Leathley

Leathley
The Parish Church of St Oswald, Leathley, built circa 1100, enlarged in the 1470s and renovated in 1869
Leathley
Location within North Yorkshire
Population181 (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSE232471
Civil parish
  • Leathley
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOtley
Postcode districtLS21
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire

Leathley is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, the parish includes the townships of both Castley and Leathley. It is near the border with West Yorkshire and the River Wharfe, 1 mile north-east of Otley. The B6161 runs through the village, connecting Leathley with Killinghall in the North and Pool-in-Wharfedale in the south.

According to the 2011 census Leathley had a population of 181 people.

In 1870–72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Leathley as:

a village, a township, and a parish in Otley district, W. R. Yorkshire. The village stands on an affluent of the river Wharfe, 3 miles NW of Arthing. ton r. station, and 3 NE of Otley; and is. a picturesque place.

Later in the 1880s Leathley was described by John Bartholomew as:

3 miles NE. of Otley – par., 2089 ac., pop. 237; township, 1565 ac., pop. 150; contains the seat of Leathley Hall

Until 1974 it was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Harrogate, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

The name Leathley originates from the old English meaning 'slope wood/clearing' referring to the rural nature of the landscape.