Leek, Staffordshire

Leek
Leek town centre
Leek is located in Staffordshire
Leek
Leek
Location within Staffordshire
Population20,768 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ984565
Civil parish
  • Leek
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEK
Postcode districtST13
Dialling code01538
PoliceStaffordshire
FireStaffordshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
53°06′29″N 2°01′24″W / 53.108°N 2.0234°W / 53.108; -2.0234

Leek is a market town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet 10 miles (16 km) north east of Stoke-on-Trent. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.

It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. King John granted Ranulph de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, the right to hold a weekly Wednesday market and an annual seven-day fair in Leek in 1207.

Leek's coat of arms is a saltire shield. On the top is the Stafford knot, either side is the Leek double sunset and below a gold garb. The crest is a mural crown with three mulberry leaves on a mount of heather on top of which a moorcock is resting his claw on a small-weave shuttle. The motto Arte favente nil desperandum translates to: Our skill assisting us, we have no cause for despair.

  1. ^ "Town population 2011". Retrieved 3 December 2015.