Welton seems to have always been a village that looks both backwards and forwards, as evidenced by our recent discovery of the Welton 2000 Project.
Mentioned throughout Welton News and Viewsin 1989, it was clearly a major community effort designed to celebrate the approaching Millennium.
Yet more than twenty‑six years later, the project appears to have slipped from sight — unless, of course, you know differently!
In December 1989, the Welton Local History Society reported that the WI, the Brownies, schoolchildren and society members had spent the year gathering material for an appraisal of the parish’s past and present, with an eye on what future changes might help — or hinder — village life.
An exhibition had been held in the village hall on Saturday 4 November 1989, showcasing everything collected so far:
WI questionnaire findings — a display built from responses to a summer survey.
Brownies’ gravestone survey — names, dates and a full plan of standing stones in the churchyard.
Parish footpaths — detailed descriptions and photographs charting routes across the village.
Then‑and‑now photographs — historic images paired with modern views of the same locations.
Hedge‑dating research — including hedges along Kiln Lane and the B4036*, estimated at around 700 years old using Hooper’s Rule.
Schoolchildren’s nature study — drawings and notes on local wildlife, from badgers and deer to the discovery of a snake’s nest.
What we would love to find out is:
• What exactly did the WI questionnaire ask, and what insights did villagers share?
• Where did all the collected materials go after the exhibition?
• Which hedges along Kiln Lane were identified as medieval, and can they still be located?
Were these hedges along Kiln Lane catalogued as medieval?
If any long‑time residents, former WI members, Brownies, or History Society volunteers still have memories — or boxes in the loft — the Welton 2000 Project may yet be rediscovered. Do get in touch if you can help.
Note: B4036 Road Reclassification
The B4036 near Welton refers to a historic road classification that was formally changed in the 1990s.
The original route connected Daventry to Market Harborough and ran directly past the village.
Under the reclassification, the Welton–Watford section ceased to be the B4036 and became part of the B5385.
It now carries traffic over the West Coast Mainline near the former Welton Station and passes under the M1.
The Welton–Daventry stretch was downgraded to an unclassified country road.
Last weekend we were thrilled to welcome over 130 people to our combined History of Welton in St Martin’s church and a celebration of the art of Eric Fleming in the village hall. The exhibition got off to a great start on Friday with a visit by Year 6 pupils and staff from Welton Academy. They were excited to see and learn the history of the Combles bell, retrieved from a WW1 battlefield by Eric Fleming’s father, Jim, and to explore just what it was like to live here in the past.
Organised as part of the area wide Heritage Open Day, the exhibition gave us an opportunity to share the many fascinating things we have uncovered about our village and its people. Thank you to those members of the History Group who visited, as well as people from Welton and beyond.
We were very fortunate to borrow a wonderful collection of the paintings by Eric Fleming from family members and residents, which was also very well received. Thank you to all who helped us with this, both in lending the paintings and the ‘volunteers’ (John and Pete) who collected them for us, as well as others who gave their time to ‘man’ the village hall on the day. Too many to mention – but you know who you are!
We have received some fantastic feedback from visitors, as you can see below:
“Really nice to see all this old history of Welton”
— Annette H
“Thought it was fabulous! Very interesting to find out about the history of the village I live in. Hope you can do it again next year”
— Samantha D
“This was an excellent exhibition, very detailed and comprehensive! The paintings are beautiful! The history of the village is so very interesting! Thank you for all your hard work and effort!”
— Sue D
If you were unable to visit the exhibition and would like to know more, please do visit – or even better, subscribe to – our website.
It’s free, easy to use and updated frequently with new stories.There is also entry into a prize draw for a £10 Marks and Spencer gift card for anyone who subscribes before 31st October 2026 – click here.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my partner-in-all things historic, Karen O’Mahoney for her hours of help in organising this exhibition as well as developing the website, helping research new leads and enigmas, making my basic Word documents look amazing – and so much more!
It has been a huge undertaking to get this far in just seven months and, together, we are determined to continue to unearth those forgotten stories and celebrate Welton’s astonishing, world-encompassing past.
And so, to the new season!
Our first meeting for the new season is on Monday 28th September 2026 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Our speaker, Susan Watkins, will be taking us on a Virtual Walk through Daventry.
From the relative comfort of our village hall chairs you will enjoy the stories about the people and places in Daventry that have made their mark on the history of our nearest large town. Do come along – you may think you ‘know’ Daventry, but there really is so much to discover, from our pre-Roman occupants to more contemporary figures!
As always, entry is £5pp payable on the door – cash or card, both welcome.
This cost includes tea or coffee and a delectable biscuit or two! Or if you fancy something stronger, feel free to BYOB! Our full programme for the year is available on the website here.
Please do share this newsletter with friends or neighbours. The work of this group is reliant on the income generated by these monthly talks and so the more who come, the better!
Have we enthused you? Why not join our committee?
The Welton History Group is a small group of enthusiastic volunteers – five in total! None of us would describe ourselves as historians. Although some of us might describe ourselves as fanatics. All of us believe that our village has a fascinating story that should be uncovered, shared and celebrated, as well as saved for future generations.
But we really need YOUR support.
You don’t need to be an expert, fanatic or otherwise, or have to give up hours of your time.
We’d just really value some extra, enthusiastic, interested people who would like to:
muck in and contribute to the future of this work in any way you feel ok with
help shape the future of the History Group
If you are interested, please email me or have a chat at one of our meetings.
