Leckwith

Leckwith is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan, just west of Cardiff. Historically, the parish of Leckwith also included land on the east side of the river Ely that is now part of Cardiff itself. This area is also commonly known as Leckwith.EtymologyThe name Leckwith is an anglicisation of the Welsh Lecwydd, with the common replacement of Welsh by English . Lecwydd probably derives from the personal name Helygwydd . The change from to may be compared to that in the personal name Tecwyn .Since at least the nineteenth century Lecwydd sometimes appears in Welsh as Llechwydd or Llechwedd. These forms have been linked to the common Welsh noun llechwedd, which has been taken to refer to Leckwith Woods, which rise up steeply from the river Ely. Linguistically, however, there is no relationship between Lecwydd and llechwedd, and the connection is probably a result of folk etymology. This explanation of the name Lecwydd is still sometimes seen, however.LandmarksThe old stone triple-arched Leckwith Bridge crosses the River Ely to the east. It is Grade II* listed and dates from before 1536. The historic church of St. James, rebuilt in the nineteenth century, like several others around Cardiff, was abandoned and fell into ruin in the second half of the twentieth century.