Saltby History
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	Saltby has existed for a long time- there is evidence of habitation as far back as the Bronze Age, which was uncovered in a fairly recent archaeological dig. The village is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. It was written then as Saltebi. At that time it was connected or was part of the village of Bescaby. This village, as it was then no longer exists, but its remains can still be seen in the form of earth works.
	There are many footpaths and bridleways around Saltby village, many of which originate from and lead to the many Abbeys that were once in the area. One road name that still survives from Anglo Saxon times is the 'Butts' - this is the road that runs from the church to the crossroads at The Crescent. It is so named because in those times each 'freeman' had to bear arms in civil defence and was obliged to practice his longbow skills on, probably, a weekly basis at the archery butts.
	In 1541 the lordship of Saltby and Bescaby was granted to Thomas Manners, Earl of Rutland (The Duke of Rutland).  However they sold most of their interests in Saltby during the 1940s and now own very little if anything in the village.
	The church of St Peter at Saltby is believed to date from the 12th century with the oldest part believed to be the tower. The stonework suggests that materials were taken from several different quarries; one form of stone that can be seen is the reddish ironstone, which is indigenous to the Saltby area.
	To the north-east of the church on the Wyville road is a small area now known as 'The Spinney'. This was an old stone pit or quarry that gradually became filled in over the years and has now been top soiled, grassed and planted with young trees and spring bulbs. The Spinney was a Saltby 2000 project to commemorate the year 2000 and to provide a wild nature/peaceful area for villagers.
	There is evidence that Saltby has always been a thriving and relatively prosperous village; for example in Victorian times it even supported two cobbler's shops. The greatest changes to the village arguably, as far as they affect our lives, have occured during the last sixty years. The large area of heath land to the east of the village that was partly owned by the Duke of Rutland and Buckminster Estates (The Tollemache family), was farmed by tenant farmers before the outbreak of World War Two. All of this land was taken over by the ministry of defence and a large airfield was built. Prior to this, the road leading to Wyville was a rough track and was metalled to facilitate the building of the airfield. Saltby aerodrome and its associated buildings were very large and extended to the double bend at the Viking Way on the Wyville Road. The aerodrome was home to Hamden aircraft, Stirling bombers and Wellington bombers. In 1943 the airfield was extended and later became home to the U.S.A.F and many of the troops and gliders who took part in the Arnhem raid were based and took off from Saltby.