[1] The parish also contains the hamlet of Cocks Green, and the village of Sicklesmere, with which Great Whelnetham is contiguous.

Until the Beeching Axe, the area was served by Welnetham railway station on the Long Melford-Bury St Edmunds branch line.

In 2019, an excavation of an 4th-century Roman cemetery in Great Whelnetham uncovered unusual burial practices.

Of 52 skeletons found, up to 40% had been decapitated, which archaeologists claimed gave new insight into Roman traditions.

The burial ground includes the remains of men, women and children who likely lived in a nearby settlement.