Thankful Villages

Thankful Villages are those places where all the people, who left their homes to serve their country in the armed forces during the First World War, returned alive.  The term "Thankful Villages" was coined and popularised by the author Arthur Mee in his series of books published in the 1930s about every English county, called The King's England. 

There are 53 Thankful Villages in England.  14 of these are doubly thankful, as all their residents, who left them to serve their country in the Second World War, also returned home safely.  The term "Blessed Villages" is sometimes used as an alternative to thankful

There are 8 Thankful Villages in the current county of Somerset: Rodney Stoke, Shapwick, Tellisford, Chantry, Aisholt, Stocklinch, Holywell Lake (Thorne St Margaret) and Lamyatt (added to the official list in 2022).  There are two more in Bath and North East Somerset: Woolley and Chelwood.  Stocklinch and Woolley are doubly thankful villages.  This is a higher number than in any other English county.

Rodney Stoke - proud to be a Thankful Village

 

St Leonard's Church, Rodney Stoke

Thanksgiving Window, Rodney Stoke

Rodney Stoke's Roll of Honour

This lists the names of the residents of the village who served in the First World War and who all returned home safely.

 

  St Mary's Church, Shapwick

 Shapwick's Roll of Honour and Thankful Village Plaque

 Stocklinch Church

 Stocklinch's Rolls of Service

 Stocklinch's Thankful Village Plaque

All Saints Church, Tellisford

Holy Trinity Church, Chantry

 

 Chantry's Thankful Village Plaque

St Margaret's Church, Holywell Lake

 

All Saints Church, Aisholt

Aisholt's Roll of Honour

Chelwood's village sign

Plaque by the door of Chelwood's village hall

I don't know if there is any mention of Chelwood being a thankful village in St Leonard's Church in Chelwood, because it was locked up when I visited in July 2025.

Church of St Mary & St John, Lamyatt

War memorial?, Lamyatt

I couldn't find any acknowledgement in the parish church or village hall that Lamyatt is a Thankful Village.