Ledston (historically also spelt Ledstone)[2] is a village in the Leeds metropolitan borough, in the county of West Yorkshire, England.[3] It is 3 miles (5 km) north of Castleford and 10 miles (16 km) east of Leeds. The parish had a population of 400 in 2001,[4] which decreased slightly to 394 at the 2011 Census.[1]
| Ledston | |
|---|---|
 Main Street, Ledston | |
  Ledston  Ledston Location within West Yorkshire | |
| Population | 394 (2011 census)[1] |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Castleford |
| Postcode district | WF10 |
| Dialling code | 01977 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
History
editLedston is first mentioned in 1086, and on through the Middle Ages, in forms like Ledestun(e), Ledestona.[5] The name seems to refer to Leeds (or the Old English precursor of this name, Loidis, which denoted a region rather than a town), meaning the tūn ('settlement, estate') belonging to Leeds.[6]
Mary Pannal of Ledston was executed in 1603 as an accused witch.
Ledston was historically a township in the ancient parish of Ledsham in the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[7] The township became a separate civil parish in 1866.[8] In 1974 Ledston was transferred to the City of Leeds in the new county of West Yorkshire. On 1 April 2023 the civil parish was abolished.[9]
Ledston Hall
edit
Ledston or Ledstone Hall[10] was the home of Lady Elizabeth Hastings, daughter of the 7th Earl of Huntingdon, known as "Lady Betty". The hall was originally a grange and chapel built by the monks of Pontefract Priory. It is a grade I listed building, and several associated buildings and garden features are also listed.[11]
Ledston Hall featured in the television show Most Haunted:Live on 27 October 2007, but was called "Wheler Priory" for security reasons at the time (Wheler being the surname of the last family owning the hall).[12]
Ledston is also home to the Ledston Equine Centre located in the stables of Ledston Hall.[13]
Ledston lies to the east of the A656 road,[3] and there was a railway station named after the village on the Castleford to Garforth line, though this station was actually adjacent to Allerton Bywater Colliery. The village also had a colliery named after it, Ledston Luck, which was connected to the railway via a narrow gauge railway line up to Peckfield Colliery in Micklefield.[14] The colliery, like the railway station, was some distance away from the village from which it took its name, being actually only 0.6 miles (1 km) east of Kippax.[3] Ledston Luck Colliery closed in 1986[15] and the site is now a local nature reserve.[16]
White Horse Inn
editThe White Horse Inn is a 15th-century public house.[17] It was 2019 regional winner of North East Pubs in Bloom,[citation needed] and supports various local activities such as the Ledston in Bloom[clarification needed], a village scarecrow competition.[citation needed] and the Ledston christmas light switch on.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Ledston Parish (E04000201)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ "History of Ledston, in Leeds and West Riding". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "289" (Map). Leeds. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319244869.
- ^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Leeds Retrieved 7 May 2017
- ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 293. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
- ^ Watts, Victor; Insley, John; Gelling, Margaret (2004). The Cambridge dictionary of English place-names : based on the collections of the English Place-Name Society (2 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 366. ISBN 9780521362092.
- ^ The ancient parish of Ledsham: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.
- ^ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Ledston CP/Tn. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "The Leeds (Reorganisation of Community Governance) (No.2) Order 2023" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ orthwick Catalogue record as an example showing use of older spelling.
- ^ Historic England. "Ledston Hall (Grade I) (1237569)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Watch Most Haunted Live Season 6 Full Episodes". OVGuide. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Ledstone Equine Centre". ledstonequinecentre.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "SE43 (includes Leeds" (Map). SE43. 1:25,000. Ordnance Survey. 1954.
- ^ "Pit closures, year by year". BBC News. 5 March 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Ledston Luck Yorkshire Wildlife Trust | Love Yorkshire, Love Wildlife". www.ywt.org.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Home page". White Horse. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
External links
edit
- The ancient parish of Ledsham: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI (Ledston was in this parish).
- Historic England. "Ledston Hall (Grade I) (1237569)". National Heritage List for England.
- Historic England. "Ledston Lodge, in Ledston Park (Grade I) (1264072)". National Heritage List for England.
- Historic England. "Barn at Ledston Hall (Grade I) (1237515)". National Heritage List for England.
- Historic England. "Ledston Hall entrance gates and lodges (Grade I) (1264075)". National Heritage List for England.
- Historic England. "Stable block at Ledston Hall (Grade I) (1247674)". National Heritage List for England.