108-570: The Foss Dyke , or Fossdyke , connects the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln , the county town of Lincolnshire , and may be the oldest canal in England that is still in use. It is usually thought to have been built around AD 120 by the Romans , but there is no consensus among authors. It was refurbished in 1121, during the reign of King Henry I , and responsibility for its maintenance
216-464: A band of Triassic Sherwood sandstone at Sandon, and it meets the same sandstone again as it flows beside Cannock Chase, between Great Haywood and Armitage, there is also another outcrop between Weston-on-Trent and King's Mill. Downstream of Armitage the solid geology is primarily Mercia Mudstones , the course of the river following the arc of these mudstones as they pass through the Midlands all
324-690: A considerable deterioration in the water quality of both the Trent and its tributaries, especially the Tame. To bring clean water to the West Midlands, Birmingham Corporation created a large reservoir chain and aqueduct system to bring water from the Elan Valley . Underlying the upper reaches of the Trent, are formations of Millstone Grit and Carboniferous Coal Measures which include layers of sandstones, marls and coal seams. The river crosses
432-514: A few hundred years of neglect it would have been difficult to find, let alone navigate. Others, though, consider that Henry I merely scoured out an existing structure; Mark Bennett, writing for the East Midlands Archaeological Research Framework says: The Foss Dyke is almost certainly Roman. No quay has been identified at Lincoln as yet although a length of wall suggestive of a quay was uncovered in
540-594: A grander design, diverting the river east towards the Wash such that he would benefit from a much larger share of the divided Kingdom. Downstream of Burton upon Trent , the river increasingly trends northwards, cutting off a portion of Nottinghamshire and nearly all of Lincolnshire from his share, north of the Trent. The idea for this scene, may have been based on the disagreement regarding a mill weir near Shelford Manor , between local landowners Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury , and Sir Thomas Stanhope which culminated with
648-685: A joint initiative by Lincolnshire County Council , the Environment Agency and British Waterways . For much of its route it runs along the top of the northern floodbank, but drops down to a new crossing of the A57 road and a new bridge across the River Till near Saxilby. The route was officially opened on 26 July 2011. Extending the path to Torksey is a longer-term aim. Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to Fossdyke at Wikimedia Commons River Trent The Trent
756-703: A long diversion channel being dug to bypass the mill. This took place in 1593 so would have been a contemporary topic in the Shakespearean period. During the Pleistocene epoch (1.7 million years ago), the River Trent rose in the Welsh hills and flowed almost east from Nottingham through the present Vale of Belvoir to cut a gap through the limestone ridge at Ancaster and thence to the North Sea. At
864-505: A low pressure weather system, produced elevated tidal river levels in the lower reaches. The resulting surge overtopped the flood defences in the area near Keadby and Burringham, flooding 50 properties. The fifth largest flood recorded at Nottingham occurred in November 2000 , with widespread flooding of low-lying land along the Trent valley, including many roads and railways. The flood defences around Nottingham and Burton constructed during
972-523: A new bridge, and improvements to the Foss Dyke costing £12,260. Neither action was followed. The canal was difficult to maintain, because much of it ran through sand and quicksand. The situation was more complex, because it had been leased to the Ellisons for three generations, and Richard Ellison III was not keen to spend any money on it. Income from tolls would have more than covered repairs, but there
1080-619: A quarter of the total flow for the Trent, with the other significant tributaries being the Derwent at 18%, Soar 17%, the Dove 13%, and the Sow 8%. Four of these main tributaries, including the Dove and Derwent which drain the upland Peak District, all join within the middle reaches, giving rise to a comparatively energetic river system for the UK. Rainfall in the catchment generally follows topography with
