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Forward By Robin Neilson Of Catton Hall (Lord Of The Manor Of Barton)

This account by Gerald Carey provides a short and fascinating insight into the history of Barton under Needwood.

So often the history of an area remains undiscovered and buried until such time as a dedicated enthusiast uncovers its past and its secrets. Mr.Carey has put in an enormous amount of time and energy assembling all this information and translating it into a readable and understandable form.

The story spans from the geological formation of the area through to the development of man’s influence, and charts the population growth, trends in agriculture and the development of roads and industry. Modern times have brought increasingly rapid change and the work contains information right up to date.

This account is an absolute must for the residents of the Parish who have an interest in the history of where they live.

My very special thanks go to my wife for her valuable advice, and to my sons, who gave me practical and moral support in this undertaking.

I am particularly indebted to Mr.Robin Neilson for consenting to write a foreword for this work.

Thanks must also be given to:-

1. Mr.E.J.Sharkey, who kindly read through the manuscript and made many useful suggestions.

2. The late Mr.W.G.Roberts, for alerting me to the exposure of the remnants of Damford Weir before gravel extraction destroyed the evidence,

3. Mrs.H.J.Van Daesdonk, for her very helpful thoughts on the weather of Barton under Needwood,

4. Mr.B.Tweats, N.F.U. Insurance, for his valuable comments on farming in the area,

5. The late Mr.A.Lee of Wales Lane, for his most interesting list of shops in Barton in the early 1900’s.

In order to avoid paying royalties on material subject to copyright, I have had to use old Ordnance Survey maps as the background for some of the maps showing more recent information.

Unless indicated otherwise, all photographs were taken by the writer.