And finally …… a few Welton related quiz questions
• What connects Welton to a house and botanic garden in New Zealand?
• Which Welton resident was connected to the moving memorial to heroic Londoners who saved the lives of others, at the expense of their own, in Postman’s Park in London?
• How did an Anglo / French family from India end up living at The Red Lion?
• How are Leo Tolstoy, Alice Liddell and Jane Austen connected to our village?
Of course, if you can answer these, you would definitely win the quiz!
Regular readers will be familiar with Welton House, the home of Sir Halford Reddish that stood on the site of Halford Way.
But it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of its namesake in Marlborough, New Zealand – yet interestingly, the New Zealand property takes its identity from our village.
Welton House in Marlborough is built high on an ancient sand dune, to avoid the floods that came regularly from the Wairau and Ōpaoa Rivers.
Once used as a refugee centre, it is today known for its striking Victorian main house and celebrated seven acre garden; visitors come to see its sweeping lawns, restored villa architecture and the creative planting schemes developed by owner Wendy Palmer and her garden designer brother Ross.
The grounds once bore crops and supported sheep farming, today they contain gardens and acres of the world famous Sauvingnon Blanc grape.
But behind this modern success lies a story of more than a century old that begins on the other side of the world – in our village.
The link comes through Sarah Elizabeth Knibb, born in Lincolnshire in 1875 and raised in Welton. Her family were agricultural labourers who moved to the village around 1880.
By the 1891 census, her parents Samuel and Harriet Knibb were living in a modest two‑up, two‑down cottage on Lower Church Street, (Churchill Road) with daughter Annie. Sarah herself does not appear – she was working as a servant in London for Elizabeth Major, living in St George Hanover Square.
Her younger sister, Annie Elizabeth, would later marry Ernest Porter at St Martin’s Church in 1906. They had a daughter Doris who died as a baby and another daughter Cicely, and would settle at The Firs. But Sarah’s life took a very different turn.
Sarah had an illegitimate son, Frank, born in 1900 in Oakley, Buckinghamshire, with no father named. At the time, Sarah was employed in Buckinghamshire as a servant, but by 1901 she had returned to Welton, while baby Frank was taken in by John and Jane Brooks of Oakley — relatives through the Causby (Harriet’s parents) line — assisted by a young girl Nellie Hawes. It’s likely that the return to Welton was prompted by the loss of her job after Frank’s birth.
Soon after this, Sarah met Arthur John Mills, a New Zealander from Marlborough. The son of pioneering settlers John and Ann Mills, Arthur was unusual among early settlers in that he had been born in New Zealand rather than arriving from Britain. In 1878, while still a young teenager, he began clearing dense native bush to create a plot for a cottage. His parents had bought land for him and his brother to “break in”, and Arthur spent years shaping the beginnings of what would become Welton House.
Early in the 20th century, Arthur travelled to England to find a wife, though the exact circumstances of his meeting with Sarah remain unclear. What is certain is that Sarah made a life‑changing decision: she left behind her young son, and sailed halfway around the world to live with him.
They married in Welton in 1906 – Arthur having travelled from New Zealand with his relative Alice – and all three sailed back after the marriage, on the ship Athentic, on 21st September 1906.
It was a trip that would take 70 days; the emotional cost of leaving her child must have been considerable. Returning to Marlborough, Arthur built a new house on his land, replacing an earlier smaller dwelling. He named it Welton House, honouring Sarah’s home village and it was the core of the house that remains today.
This naming was a touching link between the two Weltons: one a small English parish, the other a growing agricultural settlement on New Zealand’s South Island.
Sarah (left) and Arthur went on to have two children together in New Zealand – Cicely Beatrice in 1907 and Eileen Mary in 1909.
In 1925 Sarah bought the freehold of The Firs in Welton from her great uncle Francis Knibb. The property was held in trust with daughters Cicely and Eileen being the trustees.
Arthur died in 1933, and is commemorated on Sarah’s memorial stone. It states he died ‘in England’ and the following obituary appeared, showing he was in Derbyshire at the time along with with wife and daughters.
OBITUARY A. J. MILLS.
By Telegraph—PrM Association
BLENHEIM, July 10 1933.
A private cablegram reports the death in Derbyshire of Mr Arthur John Mills,
a well-known Grovetown farmer, and member of many Marlborough local bodies.
He was on a health recruiting visit to England, accompanied by his wife and
two daughters. Mr Mills was one of the original members of the Marlborough
County Council, and prior to 1914 a member of the Spring Creek Road Board,
the Spring Creek River Board, and other bodies. He was also prominently
identified with the Automobile Association and various farmers’ organisations.
After Arthur died in 1933, Sarah went to Welton and made her will there, witnessed by Clement Porter, her sister’s brother in law. She must have returned to New Zealand by 1936, the date on personal correspondence of hers left in Welton House, and she died there in 1946. In her will, she left the Firs and its land to her son Frank!
Sarah and Arthur’s memorial stone at Blenheim Anglican Cemetery is shown below.
Their elder daughter, Cicely Beatrice McHugh, maybe named after Annie’s daughter, her cousin, lived her life in New Zealand, marrying Joseph Lindo McHugh. She died in 1986, the stone below Arthur and Sarah’s commemorating her. Her sister Eileen married Henry Joseph Stace, whose descendants are the Marchs – the branch of the family that owned Welton House for many years.
