The name Gissage (a tributary of the River Otter) is said to be derived because the river rose in Gittshedge on the boundary between the parishes of Gittisham and Honiton.

In 1873 Honiton Borough Council invited tenders from contactors to construct a sewer under the Gissage riverbed from a point near the Gas Works in King Street, across a field to a new outfall below the weir and also connect drains from Bramble Hill to prevent direct discharge into the river.

There was uproar following a storm in May 1890 when a large quantity of gas tar from the Gas Works had been discharged into the Gissage and had flowed into the River Otter. Thousands of fish were poisoned and died. Dead trout were found on riverbanks up to ten miles downstream and people were picking them up by the sack full. None of the fish were fit to cook and eat. Scores of rats were found totally covered in tar and they perished too. Farmers were really concerned about their livestock drinking water from the rivers and the foliage on the riverbanks was badly affected. At a special meeting a month later the Town Council decided that it was not in their province to take any action.

A year later there were complaints from residents about the serious defects of the drainage system of the Gissage claiming that the smells in the vicinity were disgusting and injurious to health. Devon County Council pointed out that discharging sewage into the river was contrary to the Rivers Pollution Act 1876 and Honiton Town Council agreed to form a special committee to make a report. Two years later the Council agreed to pay five pounds to replace 288 yards of nine inch drains.

The Medical Officer of Health reported that the Gissage was polluted again in 1925. This time the cause was effluent coming from Blay’s timber yard. George Blay stated that he had taken expert advice and installed a 4000 gallon tank, additional filter beds and a pump to enable water to be used repeatedly. A Council subcommittee was appointed to inspect the work.

The River Gissage has flooded many times but the worst was probably after a heavy thunderstorm in 1943 when thirty homes were severely affected with water rising several feet high in their homes. Since then thousands have been spent on flood prevention on the Gissage and recently evidence has been found of beaver activity on the riverbank.