Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• leches dooles in Causton 1523,1524 CtOulton

Etymology

Leeches (lost), Leches 1452, (common water-course at ) Lechys 1454Ct , leches dooles in Causton 1523, 1524Ct Oulton . This was a manor with origin in 1274 which came to Robert Leeche before 1399 and was sold as Leeche 's in 2 Ed6 (1548). It turns up many times in Oulton court rolls as leches (perhaps OE  *læc(c), *læce, *lec(c) 'muddy ditch, bog', difficult to distinguish from *lǣce2 'leech'. Lists of charter evidence for these words are found in Forsberg 33 ff. and 72 ff.). v. Blomefield VI259 f.