As for Sarah’s son Frank – he joined the Royal Navy, serving as a telegraphist on HMS Renown in WW1 and HMS Faulknor in WW2. He married in Welton in 1941 – his wife was his cousin Cicely – Annie’s daughter! Did Frank and Cicely know they were cousins? We can only speculate.
Frank sold The Firs to the Ellisons (yes the famous Mill Ellison) in 1958.
Today, visitors to Welton House see a beautiful garden and restored villa, but few know that its name carries the memory of a young woman from Northamptonshire who crossed oceans to begin a new life.
You can read a much more detailed story of Sarah’s family here.
A revised history of The Firs is now live on the website giving a fuller history of that property.
Photos of Welton House and Sarah courtesy Wendy Palmer
Photo of Frank courtesy of Phil Knibb
With thanks to Wendy and her Knibb family connections for generously sharing knowledge
I know we do not normally put out a newsletter during the summer break, however there is much to update you on that could not wait until later in September.
Daventry Heritage Open Day – 12th September
For the last month we have been busy preparing an exhibition to showcase some of the fascinating discoveries we have made about the rich history of Welton. In fact, there has been so much that we have unearthed that it is hard to decide what to include!
The exhibition will be in St Martin’s Church between 10am and 4.00pm. It will be manned throughout to answer any questions visitors might have. We have designed a display, with lots of images, that aims to give visitors a real taste of the village then and now.
We will have a range of artefacts for you to see, such as the WWI Combles bell, that was retrieved from Flanders by a Welton soldier and donated to the school. We are very grateful to the staff at Welton School for agreeing to let us display this on the day. We also have an archive of Welton News and Views and a selection of Welton in the news reports going back more than a century.
It is still not too late to let us know if you have an item that you would be happy to share with us on the day, to help bring the experience alive! Please contact me or Karen O’Mahoney if you can help.
We have curated the exhibition to be as interactive as possible and have tried to cater for all age and interest levels, with a revised heritage trail for adults and a new young person’s version which encourages them to actively engage with what they see. There will even be a small prize for completed trails – for our younger visitors! Grown-ups will just have to take a personal pride in completing the trail, possibly at The White Horse!
It’s worth bringing along a small amount of cash as cakes will be available to buy, with proceeds going back into the History Group!
The free Heritage bus from Daventry will be stopping in Welton
We have prepared a publicity page for the Heritage Open Day website, including bus timetables, which you can access here.If you have friends and family outside of Welton, please encourage them to come along using the heritage buses.
In addition to the exhibition in the church, we are also delighted to be able to confirm that we will be hosting an exhibition of the art of Eric Fleming in the Village Hall. Eric was a prolific amateur artist and his many paintings of Welton, mostly from memory, provide a delightful perspective on the village in days gone by.
And in other History Group news ……
Wolfhampcote walk
I have been in touch with Mike Tebbitt, our leader for the Wolhampcote that was cancelled earlier this year. Regrettably Mike remains unable to lead the walk at present. I am sure you will join me in wishing him a smooth recovery. I am looking into alternative possibilities and will advise you of a revised date as soon as possible.
Programme of talks – 2026-27
Our next season of talks begins on Monday September 28th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall when we will be joined by Susan Watkins who will be taking us on a virtual tour of Daventry, exploring its long and rich history, how this is still reflected in the town we see today and some of the colourful characters associated with the town.
I do hope you will join us. Entry remains £5pp on the door, payable by card or cash. We will continue to provide refreshments or, if you prefer, please feel free to bring your own bottle! You can see the full programme for next year here.
Welton History Group website
Our website continues to go from strength to strength and is rapidly becoming the core of our communications. If you have visited us before, thank you – but please do take a look at the site from time to time, as we are constantly updating and adding new information – as well as adjusting the way information is presented to make it easier for you to use. A reminder that the address is weltonhistorygroup.co.uk.
For those of you who like stats, we’ve had over 1100 visits and 4100 page views since it launched earlier this year.
We also have 77 subscribers but we want more!
So anyone who subscribes to the website between today and 31st October goes into a prize draw for a £10 M&S voucher. If you are receiving this newsletter to your email you are already signed up – but please encourage others to do so, to help the History Group grow.
We would really love to get more members of the village active in shaping the History Group moving forward. We are only a very small group of five which can limit the extent to which we can bring the history of Welton alive to all.
We would value fresh input, ideas and support in developing our current projects as well as developing new initiatives. So, whether it is fund raising, research, helping out at events, developing the annual programme or any other ideas you might have, we need YOU! You can do as little or as much as works for you – no pressure!
Please email us at weltonhistorygroup@outlook.com or talk to any of us either at the Heritage Day event or a Monday evening meeting. We’d love to welcome you on board.
I hope to see as many of you as possible on 12th September in St Martin’s Church and the Village Hall. If you cannot pop by yourself, please do spread the word!
“God speed the plough and the women who drive it.”
Our 2025/6 programme of talks was brought to a memorable close on Monday 29th June with a fascinating talk by Helen Frost about the Women’s Land Army during the first World War. Bringing with her a range of supporting documentation as well as a full-sized mannequin showing the land army uniform – which scandalised many at the time – in an interactive presentation we learned about its origins in 1915/16 with the militaristic Forestry and Lumber section.
