Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cledretone 1086 DB

• Legretone 1086 DB

• Legretuna 1146 RegAntiq 13th

• Leg'ton 1200 FineR

• Leghirton 1203 FF

• Legherton 1204 1219,1223 ClR 1244 FF

• Legerton 1212 Fees 1215 ClR

• Nordleg'ton, Sudleg'ton 1275 RH

• Suthlegertone 1279 Ebor

• Northlegherton, Southleugherton (sic) 1280 Ass

• Leertona 1163 RegAntiq 13th

• Suthleerton 1280 Ass

• Leirton' 1166,1187,1188 P

• Leyrtone 1201–12 RBE 1329 FF

• Leyreton' 1259 RegAntiq

• Leverton 1174 CR 1212 Cur 1268 Ebor

• Northleverton, Suthleverton 1291 Tax

• Northleverton in le Clay 1302 Ass

• Southleverton 1334 Ipm

• Suthleyrton 1236 FF

• Northleyrton 1276 RH

• Northleyerton 1280 Ass

• Leyerton 1316 Ch

• Lerton, Suthlairton 1267 Ebor

• Letherton 1302 Ebor

Etymology

This is a difficult name and no certainty can be reached about it. The probabilities are that the Levertons take their name from one of the two or three streams in their immediate neighbourhood and that this one was called Legre , the same stream-name which is found in Leire (Lei), DBLegre and Leicester itself. See further s. n. Layer (PN Ess 316–17). Legretun would seem to have been developing quite naturally to Leirton , Leerton when, side by side with this development, forms appear in which through AN substitution of v for spirant g we get an entirely new development leading to the form Leverton ; cf. Averham infra 181. Confusion with OE  lǣfer , lēfer , 'wild yellow iris,' may have helped to make this process possible. Cf. the history of Larford (PN Wo 34).

Ekwall, noting the initial Cl - of the DB form, suggests derivation from an OE  personal name Hlēogār or from hlǣw - gāra , 'gore of land by a hill,' but the form hlæw is not found except in the south and south Midlands and it would be impossible for either of these forms to give ME  leyr , leer . For the d in the DB form cf. the use of d for spirant g noted in Raleigh PN D 55) and in Leicester (DB Ledecestre ).