Ledsham, West Yorkshire
Ledsham is a village and civil parish north of Castleford and east of Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The village is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough and near to the A1(M) motorway. It had a population of 162 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 181 at the 2011 Census.
History
Ledsham is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ledesha, as belonging to Ilbert of Lacy and having six villagers, three ploughlands, and of meadow. However, it was recorded in a charter from 1030 as Ledesham. Like nearby Ledston, the name seems to refer to Leeds ; the second element is the Old English word hām. The name thus meant 'the farm belonging to the region of Loidis'.Ledsham was an ancient parish in the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The parish included the townships of Fairburn and Ledston, which became separate civil parishes in 1866.
Geography
To the east is Selby Fork junction, which is also partly in South Milford, in North Yorkshire, but previously in the West Riding; in the early 1960s, the M62 motorway was planned to have its eastern terminus at Ledsham, possibly at the Selby Fork junction.Notable buildings
The late seventh-century Anglo-Saxon All Saints church is the oldest church and the oldest building standing in West Yorkshire, and includes memorials to Lady Elizabeth Hastings and her family.Ledston Hall is a Grade I listed house with parts dating back to the 13th century.