Leven is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, England. It is situated approximately west of

Hornsea Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull and Hornsea Railway in 186 ...

town centre, and north-west of the

A165 road The A165 is a road that links Scarborough and Kingston upon Hull, both in Yorkshire, England. The road is designated as a Primary Route from its junction with the A64 in Scarborough to its southern terminus in Hull. History The route follows ...

. According to the

2011 UK census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, Leven parish had a population of 2,433, an increase on the

2001 UK census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

figure of 2,240.

History

It is believed that the village of Little Leven - immediately west of the present village - began as far back as the days of the Ancient Britons, though Neolithic and Bronze Age human occupation of the area is known. Finds from Leven 'Carrs' (marshy land) have included axe heads, leaf-shaped swords, and a spearhead. Three quarters of a mile west of Little Leven, at Hall Garth, is the site of Leven's former parish church - St Faith's - which was in use between 1350 and 1843. It is speculated that the original village of Leven was sited in its immediate vicinity though archaeological understanding of that area is sparse. In 1823 Leven (then spelt 'Leaven'), was a civil parish in the

Wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of ...

and

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...

. The patronage of the church was under Sir William Pennyman. Population at the time was 658. Occupations included eight farmers, three

wheelwright A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...

s, two

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

s, two butchers, three corn millers, five shoemakers, two

malt Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...

sters, two grocers, a bricklayer, a schoolmaster, a parish clerk, and the

landlord A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...

s of The Minerva and the Blue Bell

public houses A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

. Four carriers operated between the village and

Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...

and

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

twice weekly. There were two other carriers: one taking post by foot to Hornsea four times a week; and another to Hull once a week by water transport. Residents included the parish rector, three

yeomen Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century witnessed ...

, a

gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

, and a merchant. The 1892 Bulmer's Directory of Hull and the East Riding states that the Manor of Leven was given to the Church of St John of Beverley by Edward the Confessor, and is listed 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' as being amongst its possessions. The New Inn Leven

After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1547, ownership of the land reverted to the crown, to be bought by Sir Marmaduke Constable in 1557. About 1612, it appears that

Sir Thomas Gresham Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder (; c. 151921 November 1579) was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 Gr ...

owned some of the land, having received it as a gift from

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

. There was a proposal to build a Leven railway station as part of the North Holderness Light Railway but despite appearing on tile maps at several North Eastern Railway stations, the line was never constructed. Leven was a small village with 400 inhabitants until 1964, after which a private housing estate was built (Barley Gate, Mill Drive, Westlands Way, Balk Close), and the village expanded to become a

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

for workers mainly from

and

. The population is now over 2,500. The village has two public houses: The New Inn and The Hare and Hounds as well as a member's club featuring live entertainment each week. Leven has amateur football, cricket and bowling teams. After a long campaign by residents, a bypass was built for the

around the eastern side of the village and opened in May 1994.

Landmarks

The church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was designated a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in 1968 and is now recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

, maintained by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

Leven Canal The Leven Canal runs for from the River Hull to the village of Leven, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was built for Mrs Charlotta Bethell in 1805, and remained in use until 1935. It is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Location ...

, a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

links the village to the

River Hull The River Hull is a navigable river in the East Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. It rises from a series of springs to the west of Driffield, and enters the Humber Estuary at Kingston upon Hull. Following a period when the Archbishops o ...

, although it is now closed. The canal was opened in 1804 having been cut by the order of Mrs Charlotte Bethel, Lady of the Manor. The -mile long canal started at the River Hull and was constructed to allow sailing barges to reach the warehouses at Canal Head on the southern edge of the village. Two warehouses were constructed in 1825 for storing of local grain ready for barge transport, and a depository for incoming coal. Linley Hill Airfield is nearby and is used for flying activities. Users include Hull Aero Club which was founded in the 1920s and numbered

Amy Johnson Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records dur ...

among former members.

Notable people

The Canadian politician George Dinsdale was born in Leven in 1887.

References

External links

* *
Leven Village website
{{authority control Villages in the East Riding of Yorkshire Civil parishes in the East Riding of Yorkshire

History

Landmarks

Notable people

References

Further reading

External links