The Sign
The original sign shows one of the old postmills which has now disappeared, with a farmer bringing in the grain (barley) and a horse is stood there eating merrily away. The sign also has a WI symbol at the top of the post. The replacement had a change of theme, with a watermill on the left and the church of St Mary on the right. There is also a scarecrow in front of the tower relating to the bi-annual scarecrow festival held in the village. A duck can also be seen on the river. The new sign has a similar theme, with the church and scarecrow at the top and the mill below the village name including the River Lark with a swan and kingfisher representing the wildlife, replacing the duck.

The Name and Population
The village name is quite interesting as it was called Bertona or Bertunna in the Domesday Book and then Parva Bertone in 1284, then Little Barton in 1783. The later suffix refers to the mills in the area added sometime in the late 18th century. The name Barton refers to “the barley/corn farm, the outlying grange where the crop is stored” from Old English. The population of the village was 1,052 in 2011. The Domesday Book records the village population to be 24 persons.

Other Points of Interest

The record number of scarecrows in the village was 760, only broken by the National Forest Adventure Farm near Burton on Trent.

The village was once the holiday retreat for Alexander Fleming, and there is a plaque on the wall outside his country home in the main street.