	Sortedam Lake is first mentioned in 1619 in the form "Sorte dam" but it is unclear if "dam" (pond) at this stage referred to a small lake or a dam. The word "Dossering" is derived from the French word "Dos", meaning 'back', and refers to a path or road running on top of an embankment. The Dossering was originally a small path. It later belonged to the Water Authority and was closed to the public by a locked gate at each end. Residents at the Bleaching Ponds could obtain a key on the payment of a five mark deposit. The shoreline remained closed until the early 1850s.