Fishlake


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, increasing to 682 at the 2011 Census. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book where the name is given as fiscelac, from Old English fisc-lacu, 'fish-stream'.

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.
The local church, dedicated to St Cuthbert, is Grade I listed. Most of the building dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, while parts can be traced back to the 12th century when England was under Norman rule. According to legends, Cuthbert was buried here.
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.
In November 2019, the village experienced severe flooding after the River Don burst its banks, forcing the local council to ask residents to leave their homes.