Little and Lesnes was a
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...
, a historical land division, in the county of
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
[ It occupied the northern part of the ]Lathe
A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...
of Sutton-at-Hone
Sutton-at-Hone is a village in the civil parish of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. It is located 3.5 miles south of Dartford & 3.6 miles north east of Swanley.
History
The place-name 'Sutton-at-Hone' is f ...
,[An Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004) - Maps front cover and back cover inlay] within in the west division of Kent. Little and Lesnes was the northernmost hundred in the whole county of Kent.[ The hundred existed since ancient times, before the ]Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086,[ until it was made obsolete with the creation of new districts at the end of the nineteenth century.][
Today the area that was the Hundred of Little and Lesnes is suburban ]London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, covering the northeast corner of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...
and the northern part of the London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley () is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The ...
, with the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
to the north, and Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
to the south; and roughly centred on the area of Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross.
Toponymy
The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...
.[Nicholson Greater London Street Atlas Comprehensive Edition (2003) pp. 145-147 + 165-167 shows present district boundaries][Abbey Wood area map]
accessed from Streetmap.co.uk showing modern administrative boundaries Little and Lesnes Hundred was approximately, 4 miles (6.5 km) across north to south, and about 7 miles (11.25 km) wide east to west.[
]
Name
The name of the hundred changed over the centuries, and was also linked with names of localities within it. In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086 through the mid-13th century it was called the Hundred of Litelai,[''Litlelai'' (not ''Litlelee'' in the records of the ''Domeday Book'') accessed fro]
OpenDomesday.org
/ref>[ which became Litlelee, then in 1347 it was recorded as the Hundred of Litley.][ By around 1400 it started being referred to as the Hundred of Little and Lesnes][ which continued to be its name for the next 500 years][ up until the creation of new districts at the end of the nineteenth century when the hundred became obsolete. The spelling Lessness is also used at least from the early 19th century, and in some records, the word "Little" was not used in the name and the hundred was referred to by the shorter name Hundred of Lessness.][''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (1870-72) John Marius Wilson accessed fro]
VisionofBritain.org
/ref> In the 1831 census, Lessness was recorded as being the preferred name, but Little and Lessness was still recorded as an accepted alternative name.[F. Youngs, ''Local Administrative Units: Southern England'' (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 633. accessed fro]
www.visionofbritain.org
/ref> The hundred also shares its name with the hamlet of Lessness,[ Lessness Park, Lessness Heath,][''A Dictionary of London Place Names'' (2001), by A.D. Mills p. 147 "Lessness Heath" ] and Lesnes Abbey
Lesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England. It is a scheduled monument, and the abbey's ruins are listed at Grade II by Historic England. The adjacent Lesnes Abbey W ...
, which in turn gave its name to Lesnes Abbey Woods
Lesnes Abbey Woods, sometimes known as Abbey Wood, is a 73 ha ancient woodland in southeast London, England. It is located near to, and named after, the ruined Lesnes Abbey in the London Borough of Bexley and gives its name to the Abbey Wood di ...
and Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross.
Toponymy
The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...
.[''A Dictionary of London Place Names'' (2001), by A.D. Mills p. 2 "Abbey Wood" ]
Boundaries and neighbours
The Hundred of Little and Lesnes occupied the northernmost part of the Lathe
A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...
of Sutton-at-Hone
Sutton-at-Hone is a village in the civil parish of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. It is located 3.5 miles south of Dartford & 3.6 miles north east of Swanley.
History
The place-name 'Sutton-at-Hone' is f ...
, located in West Kent
Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation.
Prehistoric Kent
Kent has been occupied since the Lower Palaeolithic as finds from the quarries at Fordwich and Swanscombe attest. The Swanscombe sku ...
, and was the northernmost hundred in the whole county of Kent.[ It shared land borders with three other hundreds of the Sutton-at-Hone Lathe, Blackheath Hundred to the west and southwest and the ]Hundred of Ruxley
Ruxley (previously Rokesley, and in the Domesday Book Helmestrei) was an ancient hundred, a land division in the north west of the county of Kent, England. Its area has been mostly absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently referr ...
to the south, both of which were larger than Little and Lesnes; to the east and southeast was the Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington which was smaller.[ The northern boundary of Little and Lesnes was the ]River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
and across the river to the north was the county of Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. In the Thames Little and Lesnes shared borders with the Essex hundreds of Becontree
Becontree or Both pronunciations are given as Received Pronunciation in the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, but the form is prioritised (). The dialectologist Peter Wright wrote in 1981 that is the traditional pronunciation in the cockney ...
