A
butt is an
archery shooting field, with mounds of earth used for the targets. The name originally referred to the targets themselves, but over time came to mean the platforms that held the targets as well. For instance
Othello, V,ii,267 mentions "Here is my journey's end, here is my butt". In medieval times, it was compulsory for all
yeomen in
England to learn archery; see for example An Act concerning shooting in Long Bows, passed in the 3rd year of
Henry VIII.