royal Navy reserves as a Merchant Navy Captain, commanding large passenger and mail steamships for the British India Steam Navigation Company and associated lines.
James Richard Plomer Clarke OBE / Major Welch Regiment – Died 1947
And Louisa, his wife, daughter of the Rev. Nigel Honiss – Died 1944
JRP Clarke: son of Rev John A Clarke, JRP Clarke attended Winchester College (1871-75) before entering the military. After 3 years in the Northamptonshire and Rutland Militia, he joined the 41st Welch Regiment and served in Mauritius where he married Louisa 1885. They had a son, Richard Alexander Owen Clarke, who served as a Lieutenant Colonel. awarded his OBE in Dec 1919. JRP Clarke inherited the Lord of the Manor and estates of Welton following the death of his uncle, Richard Clarke.
The memorial was erected by his son, Richard (1896-1981).
“Mary Smith late of Brock-Street, Bath
Wife of Lewin - John Smith Esq of Manchester Square, London
departed this life very suddenly whilst on a visit at Welton Place
September 4th 1813 Aged 78
And is buried in the Family Vault beneath”
We do not yet know the relationship here with the Clarkes but assume familial as she lies in the family vault.
“To the memory of John The son of John Wafforne
and Damaris his Wife. He was buried near this Place
January the 6th Anno 1715.
Behold thy selfe by mee
Such a one was I as thou
And Thou in Time Shalt be
Even Dust as I am now”
The name Damaris is a feminine name of Greek origin meaning “calf, heifer or gentle” and holds a Biblical connection to a woman in Athens who followed the Apostle Paul.
1914-1918 War Memorial Plaque
“To the Glory of God and in Honoured Memory of the Men of this Parish who fell in the Great War.
Charles William Benjamin
Percy Benjamin
Herbert Leslie Benjamin
Thomas Wooton
Thomas Frederick Surridge
Arthur William Meadows
They Died that we might Live.”
An additional brass memorial below commemorates
George Bernard Facer who fell in World War II.
“Here lyeth the body of
Thomas Frost who departed this life
the 5th day of June 1699”
Linked to this memorial is the inscription :
“May reader shed a tear
On this just many slumbreth here
And whilst y [you] readest, thus on me
Think on the Glass y [that] runs for thee
3 Memorials linked to the Darnell family: from top
To the Memory of Daniel Darnell M.A. 48 years vicar of this parish
Born Sept 6th, 1811, Died July 31st, 1897
In the 86th year of age.
To the memory of Frances Charlotte Darnell, the beloved wife of the Revd. Daniel Darnell M.A. vicar of this parish who died March 6th 1867 aged 58 years.
Also, of Mary Esther their second daughter who died June 16th, 1858, aged 15 years.
To the memory of Jane, second wife of Revd. D. Darnell M.A. and daughter of Robert Stanfield Esq, Field House, Yorkshire
Died Oct 29th, 1896, aged 85 years.
In memory of Frances Sarah the beloved wife of
Charles Edward Barrrett-Lennard, Lieut. in H.M. 5th Regt. of Dragoon Guards and eldest daughter of the Revd. D. Darnell Vicar of Welton
Died at Edinburgh 5th April 1857
Aged 17 years and 10 months
In memory of three children of Revd. John Wilson and Elinor his wife who died in their infancy, namely
John Charles on the 11th of December 1810
Catherine Jane – January 1st, 1818
And John Charles (twin brother of Ashley Henry [John engraved beneath) on 1st February 1823
Sacred to the memory of a lady who was much esteemed and respected by the inhabitants of this parish
Eliza Sarah daughter of the vicar and wife of Revd. Francis Tebbutt
many years curate of Welton.
Her gentle and pious spirit returned to God who gave it on 30th June 1842 in the fortieth year of her age.
Also, in affectionate memory of three of her beloved children, viz,
Lionel Lyde Ward, died 25th October 1842 aged 16
Frances Tyssen, died 7th July 1837 aged 4
Eliza Frances, died 12th July 1837 aged 5.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ Matt. 5.8.
Near this place lie the remains of
John Wainwright A.M.
Thirty years vicar of this parish and a considerable benefactor to it.
He died May 16th, 1778, in the 75th year of his age.
Just above the date of his death the words “the Vicarage” are inscribed, either suggesting this was where he died, or perhaps a suggestion that he helped found / develop the vicarage.
In loving memory of
Sebastian Henry Garrard
Died 23rd February 1946 aged 77 years
And of his wife
May Eleanor died 10th August 1955 aged 87 years.
Major Garrard was a renowned Crown Jewellers who leased Welton Place from the Clarke family in 1906. He continued his work during part of this time and it suggested that Royalty may well have visited the house during this period. His wife was born May Cazenove and they had 2 children: Barbara Joan and Pamela Vera.
After Major Garrard’s death, local builder Frank Emery snr built Welton Brook, set back from Well Lane for widow as she no longer wanted to stay in the large house. Post war building restrictions did not permit the development of properties over the value of £1200, so the property was initially built as 2 semi detached homes, between which a doorway was created – to avoid govt restrictions!
These include 17 that relate to the Clarke family, 8 relating to Welton vicars and / or their family members, 3 of which are linked to the Rev Daniel Darnell, as well as a WW1/2 memorial and others related to deaths within the parish. There are also memorials linked to the Garrard family at Welton Place, the Ashley family and possibly the oldest memorial to Thomas Frost who died on 5th June 1699.
One memorial over the door explains an old Welton custom that features in the Head Teacher Log Books at Welton School during the 19th century. Each year in December the school had to be closed for the annual distribution of the bread. The dark wooden plaque above the north entrance explains this:
John Winterton of Welton Grange, Gentleman, who died July 1st 1855, left by his will the sum of £200 (clear of legacy duty) to be placed out at interest, either upon government or real security; in the names of the Vicar, Churchwardens, and Overseers of the parish of Welton. The income was to be expended, one half in Bread, the other half in Clothing, and distributed at their discretion, on the 21st day of December in every year, to the most needy and deserving widows, widowers, or other poor persons of the Parish.
A list of the known Vicars of Welton is also found in the nave, and these are listed with additional information where known at the drop down below.
The list starts in 1258 with Albredas and continues through to 2022 – a listed total of 52 people. However, this is incomplete – if anyone can fill the gaps ....
Welton Vicars and Clergy - click here
Year
Name
Notes
1258
Albredus
First vicar of Welton between 1258 and 1269, appointed by prior and convent of Daventry.
1269
John de Tilton
Possibly linked to the Digby de Tilton family from Leicester; Sir John de Tilton died in 1269.
1287
Richard de Saddington / Peter de Kelmcote
A John de Saddington lived and held land in Leicestershire. His son Roger held rights to a dwelling and 2 virgates of land (c. 60 acres) in Musele (possibly Mountsorrell). Hugh de Kilborth (Kibworth?) was his tenant.
1349
John Slauston
In 1353 a Peter de Slauston is recorded at Barrowden near Rockingham… though he was accused of trespass of vert and venison in the forest, so maybe not a close relation! He was the son of Robert Horpole of Slawston and in 1369 gave 2 dwellings and lands in Daventry to the prior and convent to provide wax lights.
c1414
John Russell
c1450
Richard Green
1452
Henry Cokkes
1464
Sir John Pysford
Historical records of 14th and 15th centuries refer to a Pysford family, linked unsurprisingly, to the village of Pitsford, 5 miles north of Northampton, Brixworth and Spelhoe hundred. .
1470
Sir Lawrence Aplow
1471
John Scott
1483
Edmund Yginton
1523
Sir William Chapleyn
1561
Ralph Phillips / William Philips
Ralph was presented to Queen Elizabeth I and instituted on 20 June 1561.
1578
Eusebius* Walker
From the Greek meaning devout, pious or worships well, which is ironic really – see opposite!
Possibly name derived from Witsey related to Holcot in Northamptonshire. Sir Richard Knightly appointed Eusebius Walker as vicar. This was well before Puritanism became widespread in England, and bishops regarded the move with caution. Walker attracted the attention of the Bishop of Peterborough after he excommunicated Joan Green for complaining about the length of services.
1611
Richard Amy
1612
Lewis Jones
1617
Richard Patrick
1645
Thomas Cox
1652
James Brown
1662
Jonathan Foster
Thomas Servel was curate.
1671
William Satchwell
William Jackson was curate.
1696
John McQueen
Curates: Edward Haigh, James Lang, William Abel, Knightly Adams.
1707
Richard Nicholls
As vicar he lived in what is now The Old House, but in the early 1700s was the bakehouse. The letter N above the door suggests he made improvements to this property likely sometime after 1707. . His curate lived in what was then a rather ramshackle vicarage on land later used for the enlarged parkland of Welton Place. Nicholls died in 1717.