By this point in the war, timber was desperately needed not just for pit props in mines, but to support the construction of trenches and light railways along the lines in France.
The WLA itself followed in February 1917 in the context of huge food shortages caused by the poor harvest of 1916, a need to get land in full and productive production as well as significant losses by the merchant navy, over 1500 ships attacked lead to the loss of some 2.25 million tons of food. At its worst, the country had just 4 days of sugar supplies and 2 months of wheat and flour, as we relied on imports for 80% of food production. Starvation was a very real fear and, in some cases, a matter of fact.
Women were encouraged to enrol from all walks of life but especially the middle and upper levels of society, for an initial period of 6 months. Training was given and in many ways this war time necessity opened a huge range of experiences for women, involving them in everything from felling trees, operating machinery, farming and livestock management.
However, there was resistance from families who, in some cases did not want their girls to go, and from the farmers and communities across the country where the volunteers were allocated. The conditions in which many worked were harsh in both summer and winter, and access to horses and machinery often limited making it both physically and mentally exhausting. The pay was also minimal.
There is no doubt that the 300 – 400 000 women who came forward made a significant impact to the war effort, yet unbelievably after the war the WLA was denied its post victory rally in 1919 on the grounds of cost. WLA volunteers were also denied permission to participate in the march past the cenotaph as part of Remembrance Day events.
Whilst some received recognition for their efforts, for the most part this vital project was allowed to quietly fade from memory after the women were demobilised in September 1919. Some women took their honed skills to develop new lives abroad through the Assisted Emigration programme to countries as far apart as Canada and Australia.
Few communities today know much about the role of women on the land in their area. If you have any information about how Welton responded to the crisis between 1917 and 1919 or have a family history you would like to share, please do get in touch!
Your village needs you! Heritage Open Day: 12th September 2026
Welton History Group will be putting on an exhibition in the village highlighting some of the many fascinating stories we have unearthed about numerous Welton residents, their homes and activities in our village over the last 300 years and more! We will also be on hand to explain how we made these discoveries and to answer any questions.
We hope to make the exhibition as visual as possible, and this is where YOU come in!
If you have ANY items, however small, and would be prepared to lend them to us for the day we would be very appreciative. These may be items you dug up in your garden, copies of old documents, pictures, or any other curiosities. If you can help, please contact Karen or myself as soon as possible.
We will ensure that all items are carefully curated and returned, with explanatory details provided to help visitors engage with the diverse history of our village. We have already been very generously supported by several current and previous residents, however we would be grateful for anything you can contribute.
We will also be producing an A4 leaflet to promote the event. If you can help us spread the word further afield by displaying it in your place of work or a public access building you have links to, please contact us via Welton Memories page on Facebook or the Welton History Group website and we will provide you with copies.
If you’re enjoying the Welton History Group why not get involved?
The activities of the History Group have broadened considerably over time and it would be great to have more members of the village on the committee to help us steer both ongoing as well as future projects.
I’m delighted to confirm that all the speakers for next year’s programme have now been confirmed and been booked! The full programme is on the website, however the summary below will help you to fill your calendar ready for next year!
September 28th 2026: Walking through Daventry’s History – Susan Watkins
26th October 2026: Northamptonshire Remembrance Register post 1945: Guy Voice
30th November 2026: Welton History – A Deeper Dive into some of the more unexpected stories about our village and its people: Suzanne Edwards and Karen O’Mahoney
25th January 2027: White Horse: 21st Century Welton: your history, your voice!
22nd February 2027: Save the Children: then and now – Marilyn Payne
22nd March 2027: An A-Z of food over time – Sharn Matthews
26th April 2027: 20th century Social History through the Eyes of Joyce Grenfell – Jackie Hibbert
May outing to 78 Derngate – Northampton: car shares will be available where needed – date to be confirmed in the autumn. Booking essential.
28th June 2027: Trench Humour of the First World War – Stephen Barker
And finally ……
The Welton History Group will be taking our collective foot off the accelerator over the summer, but do visit the website from time to time, where you will find updated articles and new photos being added.
We wish you a relaxing and enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you all in September.
It was disappointing to have to cancel the May Walk with Mike Tebbitt around the remains of the deserted village of Wolfhampcote because of the heavy rain prior to the meeting, especially as the sun chose to shine later that morning!
I have been contacted by Mike regarding a revised date however, due to illness, he has indicated that a date in September would be preferable – the best option I think, given the ongoing heat and the fact that it is holiday season!
I will contact Mike nearer the time to confirm details and will advise accordingly. In the meantime, we send our best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.
Promoting Welton History Group
Today we were delighted to unveil our new Welton History Group promotional banner. We hope that this will help raise awareness of our monthly meetings and encourage more to join in.
As a group we are wholly reliant on the money taken at each meeting to cover hall, heating and speaker costs. Any underspend is used to fund free or subsidised events. So, the more people who attend, the more we can invest in a diverse programme or to support ongoing projects by the group.
We are very grateful to Cheryl Thallon for her generous support in producing promotional leaflets, giving details of our early meetings next season, that we have put up in public-facing places.
If you think you can help us by putting a leaflet at your place of work or worship, please do get in touch with myself or Karen. The Welton leaflets can be found on village notice boards.
