River Trent
The
River Trent is one of the major rivers of
England. Its
source is in
Staffordshire between
Biddulph and
Mow Cop and its course flows through the
Midlands until it joins the
Humber Estuary at
Trent Falls, and then to the
North Sea.
The name "Trent" comes from a
Celtic word possibly meaning "strongly flooding". More specifically, the name may be a contraction of two Celtic words,
tros ("over") and
hynt ("way") (see
University of Wales Online Dictionary). This may indeed indicate a river that is prone to flooding. However, a more likely explanation may be that it was considered to be a river that could be crossed principally by means of
fords, i.e. the river flowed over major road routes. This may explain the presence of the Celtic element
rid (c.f. Welsh
rhyd, "ford") in various placenames along the Trent, such as
Hill Ridware.
The river is navigable for some 117 miles below
Burton upon Trent. A navigable route into the
Potteries and beyond is provided by the
Trent and Mersey Canal, which meets the Trent at
Shardlow. The river is tidal downstream of Cromwell Lock to the north of
Newark.
Nottingham seems to have been the ancient head of navigation, but this was extended to Wilden Ferry, as a result of the efforts of the Fosbrooke family of
Shardlow after the
Restoration.
Lord Paget obtained an Act of Parliament in
1699 to extend navigation to Burton, but nothing was immediately done. In
1711, Lord Paget leased his rights to George Haynes, who carried out improvements, quickly opening the river to Burton. He monopolised freight, causing discontent among merchants and encouraging interloping. His business was continued as the 'Burton Boat Company', but after the opening of the
Trent and Mersey Canal, the Boat Company were unable to compete. Eventually in
1805, they reached an agreemetn with Henshall & Co. the leading canal carriers for the closure of the river above Wilden Ferry. Though the river is no doubt legally still navigable above Shardlow, it is probable that the agreement marks the end of the use of that stretch of the river as a commercial navigation.
[C. C. Owen, Burton on Trent: the development of industry (Phillimore, Chichester 1978), 13-20. ]It is unusual amongst English rivers in that it flows north (for the second half of its route), and is also unusual in exhibiting a
tidal bore, the "Aegir". The area drained by the river includes most of the northern
Midlands.
The river marks the boundary between the provinces of two English
Kings of Arms,
Norroy and
Clarenceaux. It was formerly also a boundary for other purposes. For example the adminstration of
Royal Forests was divided according to whether they were north or south of the river. The phrase "born North of the Trent" is thus one definition of someone from the
North of England.
Cities and towns on or close to the river include:
*
Stoke-on-Trent*
Stone*
Rugeley*
Lichfield*
Burton upon Trent*
Castle Donington*
Derby*
Nottingham*
Newark-on-Trent*
Gainsborough*
ScunthorpeAmong its tributaries are:
*
River Derwent,
Derby*
River Dove*
River Soar,
Leicester - meets the Trent at
Trentlock*
River Tame,
Birmingham*
River Devon*
River Leen*
River Sow*
List of rivers of Great Britain
