West Leake

West Leake is a small village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire. It is on the Kingston Brook, between the larger village of East Leake to the east and Kingston to the west; the parish of Sutton Bonington lies to the south. The parish church is St. Helena's Church, West Leake.As a small village West Leake has a parish meeting rather than a parish council. Its population has declined from an 1853 estimate of 190 when the village was owned by Lord Middleton to around 110 in 2007. The population taken at the 2011 census had risen again to 143.The origin of Leake appears to be Laeke (Old Norse – brook or stream), and is consistent with West Leake's position in the heart of the Danelaw.One of the earliest mentions of West Leake is in the Domesday book recorded as 'Leche', the name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning water-meadow, since the village lies on the Kingston Brook, a tributary of the River Soar.The Domesday Book listing is divided into four holdings which encompass what are today East and West Leake. The first property is listed to Henry de Ferrers by the King as Tenant in Chief, and Lord. Ferrers portion was inventoried with 16 villagers. 16 freemen. 1 priest. It included land for 6 ploughlands; 4 lord's plough teams and 17 men's plough teams. Other resources listed include; 50 acresin meadow, Woodland 2 * 1 furlongs. 1 mill, 1 church. The holding was valued at £7 to the lord in 1086.