SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

isn't the word leodis used by the venerable bead in the anglo saxon chronicles or suchlike publication?

I always thought Loiner and Leodensian were the equivalent of, for example, Scouser and Liverpudlian? One's a knickname, and the other is the "correct" name?Could be wrong. We used to thrash Leeds Grammar an'all!

wiggy wrote: isn't the word leodis used by the venerable bead in the anglo saxon chronicles or suchlike publication? The council's website at http://www.leeds.gov.uk/About_Leeds/History_/page.aspx states:"In about 730, Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History gives the following quotation about events in A.D.627: "In the place of which the later kings built themselves a COUNTRY-SEAT in the Country called LOIDIS [LEEDS]. But the altar, being of stone, escaped the fire and is still preserved in the monastery of the most reverend abbot and priest, Thridwulf, which is in Elsiete wood."The name Loidis was applied to the district not to a single place or settlement, and this is confirmed by two names, Ledsham and Ledston, containing the same element. These two villages are about ten miles from the city of Leeds. This then became Leodis, then Ledes, then Leeds."

I was reading that very article the other day, Oldleedsman.The next paragraph is also interesting, on the subject of Loiners ..."Natives of Leeds are known as "Loiners", there are various theories as to the origin of the term, none of which are definitive. Loiner could derive from the name Loidis as above, another explanation is a Loiner is someone born within the sound of the church bells of Briggate. In the 19th century there were many yards and closes around Briggate whose back entrances were known as "Low Ins" or "Loins" hence "Loiner". Another theory is that there were a number of lanes in the Briggate area pronounced "loins". Men who gathered at the lane end to gossip etc. were "Loiners"."

I have an antique parchment replica map of the West Riding,dated1610 and our fair city is called Ledes,more of a village thensurrounded by Hunslete,Chappelton,Moreton,Widkirk and other vaguely familiar villages.

tyke bhoy wrote: People from Leeds are Leodensians, although some would have it as loiners.I agree with the bit on standardized spelling but I am sure I have seen a doomsday map of Yorkshire which has the spelling as Ledes so I would thinkLeodis - Ledes - Leedes - Leedsinroman - norman - plantagenet/tudor - stewart/hanoverian eras is something close to the chronology of the evolution of the predominantly correct spelling People from medieaval Leeds are Lo-iners not Loin-ers from when there was lots of strips of land off Briggate and the yards (allys) between the buildings were kept apart by wooden props (arches) that sometimes you had to duck your head to get under them hence 'low inners'jimbo

While it does nothing to clarify the matter, I can say that at St. Michael's College our school hymn in latin had the word "loidenses".

I've just spent a week in Wales. I noticed that the Welsh word for Lane is Lon (with a circumflex) I wondered given Leeds's Celtic origins if there was a connection with "loiner"?

Trojan wrote: I've just spent a week in Wales. I noticed that the Welsh word for Lane is Lon (with a circumflex) I wondered given Leeds's Celtic origins if there was a connection with "loiner"? Well thats open to a great deal of question.I was always told that the first settlers in the area of what we now call Leeds were Angles.There appears to be no remaining Celtic heritage,which would seem rather odd considering they predate the Angles in Britain by a long long way.Are there any place names in Leeds with Celtic origin?

cnosni wrote: Trojan wrote: I've just spent a week in Wales. I noticed that the Welsh word for Lane is Lon (with a circumflex) I wondered given Leeds's Celtic origins if there was a connection with "loiner"? Well thats open to a great deal of question.I was always told that the first settlers in the area of what we now call Leeds were Angles.There appears to be no remaining Celtic heritage,which would seem rather odd considering they predate the Angles in Britain by a long long way.Are there any place names in Leeds with Celtic origin? I read somewhere that the word Leodis is connected somehow to the celtic root word Lloyd, and that Ledsham and Ledston nr Cas come from the same root. Pen y ghent is certainly a Celtic name, and I'm sure I've read somewhere that Leeds was part of the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmete (Barwick and Sherburn) Aber - as in Aberford is certainly a Celtic word Aberystwyth, Aberaven, Abergele etc.When I saw the word "Lon" meaning lane, with a circumflex, I wondered if perhap the Welsh pronunciation was actually "loin" that's why I asked the question.