 In a survey of the manor of Imber in 1608 the island was known as Colly's Eite (Ait or Eyot meaning a small island) and is recorded as '2 acres of pasture'.On the Surrey bank opposite, where the Swan Inn was built, the slipway and nearby wharf provided a useful dock for the passage of goods and people up and down the river.Large sailing barges from the Port of London would moor here to load or unload, their crews and attendant waggoners taking rest and sustenance at the inn.