1717-1731
Simon Adams
And Thomas Duncomb, Sequestrator. Adams moved into The Old House on becoming vicar. On his death the house was bought by a farmer called Thomas Gibbons and remained in that family until 1846, by which time it was subdivided into 2 cottages., later bought by Revd. A. J. Clarke.
1748
John Wainwright
1754 Enclosure Act allocated 65 acres to the Church.
1778
John Rowton & John Campbell
1783
James Preedy
1785
George Laughton
1800
Richard Davies
c1837
Francis Tebbutt
On Friday 21 July 1837 the Coventry Herald and Free Press reported that on Friday 7th July Francis Tyssen, the 4-year-old son of Revd. Tebbutt died of scarlatina, followed on 12th July by his 6-year-old daughter Eliza Frances. These deaths were not noted in the Head Teacher log book.
1842
Thomas William Johnes
1846–1894
Daniel Darnell
On Fri 25th June 1858 the Coventry Standard reported that on the 16th June the second daughter of Revd. Darnell, Mary Esther, died aged 15.
Revd. Darnell also held a meeting in the National Schoolroom to start a society to be called the “Welton Institute” to provide a library, lectures and entertainments during the winter for a “nominal charge”. As President of the Institute, Darnell was supported by Mr George Smith of Coalville (see separate item on WH website) who was elected vice -president; Col Clarke was elected treasurer and Mr Quelch, the newly appointed school master, the secretary and librarian. The committee included Mrs Clarke and Darnell and Miss Stansfield. Its overall aim was to support the youths of the village. Darnell lived in The Stone House with his family and in which he ran a small boarding school for boys. He was obliged to resign in 1894 die to “age and infirmity” but continued to live in Welton until his death in 1897, when the Stone House ceased to become the Vicarage.
1894
Edward Thomas Liddell
The London Guardian carried an advert on Wed 1st Sept 1897 for an unfurnished cottage which would be available to rent for retired clergy of church workers from Oct 11th. It is advertised as having 6 bedrooms, orchard, stabling and being close to the church and post office. This was The Stone House (the “old” vicarage) and the Revd. was now living in the “new” vicarage, a large 3 storey house on the site of Harrington House. Liddell also supported and promoted wood carving by the men of the village and in 1899 donated the hand shaped alms box in memory of his father and mother, which now sits near the north entrance.
1902
Musgrave Hilton
1906
Charles Littledale
Prior to his tenure, Kelly’s Directory records that in 1906 the tenancy was vacant.
1907
James Fearn Sugden M.A.
Previously curate at St Luke’s Old Street EC, London.
1926
William Henry Fearis
Spelled “Ferris” on church list.
1938
S. G. W. Maitland
1942
John Whitehall Cheshire
The Sunday Dispatch of 17th March 1946 reported that Revd. Cheshire’s study at the vicarage was ransacked in a burglary. Telephone wires were cut and one clue was left – a flat bladed knife. One of the items stolen was a brass clock. A Police patrol in Ashby St Ledgers caught one of the men at 4.30am, conducting their 2nd burglary of a vicarage that night. They had in their possession the brass clock. 3 men from Islington were convicted of several burglaries.
1947
H. B. H. Horne
1950
F. W. Weaver
1955
John Gordon Kinnersley‑Taylor
Educated at Rugby School; linked to Sneyd‑Kinnersley family.
1958
James E. Wright
1962
Frederick William Weaver
His career included over 30 years as chaplain to the Mission to Seamen serving in China, Japan, Australia and Canada, vicar of Ashby St Ledgers, and finally Rector of Seavington St Michael’s near Ilminster. Died 1962, estate valued at £1 611 17S and 3d (about £30K in 2026).
1963
Derek H. Pilkington
In Sept 1964 the Birmingham Post reported that Revd. Pilkington barred a bride, Gillian Thorneycroft, from entering the church for her wedding until she removed it from her face. He claimed her face had to be visible to ensure there was no “substitution” – he also did not like the fact a photographer was engaged to take photos of the bride as she walked down the aisle
1970
W. Leslie Neill
Neill is recorded as officiating across a number of churches including Welton and Ashby St Ledgers, including at the wedding there in 1971 of Frances Ann Guest, daughter of the late Viscount of Wimborne to Ernest Martin Johnson of New York.
1976
T. Patrick Hammerton
Thomas Patrick is, according to AI, remembered for his involvement in local history. He was also `vicar when the church was badly damaged by fire in January 1977. He pointed out that if the fire had “gone unnoticed for another hour the church would have been almost totally destroyed.”
1988
Lawrence Gordon Davies
1928-2005; born in Wallasey and attended Downing College Cambridge. Held various posts.
1990
John W. Hargreaves
1999
Ann Slater
Ann was born in Northampton and ordained in July 1995 in Peterborough. She was a member of the Daventry Team Ministry and served in Daventry, Braunston, Catesby, Hellidon, Staverton as well as Welton.
2006
Theresa Davies
In 2008 Welton made the news for all the wrong reasons! On 11th Nov 2008 the BBC reported that Revd. Theresa had been banned from religious roles for 12 years for “conduct unbecoming to holy orders”. A self-confessed swinger, Davies admitted an alcohol problem and an open relationship with her husband. Parishioners complained of her being drunk at 4 separate church services.
2010
Chrys Tremththanmor
Not only once vicar of Welton, but a photographer and writer, and Clergy Training Officer.
2022
Kathryn Evans
The Aeolian organ in the South Aisle was presented to the church by Sir Halford Reddish and installed in 1953 to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was manufactured in 1909 by the Aeolian Organ Company of New York (founded in 1887) and had previously been installed at Hengrave Hall, near Bury St Edmond’s in Suffolk.
This historic house was bought by Sir John Wood (1857-1951), barrister and MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, in 1895. After he died the house became a convent and it was probably around this time that it was acquired by Reddish for the church at Welton. An improved console was added in recent years.
The pews in the church were originally a lustrous golden colour but had to be given a darker stain following the disastrous roof fire of January 1977 to hide the burn marks caused by falling debris. The South aisle also originally contained pews but these were removed in 2004.
The tub shaped font mentioned in our introduction is believed to be Anglo Saxon in origin and as such is the oldest feature within the church. It is thought that this dates from the Saxon chapel which was violently seized by Osbern de Neufmarche, one of the Norman invaders. On close examination the remains of original carving can just be seen – two chevrons on one side.
The windows have been restored and replaced over time. In 1866-7 Darnell and Col Richard Clarke fitted 4 stained glass windows in the chancel – 2 were later damaged and replaced with clear glass. Glass in some windows may have been reused from previous windows. The small lancet window in the tower is dedicated to St Martin of Tours, noted for his charitable works.
The churchyard
The churchyard probably dates from when the church was adopted as a parish church following the dissolution of Daventry Priory. Established in the 1090s by Hugh de Leicester, the priory was patronised by local gentry and nobility in return for masses said for their souls.
However, by the 16th century the abbey was in decline and in 1525 Cardinal Wolsey secured permission from Pope Clement VIII to dissolve it.
Up to this time Weltonians would be buried in Daventry (see opening of this article) but after 1524 inhumations took place in the churchyard, it is now a closed graveyard, as it is full!
The number of standing headstones in the past, before they were removed on the direction of Sir Halford Reddish in 1968, being an indicator of this, although in the 16th – 18th centuries comparatively few graves would have had stone markers.
Notable features within the graveyard include:
Two ironstone headstones approximately 10 metres to the south of the south aisle, one dated 1667 and the other 1711 and 1713
A lead cistern dated 1673 to the south of the south aisle, west of the south porch, which is inscribed PTE. It was donated by Major Garrard of Welton Place in 1949
A Commonwealth Graves Commission marker to Private Thomas Wootton, who was one of the men of Welton who lost their lives during the First World War. (His story is detailed in a separate article on the website about Welton in Wartime). Private Wootton from the Northamptonshire Regiment died on July 19th1917 aged 37.
An elaborate tomb marker to Robert Francis Burton, of Churchill House (Welton Manor), son of Edmund Burton, who was born in 1840. He joined the army in July 1867 and served during the Indian Mutiny campaign, being present at the “relief, siege and capture of Lucknow” as well as taking part in several actions at Oudh. He retired from the army in 1867 and died in 1903.
The memorial to six year old John Hewitt, the son of Peter and Elizabeth Hewitt of Rugby who was “lost (by neglect)” on January 16th 1806 in a field in the parish and found on the 18th “starved to death” – a stark and sober reminder to parents as they walk up Churchill Road of their responsibilities as they walk up Churchill Road.
