English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Leckby

Early-attested site in the Parish of Cundall

Historical Forms

  • Ledebi, Ledeby 1086 DB
  • Letteby, Lecceby 1301 LS
  • Lecby 1399 YI
  • Letby 1586 FF

Etymology

'Let's farm' from ON  Ljótr (LindN) and by. The appearance of medial -c - is bound up with two problems: one is the problem arising from the difficulty in distinguishing c and t in the handwriting of the 14th and 15th cents.; the second arises from the fact that c in medieval orthography was used to represent ON z (= ts), as in the early spellings of Roxby 139supra . Where t is found it seems probable that ON gen. -s had been lost; where c is found it may be a mistake for t or represent ON  gen. Ljótz . The modern form seems to have arisen from the interchange of k and t in difficult consonant combinations in the dialect. v. Addenda xlv.

Places in the same Parish

Major Settlement