Welton Community History Website
We continue to publish new material on the website and are working hard with ongoing research and writing covering several properties in the village, individuals and families of interest. Recently we have completed a series of articles on Churchill House / Welton Court and associated properties, however it is often the case that just when you think you are finished, new information comes to light which means editing and rewriting, often quite extensively!
Interest in the website and engagement with the Welton Facebook (Memories) page remains positive. At the time of writing, uptake is as follows:
Platform
Statistics
Facebook – Welton (Memories)
214 members
138 posts
13,630 post views
751 comments
2,033 reactions (likes etc)
If you have not yet had a chance to look at the site, the link is below. We would love your feedback and if anyone would like to get involved, please do get in touch at:
Our last meeting of this season will be on Monday June 29that 7.30pm in the village hall, when we will hear from Helen Frost on The Womens’ Land Army in WWI. Helen has spoken to the group before and is always very engaging and interesting. This vital programme was so much more than just about providing food for the nation – as if that were not important enough! It gave women across Britain opportunities, access to new roles, it broadened horizons and expectations – Britain would never be the same again!
Do come along to find out more… bring your daughters, granddaughters, for this is their heritage too! Tea, coffee and biscuits provided or, if you fancy, BYOB!
We shall also be launching our programme for next season at this meeting and giving you more information about the Daventry Area Heritage Open Day that we are supporting, which takes place on Saturday 12th September, 2026.
I do hope to see as many of you as possible!
And finally, places of historical interest for those fine summer days!
➤Daventry Museum – Made in Daventry exhibition
Free drop-in workshop for young ones: making jellyfish, suns, pom poms. Thurs 17 Aug and Fri 25 Aug – 11am–1pm
➤Northampton Museum and Art Gallery I Grew Up in the 80s exhibition: 20 June – 10 October Movie Night Murder: team-based murder mystery, runs to 27 Sept. Tues–Sat: 10am–5pm, Sun: 12pm–5pm
➤Delapré Abbey
Bat Walks – Fri 26 / Sat 27 June at dusk
Medieval Nunnery Tour – Fri 10 July
Children’s House Tour – Sun 19 July
King Arthur and the Holy Fail (performance) – Sun 9 August
A Portrait of Passion: scandal, secrets and society at Delapre Abbey – Mon 17 August
➤Upton House (National Trust)
Special exhibition of Rembrandt’s Self Portrait in a Feathered Bonnet (1635) – slow looking experience. 17 July – 8 November 2026
➤Imperial War Museum Duxford
Summer Air Show – 4 July weekend
➤Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum
Dry Etching Workshop – 27 June; 10am–4pm
Crafts on the Canal – 18 July; 10am–4pm
Rag rugging workshop – 25 July; 10am–4pm
➤Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre
Medieval Festival – 22–23 August
Walking Through Time: temporary exhibition on 50 years of archaeological field walking, including district finds. 18 June – 31 October
Please note this is not a definitive list : for more details, please visit venue specific websites
The meeting to launch the Welton History Group website on Tuesday May 19th was well received. A voluntary donation hat collected over £40 which will be used to help fund more permanent displays of our shared history, so thank you to all for your generosity.
During the meeting the website was demonstrated, introducing the interactive map, the range of areas we have been researching as well as the online photograph album. Initial analysis of “hits” show a very encouraging level of interest and direct feedback from many in the village has been very positive. If you have not yet accessed the website, why not see for yourself using link: weltonhistorygroup.co.uk
To date we have produced detailed pieces on 11 properties, with at least 11 more to investigate, 5 ‘lost treasures” (buildings now lost or in very changed circumstances) and two public buildings: Welton School and St Martin’s Church.
We are delighted that several people, some but not all local to Welton, have taken an active part in digging out new information and undertaking further research into key questions. I would like to thank all those who have helped get this project underway. The Facebook page Welton (Northamptonshire) Memories has also been an absolute treasure trove of new material, so thank you to all who have contributed.
This is very much a work in progress and with each new discovery changes may need to be made. Sometimes we find out things that require us to rethink earlier findings, so do bear with us. You can feedback your thoughts or findings to us on the website.
Upcoming meetings
Wulfhampcote walk: It was very frustrating that the weather required us to postpone the walk scheduled for earlier this month. Please look out for an email giving you details of the new date and time in the next couple of weeks. .
Monday 29th June: 7.30pm – The Women’s Land Army
This final meeting of this season will be led by Helen Frost and explores the launch of and both short- and longer-term consequences of this important social change during World War I. £5pp payable on the door, cash or card welcome.
Dates for your diary
Monday 28th September: our first meeting of the new season will take us on a fascinating virtual walk through Daventry, exploring the fascinating history of the town, its buildings and some of its inhabitants.
Saturday 12th September: Local area Heritage Open Day, including a Welton History display in the church, book stall and a free Heritage bus service to Daventry.
And wider afield – historic themed events of interest this summer
Bosworth Medieval Festival: Saturday 22nd August – two-day event featuring re-enactors, traders and lots more at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. Tickets on sale now. See website for further details: www.bosworthbattlefield.org.uk
If you are an English Heritage member
Sunday 7th June: Edward II and his favourites walking tour (members only event)
Wednesday 8th July: Simon de Montfort and the Siege of Kenilworth (members only event)
And finally, if you are wondering about what amazing things you can do locally, then why not consider the following great historic locations in Northamptonshire?
