Anyone know what flette means?

[Grandad james]

Hi All,
I wonder if the word could be FRETTE .

This is a Heraldry term and it is like the designs one see in those formal box hedge gardens.

I have to go out to a Local History meeting now, but will see what else I can find out , even if it is not a frette , we may find it interesting....
Fretwork also comes to mind..

Grandad james.

[Gardener]

Many thanks for all the suggestions. The queries over the spelling made me wonder if it was possibly "slette". Then it could be flat land I should think but sureley the transcribers would not mistake an s for an f?. I don't have a map of this bit of Worcestershire which is old enough to show it pre-canals but if the quote below is for the same place then either a flat garden or as Jane suggests a shallow water feature would fit (They talk about water meadows don't they?)

I'm nibbling around the idea that Wollashall is the same place as the one in the following quotation which I was sent by some one:

" Walloxall 1274 Court Rolls known as Walluchile.   1275 Wallokeshale.
An Ancient hamlet and gave name to an old family.   The meaning according to Duignam is Wealue's meadow land."
As I understand it Wolloxall was where Langley is now and became attached to Oldbury Manor at some point, near Dudley.

Here is the link of the text I am querying, page 69
http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/england/Worcestershire/visitations/index.html

Thanks again for the help, it makes such a difference to discuss things.

[BILL H]

Re anyone know what flette means
The word appears in Dante in Paradise Canto 26  In this context it would be an Italian word meaning bending . Quote .......
Come la fronda che FLETTE la cima
nel transito del vento , e poi si leva par la propria virtùche la soblina
 Translated
As does a tree that bends its crown because of winds that gust, and then springs up, raised by its own sustaining power , so did I.
so maybe THE GARDEN OF THE FLETTE was probibly subject to prevailing winds.

[Gardener]

How useful to know Italian! Could well be. At least we seem to agree that it must be a descriptive term for the land. Thanks every one

[Hackstaple]

My turn to guess. Flette is no more than an old English form of "flat". Primtive languages tend to use one word to use many things so flette was a punt, or a raft, or the ground floor of a house, or a tilled field that was not on a  slope.
In some German derived languages through Dutch the word "vlak" or flat can be used in many ways.
Having said that, I remember when  faced with old English that spelling was erratic and words could be spelled differently by various writers. The doubled letter as to distinguish "later" from "latter" was not universal so your flette could just as easily be someone else's flete.
I have doubts about a similar word in renaissance Italian being related but I am just guessing [as I am with most of the rest of this - just feeling a bit mischievous at the moment - its my Prozac, you know].

[Kazza]

According to Websters Dictionary,  online version:

It is from the Danish,  meaning plait or braid.

Kazza.

[Andy_T]

Back then "S" was replaced with "F" so  Slette is singular form  sletten being Norwegian for farmsteads.
The Vikings did get as far as Worcester although Danelaw was resisted.

Perhaps this translates to: Worcester garden of the farmstead?
If so this implies vegetables and crops were grown in Worcester.

[Ruskie]

Interesting thoughts Andy. You have revived yet another old thread from 2004. Lets hope the OP returns to let you know if they have managed to solve the puzzle in the intervening years.

[Melbell]

Com means County (in this case 'of Worcester').  It's Latin, short for comitatus.

Melbell