West Butterwick Fleet
This is the former site of the fleet at West Butterwick. Fleet probably takes its name from the Norman French word La Flete which means a stream or shallow water. In 1851 it was described as a pond under the ownership of Butterwick Town. It was used for cleaning horses’ hooves after they had finished working in the fields. It was also used as an outlet for drainage by nearby properties and as a dumping ground. Historically everyone would have access to the fleet for these purposes. There were continual complaints to the Parish Council regarding its unsanitary state and the smell that it emitted. At some point during the 1920’s/30’s it was filled in by local parishioners and later the Parish Council planted trees on the area. This area has since been built over in West Butterwick and its location is under the access road to the new estate of ‘Christopher’s Meadow’.
Image and text copyright of Isle of Axholme and Hatfield Chase Landscape Partnership.
