Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Levehale 1086 DB

• Levedehal(e) 1198 Ass 1208 FF 1242 Fees

• Levedenhal' 1242 ib

• Levedall(e) 1275 FF 1285 FA 1539 MusterR

• Leuedale 1273 Banco 1364 AD

• Levedale 1199to1369 FF 1236 Fees 1253 CoramR 1263 Ipm 1279to1335 Ass 1294to1374 Banco 1303 Var 1316 FA 1327,1332 SR 1365 AD6 1834 O

• Levedale als Leydall 1545 FF

• Levedall als Leydall 1585 ib

• Levidale als Ledale 1597 ib

• Leavedale 1598 ParReg

• Leydall 1538 to 1598 Deed, Eliz ChancP

• Leadhall 1586,1594 QSR

• Led(d)all 1560 FF 1578 Survey

• Leadalle 1640 MusterR

Etymology

The DB form is clearly 'Lēofa's nook of land or water-meadow', v. halh . But a century or so later the form seems to have been influenced perhaps by ME  levedi 'lady' from OE  hlǣfdige and this persists throughout, making the termination appear as dale rather than hale . Levedehale becomes contracted to Levedale . There is no early record of land here being dedicated to the Virgin but this may have been the likely cause of the intrusion of levede . cf. Levington Sf (DEPN).