The village of Fleet lies close to the lagoon of the same name. Beyond the Fleet is the famous bank of Chesil Beach where treacherous currents and a strong undertow have been the cause of the loss of many lives following shipwrecks. Some of the shipwrecks probably initially had many survivors, but few so strong as to survive the strength of nature.

It is the village of Fleet, this part of Chesil Beach and the Fleet lagoon, which was made famous by the novel of smuggling by J. Meade Faulkner, "Moonfleet" published in 1898.

Weymouth Esplanade was destroyed by it and nearby the village of Fleet suffered a fate it has never known before or since. The sea was so swollen and the winds so strong, that the waves were sent hurling over the Chesil bank, beyond the Fleet lagoon and into the village, destroying most of what lay in its path.

The small church at Fleet, lying close to the lagoon, suffered badly as the sea came crashing over the bank. The nave of the old church was completely demolished. All that remains today is a tiny church, with a few gravestones in the churchyard. Looking almost lost now, it stands behind the end of a row of cottages on its own.

Most small villages were built up around the parish church, as was Fleet. Four cottages nearby were also totally destroyed by the storm. Most of the cottages that were destroyed were just to the north of the old church. Another cottage was at the end of Butter Street, which leads down to the old church. Many others were severely damaged.

As was common practice in those days whenever a town or village suffered some major catastrophe, churches far and wide would hold collections to help towards relief for the stricken. Many such collections were made for the inhabitants and village of Fleet and are recorded in parish registers all over the country, many of them miles away and probably having never heard of Fleet before.

After the great gales of 1824 where much of the original parish church was destroyed, a new one was built a quarter of a mile further inland.

The manor of Fleet was held by the King at the time of the Domesday Book, but not long after it passed to the Priory of Christ Church, Twynham, Hampshire. Today the town is known as Christchurch and it has since 1974 been in the county of Dorset.

After the dissolution the manor of Fleet which included the land that the manor house stood on and land in West Fleet, was granted to William Cocke, a valet of the pantry. In 1563 the lands were granted to Robert Freke, gent. and John Walker. At some time after this it came into the possession of the Mohun family and in 1566 Owen Hebbes held lands in West Fleet of Robert Mohun at his death.

The Mohuns of Fleet were descended from Robert Mohun, his brothers being the ancestors of branches of the family in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Successively they were: Robert's son Maximilian (1564-1612) who married Anne daughter of John Churchill of Corton, in 1593; their son Maximilian (1596-1673) married to Elizabeth the daughter of Francis Chaldecot of Whiteway; their son Francis Mohun (1625-1711) married to Eleanor Sheldon; their son Gilbert Maximilian Mohun (1675-1721) who married firstly Elizabeth Squibb who died in 1701, and secondly Sarah daughter of Thomas Cooper of Sherborne. They had several sons, the last surviving, Robert, died without issue in 1758. At that time the estate consisted of the manor of east and west Fleet, the farms at both, the glebe of the parsonage, the advowson of the church, and "a large store of water called The Beach".and from thence the manor passed to his sister Sarah who had married as a second marriage, John Gould of Upwey.

Sarah Gould died in 1774 and her husband left the estate to his eldest son by his first marriage to Mary the daughter of the Rev. William Glisson, rector of Marnhull, George Gould of Fleet and Upwey. George married twice and by his second wife Abigail, daughter of Robert Gooden of Over Compton, he had two sons, John and George to whom the manor passed in succession. The latter George Gould became rector of the parish of Fleet and was responsible for the financing and building of the new church after the terrible storm. He died unmarried in 1841, left the estate to a relative, Miss Catherine Barbara Jackson who died in 1847 when it then came into the hands of George Gooden. George was the son of Robert Gooden, the brother of Rev. George Gould's mother. George Gooden also became vicar of Fleet and still held the manor in 1867.

Standing on the estate overlooking Chesil Beach and the Fleet lagoon is Fleet House, now called the Moonfleet Manor Hotel. Fleet House was the seat of the Mohuns and thought to have been built by Maximilian Mohun. The arms of the Mohuns are still to be seen on the columns at the start of the village. Moonfleet is a derived from Mohun and the village name.

Nearby Parishes and Places