Althorp House and Gardens
Delapre Abbey, Northampton
Canons Ashby House (National Trust)
Broughton House (Historic Houses Association)
Sulgrave Manor – home of the ancestors of George Washington
Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne
Fotheringhay Castle – location of execution of Mary Queen of Scots
Edgecote Moor Battlefield near Banbury
The Geddington Cross – the best surviving Eleanor Cross as featured in a WHG talk earlier this year
On Monday 27th April we were joined by Stephen Barker who delivered a superbly detailed and thought-provoking talk about the Battle of Naseby.
Naseby, fought on 14th June 1645 was the definitive, brutal battle involving over 27 000 men that brought to a close the first of the three civil wars which wracked England during the 17th century causing the deaths of twice as many as a percentage of the population as WW1 and leading to significant poverty, hardship and destitution afterwards. The 1642-1651 Civil War was fought for 3 main reasons: religiousdivision, competition for power based on Parliamentary resistance to Charles I’s belief in his right to total control due to his “divine right” as king and his dismissal of parliament and, finance – in particular the perilous nature of the economy and Charles’s unpopular methods of raising funds through divisive taxes, such as the Ship Tax.
Stephen talked us through each stage of the battle and explained how, through meticulous archaeological mapping and the many documents that survive, historians have a very precise knowledge of the deadly two-hour battle and its fighting retreat that left a trail of debris behind as soldiers fled the field. Over 1000 Royalist troops lost their lives compared to about 150 Parliament men.
For more information you may like to visit the Naseby Battlefield Heritage Trust: Click here
To follow up Stephen’s talk there will be a guided walk in Naseby to start to explore this area on May 8th (see ‘dates for your diary’ below). However, as the map on the left shows, the scale of the battlefield is significant and not all locations are easily accessed on foot (some also are on private land).
So our walk will take in the village itself and church where we will see a table at which, allegedly, some of the King’s Lifeguards were sitting when surprised by Parliamentary troops on the eve of battle, the Naseby Obelisk where the New Model Army rendezvoused as well as the Cromwell Monument and viewpoint.
Welton Community History Project – sneak peeks!
We are very excited to be ready to go live with the new Welton Community History platform next month. Future newsletters will include features on the people, homes and buildings, events both global and local that have made their mark on our village for over 2000 years.
The Welton Facebook Memories group has been fantastic contributor to our developing knowledge, so a big thank you goers to all who have contributed to that forum.
This month’s sneaky peek… The Headteacher Log Books
Welton Academy holds 3 logbooks written almost daily between July 1895 and September 2005. In it we learn much about the poor conditions of the old school, the very limited early curriculum, the regular inspections by HMI (Her / His Majesty’s Inspectors), the diocese, the Local Authority, the weekly attendance checks by the many vicars of Welton and the dreaded District Attendance Officer, school nurses, doctors and well-meaning wives of Welton landowners who wanted to check on the progress of the girls’ needlework.
In the spring of 1896 the head teacher, J. Reid tells us:
“April 14th – Lady Tulloch visited the school this afternoon
April 21st – Lady Tulloch and Colonel Clarke visited the school this afternoon and watched the children go through their “Physical Drill”.
May 15th – Average [attendance] for week 76. Canon Liddel and Mrs Balfour visited the school this afternoon. Received two maps – “around the World” and “South Africa”. The mental arithmetic shows great improvement throughout the school.”
A map of South Africa? Well, South Africa was of increasing military and economic importance to England following the discovery of gold in the Transvaal… and in three years the Boer War would erupt, so in addition to the History curriculum of “William III, Marlborough, Clive, Wolfe, Cook, Pitt, Nelson, Wellington, Stevenson, Clyde, Franklin, Glencoe, Porteous Riot, the Rebellion of 1798, Union of Ireland 1801, Abolition of Slavery, Crimean War, Defence and Relief of Lucknow, Abyssinian War and Progress of the 19th Century” , a grounding in Empire News was clearly an expectation of School Boards! Who says the curriculum is not political?
Welton History Group website: subscription information
As mentioned on Monday evening, we will soon be moving the manual email list across to the new website by bulk subscribing those who are currently signed up to receive Welton History Group information, such as the monthly newsletter, talks programme and other updates.
This will make the group’s communications easier to handle and more efficient. It also means that, in the event of committee changes, and handover can be done smoothly and professionally.
Please be assured that your email will remain private and will not be passed on to any third party. It will never be used for anything other than Welton History Group information.
Should you not wish to be automatically subscribed please email me using the link below by 20th May.
After May 20th, the email circulation on my computer will be deleted and no further communications will be sent via my personal email address. At this point, any current members not subscribed will cease to receive WHG communications.
I hope this is acceptable to all and that members agree that this is a more sustainable and secure system that will strengthen WHG communications for the future.
Dates for your diary
Friday May 8th: Welton Walkers: There will be a walk open to all covering the area of the Battle of Naseby. We will meet in Naseby however will try to arrange car share options to make transport and parking easier. There will be more details nearer the time on the Welton Walkers Whatsapp group and via email to members of WHG.
Tuesday May 19th: 7.30pm: Village Hall – a free meeting for all Welton to launch the website and the features mentioned at the start of the meeting. At this meeting we will trace what we have produced so far, show you how to access the interactive map and website and also give you a flavour of some of the more surprising things we have learned about Welton and its people!
Tuesday 19th May: 10.30am: WHG outing: walk around the abandoned village of Wolfhamcote, near Braunston which will be led by Mike Tebbitt. We will meet in the car park of the Boat House for a 10.30am departure. This is our official May meeting.