1188-634: A rapid thaw. Due to the size of the flood and the ice entrained in the flow, nearly every bridge along the Trent was badly damaged or washed away. The bridges at Wolseley, Wychnor and the main span at Swarkestone were all destroyed. In Nottingham, residents of Narrow Marsh were trapped by the floodwaters in their first floor rooms, boats were used to take supplies to those stranded. Livestock was badly affected, 72 sheep drowned in Wilford and ten cows were lost in Bridgford. The vulnerable flood bank at Spalford
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#17327720181941296-475: A single season, and depths of 1.5 metres (5 ft) have been accumulated over time at some locations. A number of the smaller Trent tributaries are still named as warping drains, such as Morton warping drain, near Gainsborough. Warp was also used as a commercial product, after being collected from the river banks at low tide, it was transported along the Chesterfield Canal to Walkeringham where it
1404-500: A well-documented example being the meander cutoff at Sawley . The river's propensity to change course is referred to in Shakespeare 's play Henry IV, Part 1 : Methinks my moiety, north from Burton here, In quantity equals not one of yours: See how this river comes me cranking in, And cuts me from the best of all my land A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out. I'll have the current in this place damm'd up; And here
1512-665: Is crossed by the A38 road dual carriageway, which follows the route of the Roman Ryknild Street . The river turns north-east where it is joined by its largest tributary, the River Tame (which is at this point actually the larger, though its earlier length shorter) and immediately afterwards by the River Mease , creating a larger river that now flows through a broad floodplain. The river continues north-east, passing
1620-431: Is described on an old map as 'Old Trent Water', records show that this was once the main navigable route, with the river having switched to a more northerly course in the 18th century. Farther downstream at Hemington , archaeologists have found the remains of a medieval bridge across another abandoned channel. Researchers using aerial photographs and historical maps have identified many of these palaeochannel features,
1728-788: Is joined by the River Erewash near the Attenborough nature reserve and enters Nottinghamshire . As it enters the city, it passes the suburbs of Beeston , Clifton and Wilford ; where it is joined by the Leen. On reaching West Bridgford it flows beneath Trent Bridge near the cricket ground of the same name, and beside The City Ground , home of Nottingham Forest F.C. , until it reaches Holme Sluices . Downstream of Nottingham it passes Radcliffe-on-Trent , Stoke Bardolph and Burton Joyce before reaching Gunthorpe with its bridge, lock and weir. The river now flows north-east below
1836-410: Is of Durham ) and a historical compilation Historia regum Anglorum et Dacorum . The Libellus de Exordio , a history of the community of Durham (originally settled at Lindisfarne ) from its inception to the year 1096, is by far his most important work. Composed between 1104 and 1107, Symeon's task (imposed on him by his monastic superiors) was to demonstrate the continuity of Durham's history despite
1944-489: Is reached. At Saxilby, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway crosses the waterway, to run along the south bank all the way to Lincoln. There was once a swing bridge beyond the railway bridge, which was removed in 1937, although the foundations are still obvious. Access over the canal at this point was reinstated in 1987, when a footbridge was installed. The original bridge was manufactured in 1884, and crossed
2052-615: Is that of Izaak Walton, who states in The Compleat Angler (1653) that the Trent is "... so called from thirty kind of fishes that are found in it, or for that it receiveth thirty lesser rivers." The Trent rises within the Staffordshire Moorlands district, near the village of Biddulph Moor , from a number of sources including the Trent Head Well. It is then joined by other small streams to form
2160-722: Is the third longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire , on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor . It flows through and drains the North Midlands into the Humber Estuary . The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and spring snowmelt, which in the past often caused the river to change course. The river passes through Stoke-on-Trent , Stone, Staffordshire , Rugeley , Burton-upon-Trent and Nottingham before joining
2268-469: Is this text which has been most often published. The Durham manuscript also contains two anonymous continuations of Symeon's work. The first carries the history from 1096 to the death of Ranulf Flambard (1129); the second extends from 1133 to 1144. A Cambridge manuscript ( Cambridge University Library , Ff. i.27) contains a third continuation covering the years 1145-1154. Another manuscript (London, British Library , Cotton Faustina A.V) seems to represent
