Little and Lesnes Hundred
| Little and Lesnes | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Hundred of Little and Lesnes and the Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington by Edward Hasted published, by W Bristow Canterbury (1778 and 1797) included in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent (1778–99) (Hasted) |
|
| Area | |
| • 1831 | 10,410 acres (42 km2) |
| • 1831 | 10,410 acres (42 km2) |
| Population | |
| • 1086 | ? (153 households) |
| • 1831 | 6,699 |
| History | |
| • Created | Ancient (before 1086) |
| • Abolished | 1876-1894 (obsolete) |
| • Succeeded by | Plumstead and East Wickham: County of London (1889) and Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich (1900) then London Borough of Greenwich (1965) Erith: Municipal Borough of Erith (1876) then London Borough of Bexley (1965) Crayford: Dartford Rural District (1894) then Crayford Urban District (1920) then London Borough of Bexley (1965) |
| Status | Obsolete |
| Government | Hundred |
| • HQ | Lesnes Heath |
| Subdivisions | |
| • Type | Parishes |
| • Units |
Crayford, East Wickham*, Erith, Plumstead, (*Before 1854 East Wickham was part of Plumstead parish) |
Little and Lesnes was a hundred, a historical land division, in the county of Kent, England. It occupied the northern part of the Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, within in the west division of Kent. Little and Lesnes was the northern most hundred in the whole county of Kent. The hundred existed since ancient times, before the Domesday Book of 1086, until it was made obsolete with the creation of new districts at the end of the nineteenth century.
Today the area that was the Hundred of Little and Lesnes is suburban London, covering the northeast corner of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the northwest corner of the London Borough of Bexley, with the River Thames to the north, and Watling Street to the south; and roughly centred on the area of Abbey Wood. Little and Lesnes Hundred was approximately, 4 miles (6.5 km) across north to south, and about 7 miles (11.25 km) wide east to west.
The name of the hundred changed over the centuries, and was also linked with names of localities within it. In the Domesday Book of 1086 through the mid-13th century it was called the Hundred of Litelai,, which became Litlelee, then in 1347 it was recorded as the Hundred of Litley. By around 1400 it started being referred to as the Hundred of Little and Lesnes which continued to be its name for the next 500 years up until the creation of new districts at the end of the nineteenth century when the hundred became obsolete. The spelling Lessness is also used at least from the early 19th century, and in some records, the word "Little" was not used in the name and the hundred was referred to by the shorter name Hundred of Lessness. In the 1831 census, Lessness was recorded as being the preferred name, but Little and Lessness was still recorded as an accepted alternative name. The hundred also shares its name with the hamlet of Lessness, Lessness Park, Lessness Heath, and Lesnes Abbey, which in turn gave its name to Lesnes Abbey Woods and Abbey Wood.
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