Category: Histories of British towns, villages and cities

By Tim Lambert Roman Lancaster The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD. Lancaster began when the Romans built a fort in the area about 80 AD. A small town grew up alongside the fort because the soldiers provided a market for the townspeople’s goods. However Roman civilization declined in the 4th century and in the… Continue reading A History of Lancaster

By Tim Lambert Launceston in the Middle Ages The name Launceston is made up of Celtic and Saxon words. Lann meant church in Cornish. So it was the Lann of St Stephen. The ‘ton’ comes from the Saxon word ‘tun’ which meant farm, hamlet, or estate. By the time of the Norman conquest in 1066,… Continue reading A History of Launceston

By Tim Lambert Leeds in the Middle Ages Leeds began as a Saxon village. By the time of the Domesday Book (1086), it had a population of around 200. By the standards of the time, Leeds was quite a large village. Many were much smaller. Then in 1207 the Lord of the Manor, Maurice De… Continue reading A History of Leeds

By Tim Lambert Roman Leicester Leicester probably started as a Celtic settlement. It was the capital of the local Celtic tribe, the Corieltauvi. The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD and they captured Leicestershire by 47 AD. The Romans built a fort at Leicester in 48 AD. The Celtic settlement nearby prospered as the Roman… Continue reading A History of Leicester

By Tim Lambert The Beginning of Leigh Park In 1944 Portsmouth City Council bought the Leigh Park Estate near Havant. They planned to build a new overspill community there. Altogether the council bought 1,670 acres and work on building Leigh Park began in 1947 when the mayor of Portsmouth operated a digger and dug the… Continue reading A History of Leigh Park

By Tim Lambert Early Lewes Lewes began as a Saxon village. The Saxons invaded East Sussex in the 5th century. Lewes was probably founded in the 6th century. (The name Lewes is probably derived from a Saxon word, ‘hluews’ which meant slopes or hills). Later the Saxons made Lewes a town. In the late 9th… Continue reading A History of Lewes

By Tim Lambert Saxon Lichfield Lichfield began as an Anglo-Saxon village. The name Lichfield may be a corruption of Letocetum meaning grey wood. Or it may be a corruption of Lece feld meaning a small stream (lece) by the open land (feld). In the year 669, the Bishop of Mercia (roughly the Midlands of England)… Continue reading A History of Lichfield

By Tim Lambert Roman Lincoln Lincoln began as a Roman town. The Romans conquered Lincolnshire in 48 AD. Shortly afterward they built a fort on the site of Lincoln. However, by the late 1st century, the area was pacified so the soldiers moved on and the fort was abandoned. A new town was created on… Continue reading A History of Lincoln

By Tim Lambert Early Liskeard The name Liskeard is believed to be derived from the words Lys Kerwyd which meant Kerwyd’s court or palace. Unfortunately who Kerwyd was is lost in the mists of time. At the time of the Domesday Book, in 1086, Liskeard was a typical village where the peasants lived by farming.… Continue reading A History of Liskeard

By Tim Lambert Early Littlehampton Littlehampton was founded by the Saxons. They landed at Pevensey in the 5th century and they carved out the kingdom of the South Saxons (Sussex). The Saxons founded a small settlement by the mouth of the River Arun. It was called hamm tun, which means the farm or hamlet by… Continue reading A History of Littlehampton