Memorial to the memory of Elizabeth, the wife of Edward Reeve she departed this life on 6th of March 1722 and of…
Could Gains Rhodes have been a sailor? The Benjamins were an extended Welton family and the third tombstone here to the sons of Samuel and Hannah Howard is a stark reminder of the perils of childhood and the fact that death was an ever-present fact of life. Their son Samuel died aged 9 years and 9 months in 1824 and another son, William Thomson died in 1827 aged just 11 months.
Left: here lieth the body of Thomas … 1667 - possibly the oldest gravestone, but increasingly hard to read.
Many of the gravestones have been weathered and are increasingly covered in moss and lichen. Those lifted and placed as a path and at the north side of the graveyard are completely lost now.
And finally .....
Sometimes you find something that really brings the past alive… and if you closely examine the columns in the nave, you may find the following. Scratched into the stonework of a column directly in front of a pew, it seems that someone in possibly 1866 found morning service a little dreary perhaps and chose to leave his – or her – mark behind!
Personally, I suspect William, who was able to get away with it as the column shielded him in part from the all-seeing eyes of the vicar in the finely carved pulpit! (look closely at the letters or better still go and check it out for yourself).
The pictures below also show us that other parishioners have been handy with a blade in bygone times, with TR engraved on a stone in the wall near the south porch and an intriguing AB carved into the stonework of the arched doorway on the north side of the church.
Not quite the fabulous medieval carving that can still be seen (just) in the window corbels – see left.
Circa 1932: L-R George Phillpot, Digger Marlow, Ronnie Garrard aka Bosow Garrard and Geoffrey Clark. Note that High Street is referred to as School Street in this photograph.
The school moves to Well Lane – 1915
School reopened in January 1915 and on 12th January the Headteacher, Edwin Bond noted that the “New School buildings” had been recently completed.
There was further cause for celebration on 22nd January a report from the “Bird and Arbour Competition” that the school had been entering every year for several years had awarded the Royal Society’s Prize Medal to Percy Edwin Bond, aged 11! Now, I wonder if he had any extracurricular support there?!
On March 22nd, 1915, LEA circular 122 advised the school that, whereas the school had been founded as a “National School” overseen by a “Board”, that with the creation of LEAs it would be redesignated as “Welton C.E. school – number 244”. This name would continue until the academisation of the school.
January 1915 also includes HT reports of an influenza epidemic (Jan 26th) which adversely affected attendance.
During the spring diocesan and quarterly exams continued, as did visits by Rev J.F Sugden, who on June 10th, now also checked the “Gardening Register” as well as weekly registers of attendance. There was a growing focus on the new gardening curriculum for boys with periodic visits by the LEA Horticultural Instructor, Mr. C.F. Lawrance.
Finally, the school year ended on July 30th for the 5-week summer break, but not before the children, the HT reports, in response to Circular 471, received the directed lesson on House Flies.
Whilst recognising the risk to health of house flies, this seems an odd area to focus on in the middle of a war.
School reopened in September to further LA Circulars: 478 and 479 relating to “The Teaching and Practice of Thrift”, which noted the “shortages of certain materials (chiefly needlework requisites”) and the “difficulty of supplying schools with these goods at present”.So, whilst we see evidence of the effects of war, the HT Logbooks tell us nothing directly about the impact of war on the children or their families.
Life carried on as normal, it seems. Oct 21st, 1915, marked the school celebration of Trafalgar Day with specific lessons delivered on this while in the outside world at this time…
The Canadians were defending Ploegsteert Woods (with heavy losses)
Allied troops arrived off Salonika
The Lusitania and a German Merchant ship were sunk in the Baltic by British submarines
Austrian / German troops invaded Serbia
British nurse, Edith Cavell was executed by the Germans after Court Marshall on 12th Oct
The decision was made to “wind down” the now infamous Gallipoli campaign…
But Mr Bond did record the receipt of a letter from an ex Welton pupil, William Jackson, on 18th November 1915 who was now stationed in Hong Kong which, he recorded gave, “an excellent account of his journey and experiences”.
Refugees and snow – 1916
On January 29th, Mr Bond recorded: “Departure of the Belgian children after a stay of 1 year and 3 months. Although totally unacquainted with English at the commencement of that period they have gained a useful knowledge of the language, being able to speak readily and write fairly correctly. In some subjects, such as drawing and handwork, they have shown very marked progress. They have also joined in the amusements of the children after overcoming some initial shyness and their presence apart from the deplorable reason for its necessity has been a pleasing feature in the history of the village school.”
Context: During WWI there was a considerable influx of Belgian refugees following the German invasion of August 1914. A number of villages in the Daventry district, including Welton, actively hosted refuges. The influx of Belgians represented the largest refugee movement in British History, which at its peak was 250 000.
On October 23rd 1914 the Northampton Mercury reported that trains carrying nearly 1000 refugees stopped at Castle Station in Northampton where they were greeted and supported by locals.
Meanwhile life in Welton School continued, with heavy snowstorms leading to high absence on Feb 24th, March 8th, 28th and 29th. The average depth of the snow was 2ft with drifts of 5ft, and the HT reports that 3 infants who arrived in school “in a saturated condition” and “whose boots and clothing rendered it inadvisable for them to remain at school”. I’m amazed they set off in the first place!
In 1916 the school year ended on June 30th, and the new school year started on July 1st and the effects of war continue in the background when, on July 24th, written instructions from the LEA were received regarding the collection and disposal of used drawing and exercise books. Consequently, Mr Bond recorded on July 27th that the “older children [were]engaged this afternoon in the preparing and classifying of used paper as above”.
The school summer holidays ran between Friday August 4th and Monday September 11th… meanwhile the disastrous Somme offensive had begun (1st July) … but again, the school logbooks only refer to the effects of war when in response to LEA circulars and letters, such as:
Oct 2nd: “Received consignment of school supplies delayed in consequence of war conditions”
Oct 20th: “Received Circular 534 referring to Air Raids During School Hours”, C 530 ref. to shortages of school materials and C525 re regulations as to coal and coke supplies” – the latter inevitable as demand increases due to season change at a time when supplies were limited, but not good news for the community.
However, all was not doom and gloom – Trafalgar Day was celebrated again on Oct 20th and on November 10th the school received a “Cromwell portrait from the LEA as acknowledgement of a Trafalgar Day essay”.I do wonder who wrote it? Bond junior perhaps?
And Welton traditions did continue despite shortages, with the school closed on 27th November for the annual Welton Feast.
Note: Northamptonshire had a tradition of village and town feasts, typically held at the end of November. With records showing they ran in multiple locations from at least 1860 and, in Welton’s case, through to 1911, these annual events were a community celebration of the end of the agricultural year. They were also tied to the timing of rents becoming due and to saints’ days. They appear to have started on a Sunday and gone on until Monday – a little like some of our bank holidays today. Schools and businesses would shut, there would be food and drink, entertainment and generally a good time had by all.
Finally, on Dec 19th 1916 a War Savings Association was formed in the school, as part of a national initiative.
And so to 1917…..
The start of 1917 seems to be a re-run of 1916, with heavy snow on Feb 5th adversely affecting attendance of the younger children and another “excellent” performance in the Bird and Arbor competition, with a Certificate of Merit for the school and the Society’s Prize Medals going to Percy Bond and Violet Carter.
Indeed, Mr Bond reports that “the essay by Percy Bond was especially commended and placed amongst the ten best in the whole competition”.
April 19th – 30thsaw another influenza epidemic as well as an outbreak of whooping cough on 30th April.The Medical Officer visited the school on April 30th and closed the school until May 21st 1917.
On their return (May 22nd) the lessons that week, “in accordance with suggestions from the LEA…varied so as to bring before the children the question of our National Food Supply and the importance of avoiding waste”.
Life must have been tough and for those of us who grew up with grandparents who were children during WWI, we can begin perhaps to understand why they might have got so angry at us as children declining food. My grandmother could never accept my refusal to eat tinned fruit!
The summer continued with Empire Day on 24th May, on which “lessons were given throughout the school, the Roya Proclamation was read and patriotic songs were sung with the National Anthem at assembly and dismissal.”
On June 6th Mr Bond reports receipt of
“Circular S.A.63 with reference to ‘Absence of Children under Special Permit for Agricultural or other Employment”.
Context:
With agricultural workers leaving jobs to join the war effort food production was under pressure.
Harvests still needed to be brought in and farms kept working. In many rural areas children aged between 11-14 stepped in to provide unskilled labour on farms. LEAs, agricultural unions and other organisations accused farmers of exploiting the war time emergency to use children as cheap labour.