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#17327720181942376-591: The Liber Vitae , the so-called Cantor's Book (whose text he would have had to keep up to date as part of his duties as precentor), and in copies of his own historical works. Symeon was author of two historical works which are particularly valuable for northern affairs, the Libellus de Exordio atque Procursu istius, hoc est Dunelmensis, Ecclesie ( The Little Book on the Origins and Progress of this Church, that
2484-646: The A46 on the outskirts of Lincoln, and then over a drainage ditch, to run alongside the Carholme golf club. The final bridge carries the B1273 Brayford Way over the canal as it enters Brayford Pool , once a busy commercial wharf in the centre of Lincoln , but now a marina with the University of Lincoln on the southern bank. The unnavigable River Witham flows into the bottom end of the pool, and becomes
2592-729: The Avon to the south and west, the Weaver to the north-west, the tributaries of the Yorkshire Ouse to the North and the basins of the Welland , Witham and Ancholme to the east. A distinctive feature of the catchment is the marked variation in the topography and character of the landscape, which varies from the upland moorland headwaters of the Dark Peak , where the highest point of
2700-509: The Danes when they invaded England and by the Normans to carry stone to build Lincoln Cathedral in the 11th century. Following King Henry I 's work discussed above, the canal deteriorated, until by the 17th century it was virtually impassable. Katherine Swynford , who lived in the area, is credited with having organized a protest to repair it, in 1375. King James I transferred ownership to
2808-476: The Great Northern Railway at Newark-on-Trent for 103 years before it was put to a new use. The A57 crosses to the north bank soon after the railway bridge. The River Till flows south and under the road to join the Foss Dyke, after which a new marina has been built at Burton Waters . Because the construction has breached the flood bank, it is protected by a flood gate. The canal crosses under
2916-897: The Historiae Anglicanae Scriptores Decem of Roger Twysden (1652). The most complete modern edition is that of Thomas Arnold ( Rolls series , 2 vols., 1882–1885). For the Libellus , now see Rollason's 2000 edition. The value of the Old Northumbrian Annals , which Symeon used for the Historia regum , has been discussed by John Hodgson-Hinde in the preface to his Symeonis Dunelmensis opera , vol. i. pp. xiv. ff. (1868); by R. Pauli in Forschungen zur deutschen Geschichte , xii. pp. 137 sqq. (Göttingen, 1872); and by William Stubbs in
3024-699: The River Ouse, Yorkshire at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea between Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire and Immingham in Lincolnshire. The wide Humber estuary has often been described as the boundary between the Midlands and the north of England. The name "Trent" is possibly from a Romano-British word meaning "strongly flooding". More specifically,
3132-688: The White Peak in the Dove catchment, and the large woodland areas, including Sherwood Forest in the Dukeries area of the Idle catchment, the upland Charnwood Forest , and the National Forest in the Soar and Mease drainage basins respectively. Land use is predominantly rural, with some three-quarters of the Trent catchment given over to agriculture. This ranges from moorland grazing of sheep in
3240-538: The 1950s at the site of the Telephone Exchange east of the walled city and north of the Witham. The canal is about 11 miles (18 km) long. It possibly follows an earlier line of the Trent, which emptied into the Wash prior to the end of the last Ice Age . Together with the 56-mile (90 km) Car Dyke it formed part an important transport route from Peterborough to York . It was reputedly used by
3348-612: The 1950s, following the 1947 event, stopped any major urban flooding , but problems did occur in undefended areas such as Willington and Gunthorpe, and again at Girton where 19 houses were flooded. The flood defences in Nottingham that protect 16,000 homes and those in Burton where they prevent 7,000 properties from flooding were reassessed after this flood, and were subsequently improved between 2006 and 2012. Symeon of Durham Symeon (or Simeon ) of Durham (died after 1129)
