Survey of English Place-Names

Etymology

, cf. the carre leyes 1587Yarb , cf. the Carres 1587ib , kjarr ; ley ( e ) s is sometimes a later spelling for OE  lǣs ' a meadow, pasture ' , but in the sg . ley and pl . ley ( e ) s are also later forms from lēah , in its developed sense ' a meadow, apiece of meadow, an open pasture ' . Spellings in lea and ley are common as appellatives in L documents , particularly in 17th and 18th century Terriers , e.g. two leyes , two pasture lease , a two acre Ley , etc . It is , therefore , difficult to determine the etymology of minor names and f. ns . in Ley ( es ) , but the pl . of lēah in its later sense is probably most likely .