Under local byelaws, school attendance committees could permit children over the age of 11-12 to miss school to work but only in exceptional circumstances. Board of Education statistics reveal an increasing number of children aged between 11-14 were excused school for agricultural work during WWI. Between Sept 1914 and January 1915 just over 1500 children in England and Wales were excused for this reason, however a return on the number excused for agricultural work on 31st January 1916 totalled over 8000, doubling to 15 753 on May 31st 1916. This is why monitoring became closer but it was difficult to stop as the need was great.
Accepting the war time emergency, an extra 6 weeks holiday was given to schools in rural districts so older boys might work the harvest.
Thus, on Sept 14th:“In accordance with a scheme organised by the Food Production Dept holiday was given this afternoon to enable the children to gather blackberries for the use of the Army and Navy food contractors.”This was repeated on Sept 18th, Oct 2nd and 11th. On Sept 19thMr Bond notes that “lessons were delivered on ‘Sugar Registration Cards’ and their necessity to the older children at the request of the LEA”.
On December 12th, 1917, the head teacher, Mr Bond, made the following, fascinating entry:
“An interesting presentation has been made to the school in the form of a bell which was found in Combles by the father of one of the school children when the town was captured from the Germans in the Somme campaign last year.”
He does not tell us who the soldier was, not the circumstances of its discovery or donation.
We can tell from the picture above that the battle must have been intense. The school believes that the soldier found the bell amidst the ruins of the church and brought it home to fix it up.
This was done and the bell engraved … and this amazing donation is still held by the school to this day!
The bell is inscribed “Combles 1917 – Presented to Welton School”.
It seems astonishing that no other information was given at the time.
However, we have subsequently discovered, from his granddaughter, that the bell was brought back from Flanders by Jim Fleming. Jim was father to the artist Eric Fleming, who was the pupil in school at that time.
Born in Ireland, Mr Fleming had joined the Irish Guards in 1907 with duty at the Royal residences. He served with them for 13 years. His discovery of the handbell was reported in the Rugby Advertiser on March 24th, 1961, which states that the bell was found in the ruins of a school.
This was later presented to Welton School, inscribed as above. Mr Fleming went on to become a handyman at the Grand Union Canal Company.
The article was published to celebrate the Golden Wedding anniversary of Mr and Mrs Fleming, who at this time lived in Newnham. Edith, his wife, was formerly Edith Webb of Welton.
Context: The Capture of Combles – September 25th–26th 1916
Combles lies 30 miles NE of Amiens, 8 miles S of Baupaume and 10 miles E of Albert on the D20 Rancourt to Guillemont road. The capture took place during the Battle of the Somme’s “Battle of Morval”, involving the 5th and 56th London Divisions of the British 4th Army and a combined French force. Troops entered the village on September 26th but only after a major artillery barrage of 3 000 shells forced the Germans to withdraw. The soldiers from the London Rifle Brigade and the Queen Victoria Rifles were supposed to have been supported by tanks, which had just been introduced – however they were notoriously unreliable, as was the case in this attack: 2 of the tanks remained at the assembly point in Leuze Wood, whilst of the 3 allocated to the 56th Division which followed up the advance, 2 got bogged down.
Combles was a major German supply hub and shelter point as well as being a crucial salient into the Allied Line, which is why it was so heavily defended, such a priority for the Allies and brutally fought over. The village was later lost to the Germans on March 24th, 1918, before being definitively retaken in August 1918. The picture above illustrates the heavy damage to the village.
Losses: 5th Division: 1 749 casualties; 56th Division: 5 538; supporting NZ forces: 7 000 and German losses: 135 000.
Currently 535 British War Dead lie in Combles Community Cemetery.
1918and the vital collection of conkers
On January 18th the head teacher’s log book reports that, as a result of heavy snow, only 19 children – including 2 infants – attended school: “as it was not considered advisable to retain those, they were sent home and registers not marked.”Two things are striking here: the difference in weather patterns over the last 100 years and the fact that in severe weather it is deemed acceptable to just send children out again into the weather to make their way home alone!
References to the ongoing war remain few and far between, however on March 21st Mr Bond records that the school “dispatched 3 ½ cwt of horse chestnuts collected by the children in accordance with a request from the Ministry of Munitions”.
Why? Because the Ministry of Munitions collected horse chestnuts to produce acetone via the bacterial fermentation process: this was a critical solvent needed to manufacture cordite – a propellant for bullets and shells.
When German U boats disrupted maize imports, conkers provided a crucial locally sourced alternative for the starch needed as part of the manufacturing process.
Across the country school children and boy scouts were instructed to collect, bag and send tons of conkers to factories.
Additionally, this process helped conserve critical grain supplies for food. The campaign was, for many, a ‘secret” and children were only told that it was “urgentand invaluable war work” rather than specifically for the manufacture of weapons.
On June 10th the HT logbook records that the head teacher was absent as he was “called up for a Medical Examination at Northampton under the Army Services Act.” Fortunately for the children of Welton it seems that he was not called up for active service and school life continued as “normal”.
The new school year started on July 1st with 3 teachers (Bond, Hirons and Clarke), however on July 17th Miss Clarke was absent “on account of an inspection of the Daventry VAD hospital”.
A VAD / Auxiliary Red Cross Hospital was operating in Daventry between July 1915 through to 1918, providing 30 convalescent beds for wounded soldiers.
After the summer holidays, the school reopened on September 9th and on Sept 12ththe HT logbook records once again that ‘in accordance with the scheme organised by the Food Production Department holiday was given this afternoon to enable the children to gather blackberries for the use of the Army and Navy Food Contractors”. This activity was repeated on Sept 17th, 20th, 24th and 26th as well as Oct 1st, 3rd, 8th, 15th. Also, on Oct 21st the school afternoon started and finished an hour earlier to save fuel and lighting.
A Tragic Note (School Log Book):
On 21st November the school reopened, having been closed since Sept 30th, due to an outbreak of influenza on the order of the Ministry of Health. The HT records that “many of the children have been ill and with deep regret the death has to be recorded of Miss Ada M Hirons who for 8 years had been a member of the school staff”. Mrs Annie Bond, wife of Edwin, then became a temporary supply teacher.
1919 – and bizarrely no mention of the armistice!
What is most striking is that the HT logbook makes no reference at all to the armistice at all, except that on 31st January 1919 the head teacher notesthat the children were dismissed from school at “3.10pm on order to …see the captured German guns on view in Daventry at 4pm.”
Despite all the hardships and inevitable loss of the previous 4 years, the school was still inspected by HMI on May 15th and the resultant report of 25th July rather unkindly noted the following: “As the work of the first 9 months, July – March, (inclusive of this current year) had been hindered by epidemics and by various wartime activities, this further disturbance of the work [the delay in appointing a new teacher following the death of Miss Hirons] has assisted in bringing it below its usual standard.”
The early forerunner of that caring, sensitive organisation we now call Ofsted seems manifest all these years ago!
Inspection aside however, the children still experienced Empire Day lessons (May 23rd), and an afternoon School Treat at Welton Place (15th July) as well as the long-standing Bird and Arbor essay competition!
On May 31stthe school “…received Circular 632 notifying the desire of His Majesty the King ‘that in commemoration of Peace, an extension of the Summer Holidays may be granted in all schools by the Education Authorities”.
So, in 1919, the Welton School Summer Holiday ran from August 1st – September 15th.
In the new academic year, on Dec 15th we learn from Mr Bond’s logbook that this year the school continued to have its essays judged “excellent” and for the 2nd year in a row the school was awarded 3rd prize, but in addition “the Society’s Medal for meritorious individual essays was gained by May West and Mildred Carter. A special book prize was also won by May West.” May later went on to become Sunday School teacher in Welton and in later life she became a Sister May West – a nun – and lived in Plympton.
And so into the roaring twenties
February 11th: Sanitary Inspector for Daventry Rural District Council visited the school to make inquiries as to the water supply and drainage
March 15th: heavy snowfall affected absence especially of infants – when was the last time we saw snow in mid March?
March 26th: Major J.P. Clarke, formerly of Welton Place, visited the school. So the Clarkes have moved out by this period.
During this year HMI inspection – again; Bird and Arbor – again; an outbreak of measles – again; although the visiting Medical Officer of Health judged that the school should stay open unless attendance further declined. It didn’t, though remained low at about 60% through September.
On September 5th 1921 Circular 748 was received notifying “the adoption of a uniform school year for all public Elementary Schools, such Education Year to begin with the first school meeting following the summer holidays.”The September school year startfinally brings Welton School in line with schools today – 100 years on!
September 14th: Circular 691 re school libraries and C692 re Raising Age limit for Compulsory Education: under which education was to start on 31st December, March or August following the 5th birthday and this 1921 Education Act consolidated the raising of the school leaving age to 14. Prior to 1918 some children left school aged 12-13, boys to help on farm or to work and girls to assist in the home.
