Lessness Heath

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Lessness Heath
Kent
Location
Grid reference: TQ495785
Location: 51°29’9"N, -0°9’6"E
Data
Post town: Belvedere
Postcode: DA17
Dialling code: 020
Local Government
Council: Bexley
Parliamentary
constituency:
Erith and Thamesmead

Lessness Heath is a hamlet of Kent, long swallowed into the metropolitan conurbation and developed into a barely distinguishable suburb, by Belvedere in the north of the county.

History and name

Lessness is recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, as the largest settlement in the Hundred of Litlelee of Kent. It contained 68 households at that time.

The name of Lessness Heath has changed over the centuries. It was recorded as Leosne in the mid 11th century, Lesneis and Loisnes in 1086 in the Domesday Book, Hlosness in the late 11th century and Lesnes in 1194.[1] At around 1762, Emanuel Bowen recorded the place as Leesing on one of his maps, then in 1805 an Ordnance Survey map recorded it as Lesness Heath.[1] It has been suggested the name may be from an Old English word hlēosne, the plural of hleosn meaning 'Burial mound' or 'shelter', later possibly adding the word næss meaning 'headland' to the end.

Lessness Heath gives its name to the Little and Lesnes Hundred,[1] In 1178, the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes, Lesnes Abbey, was founded near Lessness Heath and named after it.

See also

References

  1. Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 A Dictionary of London Place Names (2001), by A.D. Mills p. 147 "Lessness Heath" ISBN 978-0-19-956678-5