The history of Wold Newton is a long one! Archaeological investigation, in particular by Contour Archaeology, has revealed evidence of extensive settlement within what later became the parish, spanning the time from the Lithic periods, through the Bronze Age to the Roman era and beyond,. However, the etymology of the name Wold Newton (see the research of The English Place-Name Society) dates the village only to about 8th century. It is supposed that at that time a clustered settlement was founded on the west side of the valley with the onset of open field farming, and superseded what remained of the scattered settlements on either side of the valley after the decimation wrought by the climatic disasters and disease of the 6th century. (See the extract below from an article on the idiosyncrasies of Lincolnshire place names - "Azure Mouse, Bloater Hill, Goose Puddings, and One Land called the Cow: continuity and conundrums in Lincolnshire minor names" by Richard Coates University of the West of England/University of Sussex, September 1970 and Science Magazine: Why 536 was the worst year to be alive.)
The name, Wold Newton, should perhaps be seen not as indicative of pioneering Anglo Saxon occupation in the 8th century but rather the corralling of the existing occupants of the area to facilitate the organisation of labour to support the agricultural, administrative and taxation systems which developed. at about that time. Little has changed since. Buildings and people have come and gone. The settlement has become more linear and moved away from the church. The open fields were enclosed in the 18th century. At about the same time, a turnpike road probably provided a short lived flurry of modest activity before the village sank back into agricultural obscurity. The last half century has seen the inevitable shift towards dormitory living. The number of dwellings now is about the same as it was when the Doomsday survey was undertaken.
The real interest lies in the day to day lives of the people who have inhabited the area over many generations. Accepting Ralph Waldo Emerson's view, that history is subjective, we haven't attempted to write a history but rather we have gathered together in scrapbook form as much evidence as we can find of the place and of the people who lived in and influenced the village, to enable you to form your own view.