The 1918 Education Act had begun this process of raising the leaving age to 14 and made provision for a system of part time “continuation day classes for those at work aged 14-18. It also abolished all fees in state elementary (primary) schools.
October 26th: saw the first visit as part of a new “School Nursing Scheme” of the District Nurse!
1921: As the 1920s continued there remained a very careful focus on attendance, with regular reporting of cases of poor attendance, usually 5 – 6 per month, as well as annual HMI visits, diocesan inspection and reports as well as regular visits by the School Nurse.
The continued cultivation of the school garden remained a priority and on May 12th, 1921‘specimens of the school gardening class notebooks were sent to the Royal Horticultural Society’s show at Chelsea”. Welton School was evidently doing well!
The new academic year began on July 1st, 1921, with the following staffing structure:
Class 1 – standard IV – VI: Edwin Bond: Peterborough College 1897
Class 2 – standard I – III: Mary Robinson: Preliminary Certificate 1919
Class 3 – Infants: Daisy E Derby – Supplementary Teacher.
On return after the Summer Holidays, on Sept 5th, Circular 748 notified of “the adoption of a uniform school year for all Public Elementary Schools, such Education Year to begin with the first school meeting following the Summer Holidays”. And so, we see the start of the September – July school year – in 1921!
Scholarship Award (School Log Book):
“On September 23rd, as a result of the County Scholarship Examination held in March last [academic] year [1921] a Free Place at Daventry Grammar School has been awarded to Arthur Jones”. Good news day!
October 3rd saw the introduction of the National School Dentistry Scheme (Form M.I.D. 3) and the day after the afternoon holiday for the Statute Fair in Daventry which was held o 19th October, the school received its annual HMI inspection by Mr F Northrop – this time written in red ink!
Still in October – on the 31st – we see the introduction of the National Savings Association in schools, with Mr Bond absent from school between 10am and midday to attend a meeting regarding this in Daventry.
It is clear that, post war, there was a flurry of activities designed to improve the health, education and welfare of the nation… although the first 2 visits by the School Dentist had to be postponed – no reason given!
1922 – more snow and poor attendance
The year began with the usual entries regarding snowstorms and attendance, staff absence and the regular visits by Rev Sugden (register checks) as well as the School Nurse.
The Bird and Arbor medal winners were Winnie Elliot and Hilda Holland, Empire Day lessons were taught and the Annual May Feast held on 12th May. On February 28th following Circular 774, “a whole day…granted…[for] the wedding day of HRH Princess Mary”was held and the school closed.
Mrs Robinson (standard 2 teacher) was away from work from Nov 1921 until May 1st, 1922, which must have caused pressure in school. This must have been a hard time for Mr Bond, as his log book also records that on April 12ththe school was “unavoidably closed for a day owing to the head teacher being granted leave of absence in order to attend funeral of father”.
June 30th saw the annual diocesan inspection, July 7th a “visit from the School Nurse in connection with the County Inspection Scheme” and on July 14th Mr C F Lawrance FRHS visited to inspect the school garden.
After the summer holidays there was a huge change for the school when on Sept 29th Mr Bond records that: Miss Derby [Infants Teacher] ceased duty in accordance with a decision of the LEA that the services of a supplementary teacher should be dispensed with and the school organised upon a ‘2 group basis’”.
Thus, onOct 2ndthe school was rearranged into senior and junior sections only.
Oct 11threcords receipt of “Circular 806 together with a special edition of a Japanese newspaper printed in commemoration of the recent visit of HRH the Prince of Wales [the future Edward VIII] to Japan”.
Finally, the year drew to a close with: Nov 15th: school closure for use as polling station in parliamentary elections, Nov 26th: Annual Village Feast and Dec 22nd: resignation of Mrs Robinson due to ill health.
A trying year by all accounts.
1923 and a new name for the essay competition
Feb 12th: The now re-named “Bird and Tree” essay competition: “this school was judged ‘excellent’ and a Certificate of Merit awarded. The Society’s Medal for meritorious individual essays was given to Hilda Holland and Frank Emery.”
Note: This is Frank Emery junior who still lives in the village as of 2026!
The competing group of pupils were, in addition to the above: Winnie Elliott, Phyliss Webb, Phyllis Smith, Arthur Smith, Arthur Carter, Robert Bradshaw and John Hartwell.
Other events that spring included one child being excluded on Feb 28th – no reason given, 6 reported cases of poor attendance to the SAO (School Attendance Officer) and on April 12th a “demonstration lesson” delivered by visiting Inspector of Physical Exercises, Mr W Abbott.
April 26th saw another school holiday closure “in accordance with the desire of His Majesty the King ‘that a whole holiday be granted in all schools… on the wedding of HRH the Duke of York”. [the future George VI].
Fascinatingly, on May 29th“The Royal Messages to School Children were read and lessons upon ‘Our Empire’ were given”.The Royal Couple had recorded on March 28th a gramophone record designed to be played to school children across the Empire to encourage children to understand the “unity” of the family of the Empire, the personal responsibility of every child to “play their part” and moral guidance for them to develop the knowledge, bravery, honourable conduct and to put others before themselves. The image below is of the record.
Queen Mary also spoke of her wishes for the children. A recording of the content can be heard using the link here. This is the only surviving voice recording of Queen Mary.
Following the Summer Holidays, the School Dentist, M H Walmsley LDS visited the school on Oct 20th and on Nov 2nd an Ordnance Survey official called at the school to verify alterations in the map of the parish of Welton since the last survey.
There is work to be done here to investigate these changes!
1924 – difficult times for the school and Mr Bond
This was the start of a difficult time for Welton School. As the photograph shows below, Mr Bond’s regular entries in the logbook were always beautifully written in a careful hand and meticulous detail.
However, at the start of January 1924 it is very evident that something is wrong. The detailed regular entries are gone. There are only 4 entries for the month of January: 7th, 11th, 14th and 21st, each of a line or two only.
The handwriting is thicker, less carefully formed and the final entry from Mr Bond on January 21st reads:
Very poor attendance, many children ill.
Presentation of Bird and Tree prize medals by Headteacher.
Illness of Head Teacher. School closed.
And that was it. No explanation. After leading the school with evident pride, care and attention to detail for 20 years, Mr Bond suddenly and inexplicably stopped.
On January 23rd the HT logbook continues in a very different hand:
“School reopened; Miss C H Adams as a supply teacher. V poor attendance. Many children ill. L.J.B. Sheffield in charge. 52 pupils on roll”.From this point on the HT records are less frequent, less carefully written.
On Feb 2nd, Henry J Wright, headteacher of Great Weldon School took over, followed on Feb 18th by M.T. Wright, with other supply heads covering days or weeks at a time. During this time attendance continued to fall, with an average of 47.6% on Feb 20th.
On March 21st, Phyllis and Roy Smith were excluded for mumps and the Medical Dept of Health advised, followed by Alma Gregory, John and Bernard Moss on March 31st as well as Phyllis and Freda Starmer on April 4th. An epidemic of mumps was clearly sweeping across Welton.
Attendance rose slowly to 74.4% on April 11th, though snowstorms that day which “prevented children living across the field from attending”.The visit by the School Nurse on April 15th resulted in Arthur Miller being excluded “owing toa verminous condition”.
A Mrs Wilson and Mrs Nicholls – parents – were sent “white cards” – the school nurses used white cards to track children’s health, suggesting that there were concerns about the health of these children.
On May 16th the SAO visited and weighed the children to be medically examined.
When the Medical Inspection date came around on July 4th 21 children were listed for inspection of whom 3 were absent.
These problems possibly reflect the plight of many people living in Welton at that time. A 1914 land assessment report records significant numbers of cottages on all roads in Welton in a poor state, numbers are described as “uninhabitable” or fit only for demolition.
Many small cottages occupied closes and had shared outdoor toilets (called closets).
Given the privations of war, the post WWI epidemic of Spanish flu and subsequent epidemics such as the Whooping Cough above, life must have been very hard for many Welton families.
In 1925, whooping cough (pertussis) was a major, cyclical public health issue across England, including in Northamptonshire, in the era before vaccines became available in the 1940s and 1950s.
The mid-1920s saw significant numbers of reported cases, with approximately 152,003 cases reported in England and Wales in 1925.
And what of Mr Bond?
A newspaper report of December 20th, 1940, records the funeral of Mr Edwin Bond in his birthplace, Tiddington in Warwickshire, 1.5 miles NE of Stratford on Avon.
As the cutting below reveals he left his post in Welton after a nervous breakdown, leading to his retirement.
His son Percy, of Bird and Arbor success, was at his funeral with his wife, possibly Claire. We don’t know what triggered his collapse specifically though we can speculate.
