Fishlake

Fishlake
Entering Fishlake from the east
Fishlake Location within South Yorkshire
Population	682 (2011 census) [1]
Civil parish	Fishlake
Metropolitan borough	Doncaster
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Doncaster
Postcode district	DN7
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Doncaster North
List of places UK England Yorkshire 53°36′43″N1°00′43″W / 53.612°N 1.012°W / 53.612; -1.012

Fishlake is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. In 2001 it had a population of 628, ^[2] increasing to 682 at the 2011 census. ^[1] It was mentioned in the Domesday Book where the name is given as fiscelac, from Old English fisc-lacu, 'fish-stream'. ^[3]

History

There is a local myth called "The Cockatrice of Church Street". The story goes that the mythical beast resides near the churchyard; those unlucky enough to hear its call are said to never sleep again. ^{[4] [5]}

St Cuthbert's church

The local church, dedicated to St Cuthbert, is Grade I listed. Most of the building dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, while parts (namely the southern door) can be traced back to the 12th century when England was under Norman rule. ^[6] According to legends, Cuthbert was buried here. ^[7]

West Nab Mill, Fishlake

Sir William de Notton, later Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, was Lord of the Manor of Fishlake in the 1340s. In 1350 he and his wife Isabel conveyed it to John de Birthwaite, the Prior of Monk Bretton Priory, to build a chantry chapel at Woolley Church, where prayers were to be said for the souls of the royal family as well as Notton's own family. The timing of the grant suggests that Notton was giving thanks for England's deliverance from the first outbreak of the Black Death. ^[8]

2019 Floods

In November 2019 the village of Fishlake gained national notoriety as the River Don, swollen by unprecedented rainfall, overtopped and flooded a huge swathe of land including over 170 homes and businesses. ^{[9] [10]}

As a way of thanking the people and agencies who helped them, as well as raising funds for other communities affected by flooding, the people of Fishlake decided to document their experiences of the floods in the form of a book entitled Flood: The stories of a village underwater. ^[11]

The book was launched in St Cuthbert's church in the village on 19 September 2021 in the presence of a number of notable dignitaries, including the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis; Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones and local MP and Shadow President of the COP26 conference, Ed Miliband.

See also

• Listed buildings in Fishlake

References

1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Fishlake Parish (E04000078)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 22 July 2021.
2. UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Fishlake Parish (00CE022)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 22 July 2021.
3. Ekwall: 'The Concise Dictionary of English Place-Names' fourth edition, OUP
4. "Yorkshire myths and legends". Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
5. "Haunted Yorkshire" . Retrieved 12 November 2019.
6. Historic England. "Church of St Cuthbert (1314801)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 2 August 2018.
7. "St Cuthbert, Church Lane". Historic England. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
8. Walker, John William ed. Abstracts of the Chartularies of Monkbretton Priory Cambridge University Press 2013 reissue pp.220-1
9. Pidd, Helen; Stewart, Heather (11 November 2019). "Boris Johnson to hold emergency Cobra meeting over floods". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
10. Walawalkar, Aaron (11 November 2019). "'We can't go': Fishlake residents defy flood waters and authorities". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
11. "Fishlake charity book launched by flood-hit villagers". BBC News. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.