Little and Lesnes Hundred

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,[2][15] which became Litlelee, then in 1347 it was recorded as the Hundred of Litley.[15] By around 1400 it started being referred to as the Hundred of Little and Lesnes[15] which continued to be its name for the next 500 years[8][15] 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.[16] In the 1831 census, Lessness was recorded as being the preferred name, but Little and Lessness was still recorded as an accepted alternative name.[12] The hundred also shares its name with the hamlet of Lessness,[16] Lessness Park, Lessness Heath,[17] and Lesnes Abbey, which in turn gave its name to Lesnes Abbey Woods and Abbey Wood.[18]

The Hundred of Little and Lesnes occupied the northernmost part of the Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, located in West Kent, and was the northernmost hundred in the whole county of Kent.[8] It shared land borders with three other hundreds of the Sutton-at-Hone Lathe, Blackheath Hundred to the west and southwest and the Hundred of Ruxley to the south, both of which were larger than Little and Lesnes; to the east and southeast was the Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington which was smaller.[8][9] The northern boundary of Little and Lesnes was the River Thames and across the river to the north was the county of Essex. In the Thames Little and Lesnes shared borders with the Essex hundreds of Becontree to the north and northwest, and Chafford to the northeast and also with the Royal Liberty of Havering in Essex to the northeast.[19] Watling Street formed much of the southern boundary between Little and Lesnes and the Hundred of Ruxley.[9] To the east the River Cray and the River Darent formed some of the eastern boundary, between Little and Lesnes and the Hundred of Dartford and Wilmington;[9] the boundary at the two rivers remains as a boundary today, but now between the London Borough of Bexley and the Kent Borough of Dartford.[13][14]

The Hundred of Little and Lesnes contained four parishes and their churches. Plumstead in the west, Erith in the centre, Crayford in the east and East Wickham which was by far the smallest parish in the hundred in the south.[8][15] Before the 19th century the parish of Wickham was sometimes recorded as having a chapel that was annexed to the parish and church of Plumtead, and not fully its own parish.[10][11] East Wickham, although having some powers before, became an official parish in its own right, completely separate from Plumstead parish in 1854.

In addition to the parishes and villages of Plumstead, East Wickham, Crayford, and Erith, other places that were located in Little and Lesnes Hundred were: Northumberland Heath, Belvedere, Lessness Heath, Abbey Wood, North End, West Heath, Howbury, and the northern parts of Welling and Bexleyheath.[9][13][14] Thamesmead is in the area covered by the hundred,[13][14] but did not appear as a locality until many years after the hundred was obsolete. Lesnes Abbey, Lesnes Abbey Woods, and Erith Marshes were also located within the borders of the hundred.

The hundred was established in ancient times, like most Kent hundreds it already existed when the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086. The hundred was recorded in the Domesday Book as the Hundred of Litlelee,[2] the largest settlement in the hundred at this time was Lessness.[2] In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded 153 households being present in 4 populated places, 68 households in Lessness, 43 in Plumstead, 34 in Crayford and 8 in Howbury.[2]

In the 1831 census, the area of Little and Lesnes Hundred was recorded as 10,410 acres (42 km²)[1] In that same census a population of 6,699[3] was recorded, of which 3,256 were female, 3,443 were male[3] and 1,657 were males over 20.[20] The population in 1831 was recorded as belonging to 1,432 families[21] living in 1,165 houses[21] of which 473 families were involved in agriculture,[3] and 491 families were involved in trade, manufacture, or handicraft.[3]

In 1849 the North Kent Line was extended, and run through Little and Lesnes Hundred, connecting Kent to London. From west to east, stations that were constructed on the line were: Plumstead, Abbey Wood, Belvedere and Erith. Erith and Abbey Wood were constructed and opened in 1849, same year as the line was extended, Belvedere and Plumstead were opened a decade later in 1859. Slade Green railway station was also opened on the line in 1900 to the east of Erith, but the hundred was obsolete by that time. On 1 September 1866 Crayford railway station and the Dartford Loop Line were opened, there were several stations on this line, but only Crayford was within the borders of the hundred.