Monday 29th June at 7.30pm (the last meeting of this season) when Helen Frost will be talking to us about The Women’s Land Army in WW1. Officially formed in 1017, the land army enabled vital food production to continue whilst the men served in the army, however as we shall learn this initiative started far earlier and continued long after the armistice. Helen has promised a lively talk with a range of things for us to see, which we will add to in relation to what we have learned about life on the home front in Welton during WW1.
Our March meeting on Monday was led by Andy Chapman, who also spoke to us in Oct 2023, on the “Search for Northampton Castle”, which really showed us how important Northampton was in the Middle Ages. Monday’s talk illustrated how this growth in the town stemmed from a reasonably significant Anglo Saxon fortified settlement or “burh” that had developed after the Roman era. Several digs over the last 30+ years have gradually revealed evidence of significant Anglo-Saxon development close to today’s St Peter’s Church, the railway station and the post Norman castle which followed it but has since been lost under said railway station(s). The plan below shows the footprint of the early stave timber building with 2 side chambers and a central entrance, later replaced by a much larger stone-built complex which lay within Ango Saxon “Ham-tun”.
A range of late Saxon artefacts have been found here as well as in several areas around / beyond the town, including Brackmills and Wollaston . Earlier archaeologists proposed this was some sort of Saxon palace, however the pre-Norman dating of St Peter’s and the now lost St Gregory’s Church would suggest that before the castle, Hamtun was a fairly significant settlement with an ecclesiastic focus supported by a community of people.
For those who were unable to join us on Monday, I am pleased to report that the Welton History Project is coming on apace. Using a Google maps platform we have plotted 22 houses, 11 Lost Treasures, 5 public buildings. There is a significant amount of collated history for a number of these buildings although it is a work in progress to complete it for all. We have also created a People of Welton section, focusing on families and individuals over time, including the Clarkes, Garrards, George Smith of Coalville (who lived in Welton!), the Emerys and Sir Stephen Hill of The Firs who became Governor of Newfoundland! We have also completed a detailed history of St Martin’s Church and Welton School.
We have also set up a Welton History / Memories group on Facebook, which has been amazingly useful in sourcing a huge number of vintage photographs and details regarding buildings, events and traditions in the village.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Welton Recreation Trust for their continued support of our group. They recently agreed to fund a 2-year license for Flikr which has enabled us to create a digital photo album for the project organised on a street-by-street basis. These photographs are also attached to property and event specific sections of the website. Additionally, we also plan to host a Welton History website which will keep all our meeting notes, research materials and links, newsletters all in one place. This will feed selectively into the History Group section of the parish council but in a streamlined way. More news on this will follow in due course.
Finally, a big thank you to so many people for stepping forward and sharing their memories and memorabilia associated with places in the village. If you can help with our research, please do email me at suzanne.edwards161@icloud.com
Dates for your diary
Monday 27th April: Our next meeting, led by Stephen Barker, will give us an illustrated and no doubt fascinating account of the most significant battle of the Civil War: Naseby. With thanks in advance to Richard Proto, we hope this will be followed up with a Welton Walkers group foray onto the battlefield to see some it for ourselves.
Tuesday 19th May: a special WHG meeting in which we will walk you through the website and take a deeper dive into some key areas. This will be in the Village Hall at 7.30pm as usual but will be free of charge as it is an additional meeting to the published schedule. Also, Karen O’Mahoney and I will be giving a very brief introduction to the platform at The Good Neighbours group on April 14th. Please do support this project by letting people who may not be members of the History Group know about these events. We very much want this to be a history of Welton by Weltonians and for all members of our community.
WHG annual walk:Tuesday 19th May 10.30am which this year is being led by Mike Tebbitt around the remains of the abandoned village of Wulfhamcote. There will be a small charge of £3 for this meeting to cover speaker costs. If you could bring cash on the day this would be very helpful. Meet at The Boat House pub car park. Car sharing available. If you would like a lift, please drop me an email. Duration – approximately 2 hours.
History events slightly further afield
Ashby St Ledger’s Open Garden Day at the Manor House: Sunday 10th May: 11.00-5.00pm Booking required. For more information visit https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk
Towcester Museum and Visitor Centre: April 1st: 11am-2pm: archaeological digs and Roman activities
Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens: April 5th and 6th: Spring Fair: stalls inside and outside.
St Mary’s Church, Little Addington: April 17th – an evening of railway nostalgia
Thank you to all who joined us for our February meeting on Monday, where we were joined by Martin Heath who took us on a journey through the BBC from approximately 1967 to the present day. It was a trip down memory lane for many with clips from some old favourites such as Morecambe and Wise and John Craven’s Newsround as well as an opportunity to reflect on the many innovative things the BBC has done over time to deliver on its remit to “provide impartial, high quality and distinctive output that informs, educates and entertains” [BBC Charter].
So, we learned about regionalised and world-wide broadcasting, the development of children’s and educational broadcasting including the ground breaking Open University, developing technologies including Ceefax, the BBC Iplayer and website, the launch of East Enders as well as the varied crises the BBC has and continues to face in this changing world of streamed services.
And whilst he may not have referred to the Woodentops specifically, I felt I had to include this little bit of nostalgia for past and simpler times!
