Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Alflode 1286 Ass

• Alfledesmuthe 1288 Ass

• Alfledesmulle 1309 Hutch3 1318 FF

• Alfletemell 1384 FF

• Alfletemill 1426 IpmR

• Alfletemulle 1435 FF

• Alflete 1431 FA

• 'mill at Alflete' 1510 Hutch3

• Alfletmill(e) 1408,1413 IpmR

• Alfletmulle 1421 Fine 1423 Cl

• Afflett Mill(s) 1774 Hutch1 1795 Boswell

• Affleet Mill 1586 Hutch3

• Affleet 1765 Tayl

• Arfleet Mill 1811 OS

• Arfleet Mills 1844 TAMap

Etymology

The first el. is probably OE  ǣl 'eel'. The second would seem to be an OE  *flēd or *flēde '(intermittent) stream', related to OE  flōd 'flow of water, stream' and flōde 'channel, gutter' and postulated by Löfvenberg 66 to explain Fleed So. The earliest form Alflode may either be an error for Alflede or contain the unmutated flōd or flōde ; the later -flet (e )- probably shows association or confusion of the second el. with OE  flēot 'inlet, stream'. Alflede was no doubt an earlier name for (the part of) the Corfe River (v. RNs.) on which the mill was situated; Alfledesmulle means 'mill at Alflede ', v. -es 2 , myln . In the form from 1288Ass , -muthe may represent OE  mūða 'mouth, estuary', though since this roll (214) has many dubious forms, it may be an error for -mulle .