He had been head teacher at Welton School since May 15th1905. He had started as a pupil teacher at the Tiddington and Alveston National School, qualified at St Peter’s College in Peterborough in 1897. After his retirement he retired to his birthplace until he died. His wife, Annie, predeceased him on 15th February 1935.
Oddly the 1925 HMI report on Welton School refers to the “failing health of the late headmaster”and does not mention the fact that he is still alive, suggesting a real stigma regarding mental health issues in the 1920s.
In January 1925Norah F Burrows took up the post of headteacher at Welton School and would continue her leadership into the 1960s, with current villagers having been taught by her. Her first comment on Jan 8th reads:
“Thereappears to be no completescheme of work in the school for the school year ending 1925. Consequently, one is now in course of preparation by the present head teacher. Number on roll: 43”.
And at the end of the academic year HMI report concluded: “the school has suffered much during the last 2 years owing to the failing health of the late headmaster and to the interruptions in staffing which followed his departure from this school in January of last year.
Class II which consists of Infants and standards I and II is in a very backward state… class I (consisting of standards III to VI) is far below the normal in attainment. Seven of the scholars in that class are in their last year of school and some of them find difficulty in reading passages containing such words as ‘necessity’ ‘precaution’ and ’violence’… The admission register is in a very neglected state”.
As is often the case in education there is a sense of implied criticism of all previous heads with the new head teacher the one celebrated as putting things right.
Circa 1910 – A group of children outside the old school
Overview
1884 copy of Wright’s NorthamptonshireDirectory states that the first school in Welton, later called The Old School, was established in 1820. It was endowed by the Clarke family, a wealthy family who held much land in the area.
They had purchased the estate of Welton Manor and were managing farmland at Thrupp in the 1800s. The family supported the villagers of Welton by building the first school on the site now occupied by the village hall and its carpark, physically adjoining the White Horse pub.
This first school was enlarged in 1882 to accommodate 111 children. It was built with an attached Master’s House. Later, a small library of 200 volumes which had been established in 1871 became part of the school. From 1820 the school was handed over to the National Society who were running church schools at that time, although the Diocese took a close interest in the running of the school from the outset.
This Local Board of Education oversaw the school (a “Board” school) until the creation of Local Education Authorities (LEAs) within County Councils as part of the 1904 Education Act which compelled local education authorities to fund and monitor all schools including voluntary (church) schools.
In 1906 the name and designation of the school changed to Welton CE School, and it continued as such until 2012 when the school became Welton Academy as part of the David Ross Academy chain.
In 1915 the school moved to its new premises across the road, following many years of reported concerns about the suitability of the old school house. This building in turn was further expanded and modernised in 1976, 1995 and 2004. The present site includes 5 classrooms, a hall, a library and 2 designated activity areas.
After the school moved in 1915 “The Old School,” as it was called continued to serve the village of Welton as a place for village events – a forerunner to the village hall. Evacuee children during World War II recalled Sunday School being taken in this building, at one point led by the memorably named May West! The Old School continued in use at least until the 1960s, prior to the new village hall being constructed.
A wonderfully clear photograph of the Old School and master’s house adjoining the pub taken circa 1955
The head teachers
In 1890 the head teacher was William Quelch, with Mrs Arabella Quelch as mistress. Average attendance in the school was recorded at 86.
The photograph below is taken from around this time, so likely to be Arabella on the far right and possibly her older daughter Eleanor helping out far left. As you can see this is the infant’s class, all girls and they are all lacemaking – carried out on a commercial basis by these young children. The photograph is taken behind the old school building, as indeed many photographs of the time were.
The 1891 census entry number 30 records the following living at the School House
William Quelch aged 45 – Schoolmaster – born in Stratford (prefixed possible by Essex?)
Arrabella Quelch aged 46 – Schoolmistress – born in Bethnal Green, London
William F Quelch aged 21 – son and schoolmaster – Born in Bedfordshire (Silsoe?)
Eleanor W Quelch – aged 15 – daughter – also born in Bedfordshire
Ethel M Quelch – aged 12 – daughter – also born in Bedfordshire
In the 1898 Kelly’s Directory details for the school remain broadly the same, however by this period average attendance has fallen to 79 and the head master was Mr John Reid and the mistress Mrs J Reid. The daily log book shows that Mr Quelch resigned as master of the School on the 22nd August 1895 and that John Reid commenced duties as the New Head Teacher on Oct 1st1895.
The 1901 census entry number 46 records the following living at The School and School House:
John Reid – aged 36 – Schoolmaster – born in Durham, South Shields
Hannah Reid – aged 36 – his wife – born in North Shields, Northumberland
Margaret Reid – aged 13 – their daughter – also born in South Shields
Annie Reid – aged 11 – their daughter – born in Wooler, Northumberland
John Reid – aged 1 – their son – born in Welton
John Reid continued as the Headmaster of Welton School until March 31st1905 when he left his post. From April 3rd the role was taken on by a temporary Headmaster, Mr H. J. Wright until May 12th of that year, when Edwin Bond became the new headmaster.
The school currently holds the head teacher log books covering the years 1895 – 2005 as completed by a series of successive headteachers, starting with William Quelch. These provide a fascinating overview of village life.
The victorian school day
In those early records we can see that many aspects of school life were very different, not least what the children learned and their day-to-day experiences of school. But many things remained very similar to today, including a very close scrutiny of attendance, frequent inspections and a focus on behaviour.
In the 1890s / early 1900s the school year was structured differently with the school year ending on June 30th. The new school year started very soon after each year on the first Monday in July, shortly to be followed by “Harvest Holidays” later known as “Summer Holidays” usually lasting 4 weeks, but sometimes 5 (there seems no indication why this might have varied) usually starting on the last Friday in July or first Friday in August (usually between July 30th and August 3rd).
The school day was also different. The day had 2 separate sessions, usually starting at 9 0’clock until 12.30. The afternoon session generally started at 1.30 running to 4 o’clock, however as from November 13th 1905 it became an annual feature that between November and February the afternoon session would run between 1 o’clock and 3.30pm in order to “allow the children living at a distance to reach their homes before dark”(head teacher log book – Nov 9th 1908)
The school curriculum had, like today a strong focus on the 3Rs – reading writing and arithmetic – however in other respects the topics of learning were very different.
A list of subjects for June 1896, by Headmaster John Reid records:
“Geography, History and Poetry” History included “Marlborough, Clive, Wolfe, Cook, Pitt, Nelson, Wellington, George Stevenson, Clyde, Franklin, the Massacre of Glencoe, the Porteous Riot, The Rebellion of 1758, The Union of Ireland 1801, the Abolition of Slavery, the Crimean war, the Defence and Relief of Lucknow, the Abyssinian War and the Progress of the 19th century”.
You can see here a focus on male role models and British military might and domination. This became even more apparent from May 1908 when each year the curriculum for the day included a special focus – “Empire Day” during which “the ordinary reading session was omittedand in its place a short descriptive lesson on the British Empire given by the Head Teacher” (John Reid – May 25th 1908). This focus on Empire continued right up to 1914, when a holiday was also given in the afternoon.
Pupils also undertook Musical Drill and Physical Drill. There was a huge focus on sewing – done of course by the girls. Regular – often fortnightly visits to the school were made by Mrs Clarke and Mrs Liddell (wife of Vicar) and later Mrs Garrard of Welton Place to inspect the needlework classes. Children also learned drawing, but painting did not come until later.
A log book entry for Jan 22nd 1906 records:
“Brushwork taken throughout this week’s drawing lessons in the upper classes. Owing to the scarcity of materials (i.e. proper brushwork books and papers) too little attention could previously be given to this subject”.
Secular instruction was generally taken by Canon Liddell and from 1902 by the Rev Hilton, who succeeded Canon Liddell as Vicar of Welton.
Children also had regular “Object Lessons” in which they were taught about a “common” object! These objects included: iron, wheat, wool, the cocoa plant and the tea plant. These were of variable effectiveness!
The 1898 Inspection Report of the School found:
“Object Lessons should be treated more intelligently. The notes of these lessons should be carefully prepared and revised by the Head Teacher before the lessons are given to the children”.
Object lessons continued until at least 1906, when the Annual Government Report by HMI (His Majesty’s Inspectorate) noted that “better provision for illuminating the Object Lesson is needed” — probably a reference to visual aids.
In 1908 “Conversation Lessons” were introduced in the infant class and gardening (for the boys of course) was introduced. This course was promoted and very closely monitored by the new LEA – Local Education Authority that gave the County Council control over schools, a responsibility previously carried by School Boards.
