Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• the Sleghts 1540 Fount

• Slayghte(s) 1551 FF, NCWills

• Sleight(s) 1588,1597 FF

• In Sleets, Out Sleets 1842 TA

Etymology

In Sleets, Out Sleets, the Sleghts 1540 Fount, Slayghte (s )1551 FF, NCWills, Sleight (s )1588, 1597 FF, In Sleets , Out Sleets 1842TA . This is unlikely to be ON  slétta 'level field', as it refers to the steep slopes of Fountains Fell. It is therefore from an OE  slæget, sleget 'sheep- pasture'; the district has long been a region of sheep farming, particularly of Fountains Abbey which had extensive estates amongst these mountains. The same explanation is true of other examples of Sleet such as Sleets 87supra , Sleets Gill 125, Fair Sleets Gate 135, Sleights 142 infra .