Lessness Heath

Lessness Heath
Lessness Heath
 Lessness Heath shown within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ495785
London borough Bexley
Ceremonial county Greater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town BELVEDERE
Postcode district DA17
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
London Assembly Bexley and Bromley
List of places
UK
England
London

Coordinates: 51°29′09″N 0°09′06″E / 51.4857°N 0.15177°E / 51.4857; 0.15177

Lessness Heath is a district in the London Borough of Bexley, in the area of Belvedere.

History and name

Lessness was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, as the largest settlement in the Hundred of Litlelee in Kent and contained 68 households at that time.[1][2]

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.[3] 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.[3] It has been suggested the name may be from an Old English word hlēosne, the plural of hlēosn meaning 'Burial mound' or 'shelter', later possibly adding the word næss meaning 'headland' to the end.

Lessness Heath gave its name to the ancient hundred, the Hundred of Lessness,[3] and was the meeting place for residents of the hundred to discus matters.[4] 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.

Education

For education in Lessness Heath see the main London Borough of Bexley article

Nearest places

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hundred of Litlelee entry in the Domeday Book accessed from OpenDomesday.org
  2. ↑ Lessness entry in the Domeday Book accessed from OpenDomesday.org
  3. 1 2 3 A Dictionary of London Place Names (2001), by A.D. Mills p. 147 "Lessness Heath" ISBN 978-0-19-956678-5
  4. ↑ An Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004) ISBN 1-86077-255-2 - Map and description of meeting places & hundreds p. 30


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