to the north and northwest, and Chafford
Chafford was an ancient hundred in the south west of the county of Essex, England.Vision of Britain Chafford hundredhistoric map) Its area has been partly absorbed by the growth of London; with its name reused for the modern housing development of ...
to the northeast and also with the Royal Liberty of Havering
Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London. The manor was in the possession of the Crown from the 11th ...
in Essex to the northeast.[An accurate map of the county of Essex, divided into its hundreds by Emanuel Bowen, published by John Bowles 1764, accessed fro]
/ref> Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
formed much of the southern boundary between Little and Lesnes and the Hundred of Ruxley.[ To the east the ]River Cray
The River Cray is the largest tributary of the Darent. It is the prime river of outer, south-east Greater London, rising in Priory Gardens, Orpington, where rainwater percolates through the chalk bedrock of the Downs to form a pond where the ...
and the River Darent
The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames and takes the waters of the River Cray as a tributary in the tidal portion of the Darent near Crayford, as illustrated by the adjacent photograph, snapped at high tide. 'Darenth' is frequen ...
formed some of the eastern boundary, between Little and Lesnes and the Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington;[ the boundary at the two rivers remains as a boundary today, but now between the ]London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley () is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The ...
and the Kent Borough of Dartford
The Borough of Dartford is a local government district in the north-west of the county of Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Dartford. It is part of the contiguous London urban area. It borders the borough of Gravesham to the ea ...
.[
]
Parishes and places
The Hundred of Little and Lesnes contained four parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
and their churches. Plumstead
Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich.
History
Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...
in the west, Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...
in the centre, Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement deve ...
in the east and East Wickham
East Wickham is a district in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is situated north of Welling, east of Shooter's Hill, south of Plumstead, south-west of Abbey Wood and west of West Heath, and east-southeast of ...
which was by far the smallest parish in the hundred in the south.[Edward Hasted, 'The hundred of Little and Lesnes: Introduction', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), Hundred of Little and Lesnes entry p. 184. accessed fro]
British History Online
Lists parishes, and Litelai previous name Before the 19th century the parish of Wickham was sometimes recorded as having a chapel that was annexed to the parish and church of Plumtead, and not fully its own parish.[Plumstead Parish entry in ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent (1778–99)'' pp.203-227 by ]Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and To ...
published, by W Bristow, Canterbury (1778-1797) accessed fro
British History Online
/ref>[East Wickham Parish entry in ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent (1778–99)'' pp.184-203 by ]Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and To ...
published, by W Bristow, Canterbury (1778-1797) accessed fro
British History Online
/ref> East Wickham, although having some powers before, became an official parish in its own right, completely separate from Plumstead parish in 1854.
In addition to the parishes and villages of Plumstead, East Wickham, Crayford, and Erith, other places that were located in Little and Lesnes Hundred were: Northumberland Heath
Northumberland Heath is an area of South East London, England within the London Borough of Bexley. It is located south of Erith and north of Bexleyheath.
History
The area was once known as Spike Island after the workhouse that was situated ther ...
, Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
Africa
* Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco
*Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...
, Lessness Heath, Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross.
Toponymy
The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...
, North End, West Heath, Howbury, and the northern parts of Welling
Welling is an area of South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, west of Bexleyheath, southeast of Woolwich and of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent.
...
and Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011.
Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
.[ ]Thamesmead
Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly consi ...
is in the area covered by the hundred,[ but did not appear as a locality until many years after the hundred was obsolete. ]Lesnes Abbey
Lesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England. It is a scheduled monument, and the abbey's ruins are listed at Grade II by Historic England. The adjacent Lesnes Abbey W ...
, Lesnes Abbey Woods
Lesnes Abbey Woods, sometimes known as Abbey Wood, is a 73 ha ancient woodland in southeast London, England. It is located near to, and named after, the ruined Lesnes Abbey in the London Borough of Bexley and gives its name to the Abbey Wood di ...
, and Erith Marshes
Erith Marshes is an area of grazing marsh beside the south bank of River Thames in London, England.
It is located next to the Crossness Sewage Treatment Works and is owned by Thames Water. It is a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conserv ...
were also located within the borders of the hundred.
History and records
The hundred was established in ancient times, like most Kent hundreds it already existed when the Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
was compiled in 1086. The hundred was recorded in the Domesday Book as the Hundred of Litlelee,[ the largest settlement in the hundred at this time was Lessness.][ In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded 153 households being present in 4 populated places, 68 households in Lessness, 43 in ]Plumstead
Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich.
History
Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...
