Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Wisdelea 1086 DB

• Wisdeleth 1096–1101 Chest 1280 17

• Wisdelech 1096–1101 14 ib

• Wisdleth 1096–1101 17 ib

• Vysdeleth 1096–1101 Chest 1280

• Vuisdeleth 1150 ib

• Lee c.1230 Chest

• la Lee (iuxta Bacford), le Lee (iuxta Bacford), Lee (iuxta Bacford) c.1265–91,1294 1300,1305 Plea 1348 Orm2

• Lee 1546 Dugd

• Lee vel Ley iuxta Backford 1579 ib

• Ley 1505 Orm2 1579 Dugd c.1720 ChetOSviii

• Leigh alias Lee 1560 ChRR 1582

• Leighe alias Lee 1582 Orm2

• the Lea 1596 ChRR 1656 Orm2

• the Lea iuxta Backford 1602 Sheaf

• Lea 1609 ChRR

• Lea Hall 1831 Bry

Etymology

The final el. is lēah 'a woodland glade', which stands as a simplex p.n. in the later, shortened, form. The original first el. is difficult to explain unless it be taken as OE  wīsod , pa. part, of OE  (ge )wīsian , (ge )wissian 'to show (someone) the way (to somewhere or something), to guide, to direct'. The p.n. would mean 'lēah to which the way is shown', or 'lēah which is managed', cf. BT (ge )wīsian , (ge )wissian .The latter interpretation would arise from the figurative use of the verb, or some lost technical connotation, and might be relevant to the fact that this manor was a demesne of St Werburgh's abbey, Chester, TRE and DB, and may well have been the subject of early estate-management or forestry.