Lessness Heath is a district in theLondon Borough of Bexley, in the area ofBelvedere.
Lessness was recorded in theDomesday Book in 1086, as the largest settlement in theHundred of Litlelee inKent and contained 68 households at that time.[1][2]
The name ofLessness Heath has changed over the centuries. It was recorded asLeosne in the mid 11th century, Lesneis and Loisnes in 1086 in the Domesday Book,Hlosness in the late 11th century andLesnes in 1194.[3] At around 1762,Emanuel Bowen recorded the place asLeesing on one of his maps, then in 1805 anOrdnance Survey map recorded it asLesness Heath.[3] It has been suggested the name may be from an Old English wordhlēosne, the plural ofhlēosn meaning 'Burial mound' or 'shelter', later possibly adding the wordnæss meaning 'headland' to the end.
Lessness Heath gave its name to the ancienthundred, theHundred of Lessness,[3] and was the meeting place for residents of the hundred to discuss matters.[4] In 1178, the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes,Lesnes Abbey, was founded near Lessness Heath and named after it.
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