Botusfleming

Botusfleming is a rural parish in southeast Cornwall, located about three miles northwest of Saltash. Historically known as "The Cherry Village," it was once a hub for market gardening, shipping produce to Plymouth via the local Moditonham Quay. The parish includes the villages of Botus Fleming and Hatt, which now serve primarily as dormitory settlements for Plymouth. The landscape is characterized by wooded valleys, pasture, and remnants of the parish's agricultural past, with views across the tidal creeks of the Tamar.

History: The parish name appears in medieval records as Bothflumet, evolving to Blofleming by the 17th century. The area was shaped by its position on the Tamar estuary and its proximity to Plymouth. For centuries, the economy was driven by the estates at Hatt House and Moditonham House, along with modest copper mining at Wheal Sophia in the mid-19th century. Botusfleming became renowned for its cherry orchards, with fruit and vegetables transported by boat from Moditonham Quay to Plymouth markets. As market gardening declined in the 20th century, the quay fell into disuse, and the villages evolved into residential communities. The parish church, St Mary's, was originally dedicated in 1259 and restored in 1873. Moditonham House stands on the site of a medieval castle of the Moditon family and is now a Georgian manor. The Bidwell, a 14th-century well with a 19th-century statue of St Mary, was restored in the 20th century and remains a parish landmark.