The gardening course was subject to change – an introductory long course was stopped, and schools had to run short courses; the pupils kept a garden and had written workbooks which were regularly reviewed by visiting inspectors.
In January 1896 a “Penny Bank” was opened in the school to encourage children to save, 24 joined…perhaps the majority could not afford go do so?
Inspection and assessment
Inspection and assessment were very much a focus for the school. In 1895 and into 1896 the Head Teacher undertook monthly assessments of reading, writing and arithmetic. These later became quarterly exams as from December 1906. These were generally quite superficial taking one and a half to two days – often with a half day holiday at the end, and general comments made in the log book.
In addition to head teacher examinations, external tests in drawing and scripture were set externally every year. There were also regular “correspondent” (manager) visits by Rev Darnell, Canon Liddell and Colonel Clarke, as well as later “school correspondents”, as well as annual Government (HMI) Inspections (by Mr Gill, then Mr Wise, followed by J. Harrison Esq and L.J Monro HMI in 19oos). On top of that, fortnightly visits by the School Attendance Officer – Mr Watson (1895- 1903 followed by Mr Peck as from 1904 when the new LEA was established; he continued to 1914) and Diocesan Inspections annually.
The school received “VG” in its 1898 Diocesan Report! Annual County Council Inspections were carried out by D.Elliot Esq for the years between 1904 and 1914.
After Canon Liddell, Rev M.F Hilton took over as the “school correspondent” or manager – as part of his role as vicar; he was replaced in Oct 1st 1906 by the new vicar, Charles Littledale MA until Feb 18th 1907 when the Vicar Rev J.F Sugden took over.
School was also visited by several other interestingly named or titled visitors, but it is not always clear why…..
Visitors and notable entries recorded in the School Log Book:
Lady Tulloch (April 14th and 21st 1896)
Bishop of Leicester (May 21st 1897)
Rev A. Fenton of Spennymoor (June 26th 1897)
Rev J. Teitlebaum, Rector of Saltcoats Assiniboia (July 7th 1898) – on 20th July he was “present at the opening of school and gave the children a lecture on the ‘Indians’ in the North West Territory from 9 to 9.45”
Major General Sir Fraser Tytler (July 15th 1898)
Dr Carr Glynn – Bishop of the Diocese with Canon Liddell (June 27th 1898)
Archdeacon Trotter of Trinidad (July 24th 1899)
Mr Fraser Tytler of Woodleigh with Canon Liddell (April 6th 1900)
Lady Victoria Rowe with Canon Liddell (June 11th 1900) – she was the Canon’s cousin’s daughter
Rev E. Blockley from Oxford with Canon Liddell (Sept 29th 1900)
Arthur Palmer – old scholar – now a clerk on Midland Railway (Nov 28th 1900).
Note: On June 3rd 1897 the Head Teacher log book records that the HT was absent taking two boys (Arnold Palmer and Charles Clarke) to Northampton to sit examination for County Scholarship. This would give them access to secondary education, often unavailable to most children at the time. It is not surprising therefore that Arnold Palmer returned to visit, and the HT was pleased to note that he had done well.
William Oxendale – old scholar (Sept 13th 1901)
Note: the Fraser Tytlers were relatives of Canon Liddell’s wife Christine.
In March 1909 annual medical checks of pupils were introduced with the Head Teacher conducting preliminary weight and eyesight checks which were then followed up by an appointed LEA Medical Officer. Medical cards were “forwarded to parents of children needing special attention” (HT log book March 24th1911).
Attendance – and absence
Attendance has always been a key focus for head teachers at Welton school. From the very start of the log book records, absence due to illness was a regular and significant problem. The school buildings were not fit for purpose for a very long time.
They were cold, poorly heated and ventilated, the sanitation provision was basic and poor. Lighting was bad and accommodation cramped. (see details below). In these circumstances children would not have thrived and the ease with which infectious illnesses could be transmitted was significant.
This is seen very clearly in the head teacher log books, which regularly report high levels of absence due to colds, influenza epidemics as well as scarlet fever, measles, mumps, chickenpox – of course, this was before the time of vaccinations. Some of these were serious and require the closure of the school:
Illness and epidemic-related entries recorded in the School Log Book:
Nov 8th 1885: Sanitary Inspector ordered school to be closed until Tuesday next to prevent further spread of fever. School to be disinfected this week.
[School reopened on Nov 26th after disinfection and no further cases of scarlet fever reported]
Oct 6th 1898: School closed by Medical Authority for measles.
Nov 7th: School reopened after 4 weeks 2 days closure. 55 present – 23 absent.
Jan 9th 1899: School reopened with very poor attendance – Scarlet Fever and Mumps having broken out among the children. 18 absent.
Jan 15th 1900: 32 children absent with influenza; only 54 present.
Jan 29th: School closed for epidemic of influenza and scarlet fever by order of M.O.H.
March 12th: School reopened with 52 children after 6 weeks closure. Children living in infected houses had to remain away for 3 more weeks.
April 1901: Quarterly examinations postponed by a week due to absence caused by an influenza epidemic (which began Feb 26th).
Sept 28th 1902: School closed by Medical Authority for Scarlet Fever.
Dec 8th: Reopened. Due to the 6‑week closure, pupils were given only 2 days holiday: Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
14 Dec 1904: Influenza epidemic affected attendance, especially in infants. Continued after Christmas Break until end of February 1905.
Jan 21st 1907: Illness noted on 14th developed rapidly among infants; 14 absent. Reports received of 4 cases of measles.
Jan 23rd: School closed by MOH.
Feb 18th: School reopened.
However, absence was, like today, also a real issue when sanctioned by parents, albeit often of necessity:
Attendance-related entries recorded in the School Log Book:
Oct 16th 1895: Attendance very low this afternoon – 10 fewer than in the morning as children had gone with parents to Daventry Fair.
(In later years the fair day was given as a holiday.)
Oct 25th 1895: Average attendance for the week was 72. Absentees were principally older boys kept off for potato picking.
Dec 8th 1898: Reported Mary Rainbow for bad attendance.
Sept 14th 1899: Four boys absent potato picking.
The head teacher log books also provide an interesting overview of the weather and the profound impact this often had on attendance. There is no doubt that winters were far more severe at the end of the 19th century and many entries refer to heavy and prolonged snowfalls, often over several days as well as periods of very stormy weather with heavy rain and strong winds.
Such weather made roads impassable; many children lived outside the village – sometimes referred to as “outside” children or those from “the Lodges” – and they came across the fields to school. Snow and waterlogged conditions made it impossible for them to get to school. Regular entries note a direct correlation between bad weather – especially rainy days – and poor attendance.
Summer temperatures also could be very high, which given the poor ventilation within school building must have made it very unpleasant. A selection of entries illustrates these challenges:
Weather-related entries recorded in the School Log Book:
Dec 9th and 16th 1895: Very stormy – attendance bad.
Jan 22nd 1897: Severe snowstorms – only 16 infants present.
Feb 3rd 1897: Severe snowstorm again; attendance very bad.
No Lodge Houses children able to get across by roads; 30 children absent.
March 3rd 1897: A severe storm of wind and rain.
Only 20 infants present and 38 in Mixed Department.
Children absent were all from the Lodge Houses; no child living in the village absent.
July 25th 1900: The heat was very great – 88 degrees in the school although all doors and windows were open.
Feb 5th 1901: A severe snowstorm affected attendance very much; snow about 6 inches deep.
Outside children unable to come across the fields.
[Continued to Feb 15th]
23rd July 1901: Attendance not good; a few children stayed away due to rain, the fields being too wet for their feet.
13th March 1911: During the afternoon the unusual experience was witnessed of the school being in almost complete darkness from 3.15 to 3.45pm.
Afterwards, a heavy fall of snow.
The Social Division within society was marked in the following entries below:
Bereavement and national‑event entries recorded in the School Log Book:
May 25th 1900: One scholar, Rich Hutt (Standard 2), died this week.
Jan 23rd 1901: “It was with deep regret that the children heard of the lamented death of our beloved Queen Victoria who died January 22nd 1901 at 6.30pm.”
Feb 1st 1901: School commenced today half an hour earlier to allow a number of children to go to Daventry, as shops closed on Saturday on account of Her late Majesty’s funeral.
There is a real sense of political expectation in how the head teacher recorded events and the very factual, unemotive reporting of the death of a child within the school is shocking to a modern reader.
The log books are interesting as much for what they don’t tell as much as what they do. Burial records across the period show a sadly high number of deaths amongst the children of Welton – as many as 30% of children in the UK didn’t live to their 10th birthday – yet on only one occasion was this reported in the head’s record.
Fit for purpose? The Old School building
Even as early as the summer of 1895 comments were being made by external inspectors that the fabric of the building was becoming a cause for concern: “The room is not suitable for its purpose and is very draughty.”
