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Ledston
Ledston (historically also spelt Ledstone)[2] is a village in the Leeds metropolitan borough, in the county of West Yorkshire, England.[3] It is 3 miles (5 km) north of Castleford and 10 miles (16 km) east of Leeds. The parish had a population of 400 in 2001,[4] which decreased slightly to 394 at the 2011 Census.[1] HistoryLedston is first mentioned in 1086, and on through the Middle Ages, in forms like Ledestun(e), Ledestona.[5] The name seems to refer to Leeds (or the Old English precursor of this name, Loidis, which denoted a region rather than a town), meaning the tūn ('settlement, estate') belonging to Leeds.[6] Mary Pannal of Ledston was executed in 1603 as an accused witch. Ledston was historically a township in the ancient parish of Ledsham in the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[7] The township became a separate civil parish in 1866.[8] In 1974 Ledston was transferred to the City of Leeds in the new county of West Yorkshire. On 1 April 2023 the civil parish was abolished.[9] Ledston Hall Ledston or Ledstone Hall[10] was the home of Lady Elizabeth Hastings, daughter of the 7th Earl of Huntingdon, known as "Lady Betty". The hall was originally a grange and chapel built by the monks of Pontefract Priory. It is a grade I listed building, and several associated buildings and garden features are also listed.[11] Ledston Hall featured in the television show Most Haunted:Live on 27 October 2007, but was called "Wheler Priory" for security reasons at the time (Wheler being the surname of the last family owning the hall).[12] Ledston is also home to the Ledston Equine Centre located in the stables of Ledston Hall.[13] Ledston lies to the east of the A656 road,[3] and there was a railway station named after the village on the Castleford to Garforth line, though this station was actually adjacent to Allerton Bywater Colliery. The village also had a colliery named after it, Ledston Luck, which was connected to the railway via a narrow gauge railway line up to Peckfield Colliery in Micklefield.[14] The colliery, like the railway station, was some distance away from the village from which it took its name, being actually only 0.6 miles (1 km) east of Kippax.[3] Ledston Luck Colliery closed in 1986[15] and the site is now a local nature reserve.[16] White Horse InnThe White Horse Inn is a 15th-century public house.[17] It was 2019 regional winner of North East Pubs in Bloom,[citation needed] and supports various local activities such as the Ledston in Bloom[clarification needed], a village scarecrow competition.[citation needed] and the Ledston christmas light switch on. See alsoReferences
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ledston.
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