A butt is an
archery shooting field, with mounds of earth used for the targets. The name originally referred to the targets themselves, but over time came to mean the platforms that held the targets as well. For instance ''
Othello
''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...
,'' V, ii, 267 mentions "Here is my journey's end, here is my butt". In medieval times, it was compulsory for all
yeomen in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
to learn archery; see for example
An Act concerning shooting in Long Bows, passed in the third year of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...
's reign.
Several English towns have districts called "The Butts", but they may not always take their names from archery. The
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
word "butt" referred to an abutting strip of land, and is often associated with medieval field systems.
An example is
Newington Butts
Newington Butts is a former hamlet, now an area of the London Borough of Southwark, that gives its name to a segment of the A3 road running south-west from the Elephant and Castle junction. The road continues as Kennington Park Road leading to ...
in south London where contrary to popular belief, the 1955 ''Survey of London'' published by London County Council could find no historical reference to archery butts.
It concluded that the name probably derived from the triangle of land between the roads, as the word "butts" is used elsewhere in Surrey to refer to odd corners or ends of land.
The word is also used today for the earthwork mounds on, or before, which targets are mounted on a
rifle range, with the purpose of stopping the flight of bullets beyond the range.
Notes and references
External links
* {{cite web, url=http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/mpp/mcd/butts.htm , title=Archery butts , publisher=English Heritage , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905114227/http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/mpp/mcd/butts.htm , archivedate=2006-09-05 Overview including
definitionOld engraving showing archery butts
History of archery