Foss Dyke - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-523: The Corporation of Lincoln. In 1671, during the reign of Charles II , Lincoln obtained an act of Parliament, the Foss Dyke and Witham Navigation Act 1670 ( 22 & 23 Cha. 2 . c. 25 ) which authorised improvements from Boston to the Trent. Work was carried out on the Foss Dyke, but only the first 100 yards (91 m) of the Witham, from Brayford Pool to High Bridge, received attention. The work
3564-617: The Head of Trent, which flows south, to the only reservoir along its course at Knypersley Reservoir . Downstream of the reservoir it passes through Stoke-on-Trent and merges with the Lyme, Fowlea and other brooks that drain the six towns of the Staffordshire Potteries to become the River Trent. On the southern fringes of Stoke, it passes through the landscaped parkland of Trentham Gardens . The river then continues south through
3672-587: The Holocene period, which created lowland mires such as the Thorne and Hatfield Moors . The topography, geology and land use of the Trent catchment all have a direct influence on the hydrology of the river. The variation in these factors is also reflected in the contrasting runoff characteristics and subsequent inflows of the principal tributaries. The largest of these is the River Tame, which contributes nearly
3780-628: The Pleistocene epoch between 450,000 and 12,000 years BP. Contained within these terraces is evidence of the mega fauna that once lived along the river, the bones and teeth of animals such as the woolly mammoth, bison and wolves that existed during colder periods have all been identified. Another notable find in a related terrace system near Derby from a warmer interglacial period, was the Allenton hippopotamus . The lower sequences of these terraces have been widely quarried for sand and gravel, and
3888-603: The Toot and Trent Hills before reaching Hazelford Ferry , Fiskerton and Farndon . To the north of Farndon, beside the Staythorpe Power Station the river splits, with one arm passing Averham and Kelham , and the other arm, which is navigable, being joined by the Devon before passing through the market town of Newark-on-Trent and beneath the town's castle walls. The two arms recombine at Crankley Point beyond
3996-586: The Trent adopted its current course into the Humber. The Trent basin covers a large part of the Midlands, and includes the majority of the counties of Staffordshire , Derbyshire, Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands ; but also includes parts of Lincolnshire , South Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Rutland . The catchment is located between the drainage basins of the Severn and its tributary
4104-713: The Trent between Scunthorpe and Alkborough are also made up of mudstones, but are of the younger Rhaetic Penarth Group . In the wider catchment the geology is more varied, ranging from the Precambrian rocks of the Charnwood Forest, through to the Jurassic limestone that forms the Lincolnshire Edge and the eastern watershed of the Trent. The most important in terms of the river are the extensive sandstone and limestone aquifers that underlie many of
4212-722: The Trent is joined by the Chesterfield Canal and the River Idle and soon after enters Lincolnshire fully, passing to the west of Scunthorpe . The last bridge over the river is at Keadby where it is joined by both the Stainforth and Keadby Canal and the River Torne . Downstream of Keadby the river progressively widens, passing Amcotts and Flixborough to reach Burton upon Stather and finally Trent Falls . At this point, between Alkborough and Faxfleet
4320-476: The Trent, such as Hill Ridware , as well as the Old English‐derived ford . Another translation is given as "the trespasser", referring to the waters flooding over the land. According to Koch at the University of Wales , the name Trent derives from the Romano-British Trisantona , a Romano-British reflex of the combined elements * tri-sent(o)-on-ā- (through-path- augmentative - feminine -) ‘great thoroughfare’. A traditional but almost certainly wrong opinion
4428-426: The Witham Navigation when it flows out on its way to Boston . The Foss Dyke was long thought to have been constructed by the Romans around 120. Pointers include an inscribed statuette of the god Mars found in it at Torksey, which is now in the British Museum , but there is a lack of consensus among authors writing on the subject. The first record of it comes from Symeon of Durham , whose Historia Regium notes
Foss Dyke - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-453: The Witham, to supplement the water available for pumping. Unlike many waterways, the Foss Dyke never closed, and continued to carry grain traffic until 1972. However, the demise of general commercial traffic had left Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln as a derelict body of water, full of debris such as rubbish and sunken boats. The local Chamber of Commerce sought to address the issue in 1965, and formed Brayford Improvement Committee. Advice
