A history of Woolton.

I make no claim to any of the following article, which I am copying from 30 large typed sheets (11" x 16") passed on to me by my deceased sister some years ago.
I can find no record of the Author/s to give them their due credit unfortunately.

I presume it was written after 1954, this reasoning being based on the statement relating to the bracketed prices.



I expect to post it in serial form. This will take time, as I type with only one finger, but in the end I think it will be worth it to preserve this work.

If anyone can shed further light on the article I would like to hear about it.

Brian A. Seddon.







INTRODUCTION.



The reason for the growth and development of a site on the hamlet of Woolton is as much a subject of conjecture as the reason for the prefix Much or Great to the name of the Village.

Geographically it was a relatively sheltered and well-drained site on the lee side of a hill, with mixed woodland and patches of heath, above the marshy low land.

We can presume that this created no great problems to the early settlers to clear, especially as the soil was pliable and easy to work.

Springs of water, abundant sandstone for building, and easy access to the river for fishing and trading added to the amenities of the area.



We know that the Britons lived in this area for a long period. The name Brettargh that occurs in Little Woolton is from the old English, meaning "the hut of the British shepherd".

We presume that the Britons intermarried with the Angles who settled in the area.



We know that Woolton derives its name from a proper name Wulf or Wulfan, and the old English word tun, meaning enclosure, hamlet, or manor. Thus it was the tun of Wulf or Wulfan.

The Domesday Book entry for the two Wooltons gives VUVENTONE and VUETONE.



In 1200, in documents, we find MINOR WOLVETON, INFERIORI WOLVETON, and PARVA WULVETON.

Much Woolton is shown as MIKEL WULVETON in 1301, MAGNA WOLNETON in 1341, and MICHE WOLLETON in 1429.

The commonest form seems to be WOLVETON in the Middle Ages.



Many theories have been advanced as to why the district became known as Much and Little Wolton. The most feasible seems to be that Much Woolton was originally larger than Little Woolton.

Little Woolton (or Gateacre) now covers a larger area, but this is because, early in its history Wimbaldeslei (probably Lee Park) and Brettargh Holt (Holt Hall Farm) were incorporated into Little Woolton, thus making it larger in area.

It was Much Woolton however, which developed irrefutably into the larger community.



We would like to make it clear from the outset that we are recounting, perhaps not as accurately as the historian would wish, the story of what was formerly called Much Woolton.

The map, to be added later in this treatise clearly defines the area under revue.



Readers will notice that, whenever a sum of money is mentioned, there is another figure in brackets. This represents the nearest we can get to a modern equivalent. The figures were arrived at with the help of a slide rule and an economic study based on 1954, values which gave scales to show the fluctuations in the price of comparable basic foodstuffs over the centuries.