, 34 in Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement deve ...
and 8 in Howbury.[
In the 1831 census, the area of Little and Lesnes Hundred was recorded as ][ In that same census a population of 6,699][''1831 census of Great Britain'', listing statistics and population breakdown of the hundreds of Kent accessed fro]
Visionofbritain.org.uk
/ref> was recorded, of which 3,256 were female, 3,443 were male[ and 1,657 were males over 20.][''1831 census of Great Britain'' listing 1'657 males over 20 in Lessness Hundred. accessed fro]
www.visionofbritain.org.uk
/ref> The population in 1831 was recorded as belonging to 1,432 families[''1831 census of Great Britain'' listing statistics on numbers of families and houses in Kent hundreds accessed fro]
www.visionofbritain.org.uk
/ref> living in 1,165 houses[ of which 473 families were involved in agriculture,][ and 491 families were involved in trade, manufacture, or handicraft.][
In 1849 the ]North Kent Line
The North Kent Line is a railway line which branches off the South East Main Line at St Johns junction west of Lewisham station in Greater London and runs to Rochester Bridge Junction near Strood, Medway where it links to the Chatham Main Line ...
was extended, and run through Little and Lesnes Hundred, connecting Kent to London. From west to east, stations that were constructed on the line were: Plumstead
Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich.
History
Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...
, Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross.
Toponymy
The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...
, Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
Africa
* Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco
*Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...
and Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...
. Erith and Abbey Wood were constructed and opened in 1849, same year as the line was extended, Belvedere and Plumstead were opened a decade later in 1859. Slade Green railway station
Slade Green railway station is in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, on the North Kent Line. It is measured from .
The station was built in 1900 to serve the developing community. It opened as "Slades Green" and it was not until 1 ...
was also opened on the line in 1900 to the east of Erith, but the hundred was obsolete by that time. On 1 September 1866 Crayford railway station
Crayford railway station is in the London Borough of Bexley in south-east London, in Travelcard Zone 6. It is down the line from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.
Down trains run eastbound to Dartford, Gra ...
and the Dartford Loop Line
The Dartford Loop Line is one of three lines linking London with Dartford in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the other two: the North Kent Line (or Woolwich Line) and the Bexleyheath Line.
Informally, the line is known as the Sidcup ...
were opened, there were several stations on this line, but only Crayford was within the borders of the hundred.
Abolition and succeeding districts
In 1889 the western half of Little and Lesnes Hundred became part of the County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
, then in 1965 Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
was created, which encompassed the whole area of the former hundred. Little and Lesnes along with most other hundreds became obsolete at the end of the nineteenth century when new districts were created following the Local Government Act 1888
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
. The western half of Little and Lesnes Hundred containing the Plumstead and East Wickham
East Wickham is a district in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is situated north of Welling, east of Shooter's Hill, south of Plumstead, south-west of Abbey Wood and west of West Heath, and east-southeast of ...
parishes became part of the County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
in 1889. In 1900 the County of London was divided into new boroughs and Plumstead and East Wickham were then part of the new Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich
The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was formed from the civil parishes of Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich. Its former area is now part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and ...
. In 1965 Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
was created, Plumstead and East Wickham became part of the London Borough of Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London boroughs, London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metr ...
.
Erith and Crayford remained in Kent within numerous districts until the creation of Greater London in 1965. Erith parish become part of the Local Government District of Erith in 1876,[ which in turn became an ]urban district
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
in 1894, which then became the Municipal Borough of Erith
Erith was a local government district in north west Kent from 1876 to 1965 around the town of Erith. It also included the generally suburban areas of Northumberland Heath, Belvedere, and parts of Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Crayford and the SE2 Londo ...
in 1938, and then became part of the newly created London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley () is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The ...
in 1965. In 1894 Crayford became part of the new district Dartford Rural District
Dartford Rural District was a rural district with an area of in the county of Kent, England. In 1971 it had a population of 64,561 and an electorate of 43,911. At dissolution it was the most populous rural district council in Kent, but had on ...
,[F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), Dartford Rural District Entry p. 639. Accessed fro]
Vision of Britain through time
/ref> but then split from it on 1 October 1920 to become a district of its own, the Crayford Urban District
Crayford was a local government district in north west Kent from 1920 to 1965 around the town of Crayford. As well as Crayford, it included Barnehurst, Barnes Cray and Slade Green.
It was created an urban district in 1920 from part of Dartford Ru ...
;[F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 639. Crayford Urban District entry. Accessed fro]
Vision of Britain through time
/ref> that district lasted until 1965 when it too became part of the newly formed London Borough of Bexley.
Succeeding districts
References
{{Reflist, 2
Hundreds of Kent
History of local government in London (pre-1855)
History of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
History of the London Borough of Bexley