East Fleet & West Fleet
Early-attested site in the Parish of Fleet
Historical Forms
- la Flete, le Flete 1378,1388 Ilch
- le Westf(f)lete 1393,1438 Ilch
- - Flete', 'the æstuary or water called West-Fleet' 1593 Hutch1
- le Fleete 1611 DuCo
- Owl & Nightingale c.1200 O&N
Etymology
East Fleet (SY 635790) & West Fleet (SY 590825), 1811 OS, la Flete , le Flete 1378, 1388Ilch , le Westf (f )lete 1393, 1438Ilch , 'the fishery called East - Flete ', 'the æstuary or water called West -Fleet '1593 Hutch1 1532, le Fleete 1611DuCo . This long inlet giving name to the par. and to East Fleet and West Fleet infra stretches some eight miles from Abbotsbury in the west to Wyke Regis in the east, where it joins the sea at Small Mouth 1269. An interesting early reference to the 'fleet' has recently been revealed by V. Watts, NPP 381, who convincingly demonstrates that in the section of the eME poem Owl & Nightingale (c.1200 O&N) which mentions Portisham par. infra , MS in ore utlete in l.1754 should read in ore ulete 'upon a fleet'.