Over subsequent years this is often repeated, and although the Church and local families of wealth took a strong interest in the school, local support to address these concerns remained conspicuous by its absence! It seemed to take very strong words from HMI to get movement on this pressing issue!
School Premises and Accommodation: Notes from Inspection Reports, 1896–1909
1896 report: “The room is small and inconvenient for infants and is not well supplied with apparatus. The gallery might be supplied with small desks…”
1897 report: “…the room is very close… ventilation should be provided and some inlets also for fresh air are needed. The room should be better lighted. The playground should be fenced in.”
Infants’ room: “the room is very small for the number of children and might be enlarged if the partition were moved further back. The gallery might be turned around with advantage and filled with more suitable desks than those at present in use… the defects of the premises indicated by the Inspector should be remedied.”
1898 report: “the [infants’] room has been enlarged and the gallery supplied with suitable desks.”
1901 report: The old desks should be turned out; some are very shaky and might be replaced by new ones.
The room is very dark, the lighting is only from one side; it might be improved if glass panels were put in the classroom door. The urinal should be placed outside the offices [toilets] and properly flushed. Another blackboard and easel are required [in infant room].
1902 report: An attempt has been made to improve the lighting in the main room, and the urinal has been placed in the proper position.
1904 report (HMI): the cupboard accommodation is inadequate. [In the Infant class] the gallery is very inconvenient and might be removed with advantage to the scholars and teacher. A T square ruler is wanted. Ventilation is wanted in this room and also in the small classroom. Inlets of fresh air should also be provided.
1905 report: the main room is lighted by windows placed high behind the scholars and casting strong shadows on the work. The stove has a long pipe in the room and no air-flue and the small grate in the infants’ room is inadequate. Ventilation is altogether unsatisfactory.
The cloakroom is a passage about 20ft by 4ft, unventilated and with pegs and racks for hats arranged in seven tiers to a height of nearly 7 feet.
The offices [toilets] for boys and girls are confined – four cells for each being crowded into a space of 7 feet by 6 feet. They are neither well lighted nor well-ventilated and drainage from the playground flows down the steps leading to them.
A small room used as a classroom is approximately 14 feet by 10 feet and as many as 28 children are sometimes crowded into it, though the dark accommodation is sufficient only for 12 children.
1906 report: the school is still carried on under difficulties arising from inconvenient premises
1907 report: There is no alteration to report in the premises which are inconvenient, ill ventilated and insufficiently or unsuitably warmed and the cloakroom and sanitary accommodation very unsatisfactory. The desks, rearranged to secure better light, are now placed across the room so that one class is behind another and the desks 7 deep without required gangways.
The infants descend a flight of stairs to get to the playground and a further steep flight to reach the offices [toilets] whilst the older children have to pass through the private premises of the teacher’s house and the offices [toilets] for the teacher’s house are in the playground used by the boys, girls and infants.
The thermometer in the infants’ room on Dec 1st last – not an exceptionally cold day – registered 38 degrees [3.3C] at 9.15 and did not rise above 46 degrees [7.7C] throughout the morning.
Report for 1909: There is no improvement to report yet in these premises. Attention should again be drawn to the urgent need for a more efficient means of warming the infants’ room. There is so little difference between the temperature in this room and that of the outside air that the room can hardly be fit for use during severe weather.
Finally on June 13th 1910 A Kendall Esq Inspector of School Buildings visited the school and inspected the school premises – and the 1913 HMI report by Mr H Hartley following his visits on 12th Feb and 2nd April opens with: “It is gratifying to learn that replacement of these premises by a new building is now likely to be soon carried out.”
On 21st January 1914 a Government Valuation Officer visited the school to verify the dimensions of the building and the measurement of adjoining land.
And on January 12th 1915 the head teacher, Edwin Bond, confirmed in his log book that the school “recommenced after the Christmas Holidays in the new school buildings recently completed” …and nothing more was said, perhaps because head teachers were forbidden to express opinions in the official school log book!
A window into our past
The log books we have also provide fascinating insight into events of the period.
Some details remind us of events that are now long forgotten. Equally there is a “business as usual” style, such as the limited reference to the outbreak of World War I. Some interesting examples of how Welton’s children in those days experienced history include:
Special Events and Celebrations Recorded in the School Log Book:
May 21st 1900: A special holiday was given this afternoon for the Relief of Mafeking [Boer War] when several ladies of the village gave the children a good tea.
June 2nd 1902: School closed today to celebrate Peace.
June 23rd 1902: School closed today for one week’s holiday for the Coronation of His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward II.
19th July 1906: In the Upper Division upon several occasions during the week Reading was taken from illustrated descriptive accounts of the Warwick Pageant kindly lent by Mrs Hilton (Vicar’s wife).
The 1906 Warwick Pageant was a week-long theatrical spectacle (July 2nd – 7th) in the grounds of Warwick Castle, celebrating the 1000th anniversary of Ethelfleda’s conquest of Mercia. It featured 2000 performers, 200 speaking parts and 10 episodes spanning British History drawing massive crowds and boosting local pride. It raised a profit of £2615 which was used to purchase the Pageant House and Gardens for the community. For more details to go to Warwick Tourist Information Centre.
June 16th 1911: the school was closed for one week in accordance with instruction in Circular 260 – the holiday being granted in honour of the coronation of His Majesty George V.
There were also other days each year when the school was closed for holiday:
Annual Village Traditions and Local Customs:
May 1st: May Day festival
September: School closed one day for the Daventry Mop Fair
November: date varied between 20th and 29th – The Annual Welton Feast
December 21st – St Thomas’ Day: School required for the Distribution of Bread: this tradition arose through the bequest in the Will of John Winterton who left £200 to be spent on flannel and bread to be distributed to those in need in Welton.
Another development was the introduction of the system of using school premises for elections.
On February 27th, 1907, the first such direction was sent by the County Council confirming that Welton School would be used as a Polling Station for the County
Council elections on Tuesday March 5th, 1907. This development was made possible by the changes in 1903, when on September 30th the school came under the control of the new Country Council. This nationwide move saw the introduction of Local Education Authorities run by County Councils – a system that would prevail for over a century.
1910 saw the introduction of national annual medical checks in school. Under the scheme, preliminary weight and eyesight checks were carried out by the Head Teacher followed about a fortnight later by a visit the appointed Medical Inspector of the LEA. In Welton these happened on April 4th and 18th 1910. The school later received form M.1.10 detailing children who had been identified as “needing special treatment”.
The approach of war
Entry for the head teacher log book September 25th1913:Holiday given today on account of this district being within the centre of operations consequent upon the “Army Manoeuvres” now being carried on in the counties of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.”
In September 1913 British Army manoeuvres were held across Bucks and South Northants, serving as a critical final dress rehearsal for the British Army for World War One. These exercises involved roughly 50,000 soldiers and airman, and 25,000 horses in a simulation of war.
The exercise simulated a conflict between ‘Whiteland’ (defenders centred on Daventry) and ‘Brownland’ (invaders from the South). The climactic battle took place on September 25th and was watched by King George V, Queen Mary, a host of military chiefs including Churchill as first Lord of the Admiralty and wherever possible the general public, who lined the roads.
Lessons were learned about the importance of spotter planes and railway for troop movement and the limitations of cavalry – but not learned with regard to the importance of deep trenches, tin hats, the numbers of shells that would be needed and the fact that some generals were not up to the job.
Photograph: left: Queen Mary and Princess Mary standing in car to watch military manoeuvres, with chauffeur assisting and officer on roof of car; above: George V with locals following the action!
War was declared on 28th July 1914. The children returned to school after the summer break as usual and the first reference to this event did not appear in the head teacher log book until October 28th 1914when he recorded the following
“Owing to the importance of the Great War with Germany and its influence upon current events, the Geography and History schemes for the present school year will be modified sufficiently to allow explanatory lessons upon leading features and to follow progress”.
On November 16th, 1914, 6 new children were admitted to the school – these were families of Belgian refugees who had come to live in Welton. Times were changing around the world, within Britain and in Welton, as men of the village went to fight.
However, the school log books show a definite “keep calm and carry on” approach, as if the declaration of war had never happened!
So, on December 3rd, 1914, the head recorded that Mrs S.H Garrard had visited the school and distributed needlework prizes! Life in Welton carried on as it always had done.
And finally ….a hint of an earlier school
Although this history covers the period of the formal school, it is interesting to note the entry below from the list of vicars in the Welton Tithe book – 1617 Richard Patrick, Vicar. I find no account of his burial, but Elizabeth his wife was buried 10th January 1646. She lived and taught school in Welton above twenty-nine years.
