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,'' V, ii, 267 mentions "Here is my journey's end, here is my butt". In medieval times, it was compulsory for all

yeomen Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

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 b ...

to learn archery; see for example An Act concerning shooting in Long Bows, passed in the third year of Henry VIII'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London where contrary to popular belief, the 1955 ''Survey of London'' published by London County Council could find no historical reference to archery butts.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 A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by military ...

, 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
definition

Old engraving showing archery butts
History of archery