Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Useflet(e), Vseflet(e) 1100–8 YCh470 Hy2 Ch 1257 FF 1197 DodsN 1198 YCh488 1199–1209 YDix 13 FF 1218 Cur 1221 Ch 1336

• Vsefleth 1157 YCh354 1189 Ch 1308

• Vsefleoth 1164–77 YCh487 1293 BM

• Usflet(e), Vsflet(e) Hy2 MaryH6d 1226 FF 1304 Selby 1331 DodsN 1558 FF

• Huseflet 1200 Cur 1226 FF

• Husfliet 1208 P

• Ouseflet 1304 1331 FF

• Usseflet 1336 Ch 1362 Works 1363 YDiv

• Osseffleth' 1379 PT

• Uslytte 1546 YChant

• Uslet 1550 WillY

• Usflett als. Uslett 1592 FF

• Usleete 1638 SessnR

Etymology

Ousefleet is on the south bank of the Ouse, not far from its confluence with the Trent, when it becomes the Humber. The river- name (v. Ouse in RNs.) is clearly the first el. The second el. is OE  flēot 'a creek, inlet, estuary', as in nearby places, Adlingfleet 2supra , Swinefleet 10infra , or Yokefleet across the river (YE 255).There is now no 'clough', creek or inlet from the river here, other than a small drain some distance to the west, but the silting up of the shore at Ousefleet would certainly have changed the local topography.It might indeed have referred to a channel through which the river passed between the mainland and some sand-bank. The sense 'the Ouse channel', that is, the one through which the main course of the river passed, would be reasonable.