Letch House

[Rippedflesh69]

Hi, on an 1880's OS map there's a building just outside the village called "Letch Houses". What was a letch house? Something of ill repute?

[CaroleW]

What village?  You have posted on the Common Room board but no indication as to where you are referring to.  County or Country??

[maddys52]

Possibly these? Long Houghton? In any case, a "letch" is a small stream or creek.

Saturday,  Sept. 6, 1873
Publication: Alnwick Mercury

[JenB]

In any case, a "letch" is a small stream or creek.

Here are some examples of that usage from the Northumberland O.S. Name Books
https://namebooks.org.uk/browse/main/?OSref=346&Page=17.0&terms=letch&case=i&words=y
https://namebooks.org.uk/browse/main/?OSref=384&Page=32.0&terms=letch&case=i&words=y
https://namebooks.org.uk/browse/main/?OSref=393&Page=5.0&terms=letch&case=i&words=y

[MollyC]

This is the 1:2500 OS map surveyed 1861-64.  To the west of Letch Houses is a contour line suggesting an escarpment, where each V-shaped section probably indicates where water drained out of the hillside.  From Letch Houses there is a stream shown running eastwards towards the coast at the lifeboat station.  It crosses a similar contour on the way.

https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346296#zoom=4.8&lat=4670&lon=11329&layers=BT

ADDED: This is a 6-inch map surveyed 1897-99.  Letch Houses have gone.

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101026851

I have not found an 1880s revision for this area at either scale.  Were you looking at a smaller scale?  It would have been derived locally from the 1860s information.

[Rippedflesh69]

Many thanks to you all. Very interesting finds.