About the Village

Lying on the border of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, the village of Welford is home to over one thousand people. Once known as Wellesford, it is first noted in the Doomsday Book in 1086 AD. Wellesford is recorded as having land for eight ploughs, although the villagers had only six ploughs. In Manorially farmed land there are recorded two ploughs, two serfs and one bondwoman. There were twelve Villeins, with a priest, and two cottages had four ploughs between them - generally ploughed by eight oxen. Twenty acres of meadow is noted.

From pottery identified as belonging to the 2nd and 4th centuries, it is clear that the Romans farmed the fields around the village.

Originally, the village had three parallel streets, with today's West Street being the main street. Hollows and mounds in fields to the west of the village show the site of this medieval village.

The village was prominent as a coaching stop during the 17th and 18th centuries, lying equidistant between Leicester and Northampton on the main road to London. Some of the houses on the High Street are old coaching inns and are named appropriately. Welford once had seven pubs, numerous ale houses, coaching inns, blacksmiths, saddlers, shoemakers, tailors, a milliner, bakers, butchers, drapers, wheelwrights, chandlers, coal merchants and many more different tradesmen.

The parish church of St Mary the Virgin dates from the 13th Century with registers from 1561. The congregational chapel dates from 1722, with the present building dated 1793.

Welford, Sibbertoft and Sulby Endowed School (formerly just Welford and Sulby), dates back to the early 18th century. Log books begin in 1879. The present building dates from 1859, with further additions in 1909 and further major alterations in 1972-1974.

Welford is very popular with walkers. The Jurassic way passes through the village and many walkers make use of the village's facilities.