Our next meeting will be at 7.30pm on March 30th when Andy Chapman, who has delivered several talks to the group, will be talking to us about what it was like to live in Northampton before the Great Fire of September 1675. All too often Northampton is dismissed as a Midlands town with a history of shoe and boot making, without due recognition that in medieval times it was a highly important city with its castle which was frequently used as a royal residence, with churches, a university and was a key centre for trade and politics. Do come along to find out more and spread the word to others!
John Speed’s map of Northampton published 1610
History Themed Activities in our area: You may be interested in the following:
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery: Carboniferous Monsters Exhibition: see below.
Daventry Museum: Sport and Leisure exhibition covering local legends to community favourites. Did you know that Harold Saxon Snell, a Northampton cricketer and local solicitor lived in our village? The exhibition runs until 12th June 2026.
British Science Week event: 7th March at Daventry Museum – for families and children.
Finally, why not GET DIGGING? Ever found something of note in your garden? On 22nd May, Eleanor Cox, Northamptonshire Finds Liaison Officer will be at the Daventry Museum inspecting and recording your finds between 10.30am-1.30pm, for timed consultation slots. Advance booking needed. For more details visit the Daventry Museum website: https://daventrymuseum.org.uk . Time Team Welton could start here!
Thank you to all who joined us at our January and AGM event at The White Horse last Monday 26th January. We had 41 attending on the night with many new faces, which was really encouraging. Our focus for the evening was the sharing of our collective knowledge of the history of our village in relation to various houses and landmarks and I think the number attending was a sign of the very real interest there is to celebrate Welton and its past amongst the community.
Our next task is to collate the information shared on the night and to extend this in order to produce a coherent and engaging history of Welton as well as its people – past and present – that can be made accessible to all. I am very grateful to Karen O’Mahoney for stepping forward to help in this project and to others who have generously given us access to house records, legal documentation and photographs to help us bring this topic alive. I am especially grateful to the staff at Welton CE Academy who have lent us materials from their archive including headteacher record books dating back to the start of the 20th century. These will be a fascinating read, I’m sure.
If you would like to get involved in this exciting project or are happy to share materials or knowledge about your part of the village, please do email me at the address below.
Our next meeting will be in the village hall at 7.30pm on Monday 23rd February. Our speaker will be Martin Heath and the subject “The BBC – the next 50 years”. You may recall that Martin visited us a couple of years ago and spoke very engagingly and informatively about the first 50 years of the BBC, so I’m sure the sequel will be of interest to many. Do please join us if you can – all welcome for a small charge of £5pp on the door to cover hall and speaker costs, payable by cash or card on the door.
Finally, it would be great to welcome some new members to the WHG committee. This is not a huge job but it is a very important one. This is the time of year when we finalise our annual programme for the next season and consider ways in which we can bring Welton’s history to all. We meet 3 times a year and would love your support! If you are interested in joining the committee, please drop me an email or chat to one of us at the next meeting.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on February 23rd.
Thank you to those brave folk who ventured out into the cold night to support our last meeting of the year on 24th November. Our speaker on this occasion was John Frearson who spoke about the early photographers of Rugby and through a slide show of their works gave us a real insight into the reason why photography was such a busy trade in the past and how different life was in those early days.
A summary of the talk will follow separately however if you would like to learn more about this topic there is a copy of John’s book, “Early Photographers in Rugby”, in our book collection. This will be available for borrowing at our next meeting in the village hall on 23rd February 2026! If anyone would like it sooner, please email me on suzanne.edwards161@icloud.com and I will get it to you!
January AGM and social meeting – Monday 26th January 2026
The White Horse, Welton
In 1086 The Domesday Book was written and includes reference to Welton. 940 years later, the Welton History Group is setting out to develop its own record of the properties across our village, albeit on a very different scale!
Inspired by the painting in the White Horse we will be focusing on this in our January pub gathering. By drawing together as much as we can glean from historic records, we will have our own local “Where the X are we?” competition – all from the comfort of the pub dining room. And we need residents’ help!
Do you have any old(ish) pictures of Welton? Can you share your knowledge about your house, road, area of the village? What stories about our village in days gone past should we try to capture? If you can help, please contact WHG with details so we can build a resource about our village for current and future residents. Do speak to any of the committee (Peter Walls, Nigel and Judi Le Gresley, Trish Ridgway or email me at suzanne.edwards161@icloud.com
We are particularly interested in properties on the painting which include: St Martin’s Church, The School, The Village Hall, The White Horse, St Martin’s Cottage, Oakmoor, Well Cottage, The Firs, The Old Red Lion, The Old House, Welton Manor, Stone House, Wisteria Cottage, South Lodge as well as Welton Hythe, The Spinney and some of our majestic trees. Wherever you are and whatever you can add – every nugget of information would be really appreciated! Again, please email me at the address above if you can help in any way.
Our next meeting in the village hall will be on Monday 23rd February 2026 when we will be joined by Martin Heath, who is returning to follow up his talk on the BBC – the first 50 years, with the BBC – the next 50 years!Martin was a very interesting and engaging speaker last time and we are looking forward to welcoming him back. I do hope you will be able to join us!
Finally, as you can imagine it is important to try to boost numbers and maintain a thriving local interest in the WHG across the village. So, please do promote us where and when you can and if you have any suggestions for ways in which we can improve the offer to the residents of Welton, please let me know. In the meantime, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
