Welton (; or Welton by Lincoln) is a large village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was recorded as 4,327 in the 2011 census. It is geographically situated north from Lincoln city centre. The name Welton by Lincoln is also used to distinguish from other similarly named villages in Lincolnshire: Welton le Wold and Welton le Marsh. The village centre has been long appreciated for its picturesque and quintessentially English qualities, boasting multiple Grade II or higher listed buildings, alongside the eponymous Welton Beck, whose venerable spring really puts the 'Wel' in Welton. It has also been known as a wildlife haven due to an abundance of green space, and as a charitable place, especially through the church and schools. Since November 1969, the village has been a designated conservation area. Toponymy The name means, roughly, "town with a stream", with the suffix 'ton' being from the Saxon term 'tūn' for an enclosure, and 'wel' coming from the Anglo-Saxon 'wella' a place of springing or bubbling waters, possibly referencing the nearby Old Man's Head spring, the source of the Welton Beck. For this reason, it is unlikely to refer to the pump and formerly well on the southern green. Historically, the village has been known by many diverse names and spelling variations. Most famously in 1086, the Domesday Book registered the area as 'Welletone'. Later names include 'Welletonam' as early as 1070, 'Welton Davy Bekhall' in 1291, 'Welleton cum Kirketon' in 1292, 'Wolteme Brynthall' in 1349, and 'Welton Askeby Payneshill' in 1428. Many refer to the prebends, as they were sometimes seen as similarly significant to the town itself. In relation to the neighbouring hamlet of Dunholme, the area was also called 'Welton iuxta Downeham' and 'Welton nigh Dunham' in 1583 and 1661 respectively, amongst other names. The town has also been known as Welton by Lincoln or Welton-by-Lincoln, amongst other vaiations, to clearly differentiate it from the multitude of other settlements with a variation of the name Welton, including four within just : Welton with Melton, Welton le Wold Welton le Marsh, and Little Welton, near Louth. History The village does have an ancient well, later completed with a Victorian pump. Though the more famous pump is located on a small grassy triangle between Sudbeck Lane and Lincoln Road, there are other old wells with their own functioning