4644-432: The autumn being followed by further rainfall, producing flood conditions in November of that year. Another meteorological risk, although one that occurs less often, is that related to the rapid melting of snow lying in the catchment. This can be a result of a sudden rise in temperature after a prolonged cold period, or when combined with extensive rainfall. Many of the largest historical floods were caused by snowmelt, but
4752-551: The average flow rises to 83.8 m /s (2,960 cu ft/s), due to the combined inputs of the other major tributaries namely the Dove, Derwent and Soar. The last point of measurement is North Muskham here the average flow is 88.4 m /s (3,120 cu ft/s), a relatively small increase due to the input of the Devon, and other smaller Nottinghamshire tributaries. The Trent has marked variations in discharge, with long term average monthly flows at Colwick fluctuating from 45 m /s (1,600 cu ft/s) in July during
4860-511: The basin from the Atlantic, especially during the autumn and winter when evaporation is at its lowest. This combination can produce a water-logged catchment that can respond rapidly in terms of runoff, to any additional rainfall. Such conditions occurred in February 1977, with widespread flooding in the lower reaches of the Trent when heavy rain produced a peak flow of nearly 1,000 m /s (35,000 cu ft/s) at Nottingham. In 2000 similar conditions occurred again, with above average rainfall in
4968-402: The catchment is the Kinder Scout plateau at 634 metres (2,080 ft); through to the intensively farmed and drained flat fenland areas that exist alongside the lower tidal reaches, where ground levels can equal sea level. These lower reaches are protected from tidal flooding by a series of floodbanks and defences. Elsewhere there is a distinct contrast between the open limestone areas of
5076-431: The city and surrounding areas were flooded with 9,000 properties and nearly a hundred industrial premises affected some to first floor height. The suburbs of Long Eaton , West Bridgford and Beeston all suffered particularly badly. Two days later, in the lower tidal reaches of the river, the peak of the flood combined with a high spring tide to flood villages and 2,000 properties in Gainsborough. River levels dropped when
5184-444: The earliest floods can be assessed by using Spalford bank as a substitute measure for the size of a particular flood, as it has been estimated that the bank only failed when flows were greater than 1,000 m /s (35,000 cu ft/s), the bank was also breached in 1403 and 1795. Early bridges were vulnerable to floods, and in 1309 many bridges were washed away or damaged by severe winter floods, including Hethbeth Bridge. In 1683
5292-406: The end of August, and were given a drought return period of greater than one hundred years. The river's flow is measured at several points along its course, at a number of gauging stations . At Stoke-on-Trent in the upper reaches, the average flow is only 0.6 m /s (21 cu ft/s), which increases considerably to 4.4 m /s (160 cu ft/s), at Great Haywood , as it includes
5400-428: The end of the Wolstonian Stage (c. 130,000 years ago) a mass of stagnant ice left in the Vale of Belvoir caused the river to divert north along the old Lincoln river, through the Lincoln gap, along what is now the course of the Witham . During a following glaciation ( Devensian , 70,000 BC) the ice held back vast areas of water – called Glacial Lake Humber – in the current lower Trent basin. When this retreated,
5508-426: The end of the last Devensian glacial period the formation of Lake Humber in the lowest reaches of the river, meant that substantial lake bed clays and silts were laid down to create the flat landscape of the Humberhead Levels . These levels extend across the Trent valley, and include the lower reaches of the Eau, Torne and Idle. In some areas, successive layers of peat were built up above the lacustrine deposits during
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#17327720181945616-464: The entire length of the river, and are an important feature of the middle and lower reaches, with the alluvial river silt producing fertile soils that are used for intensive agriculture in the Trent valley. Beneath the alluvium are widespread deposits of sand and gravel, which also occur as gravel terraces considerably above the height of the current river level. There is thought to be a complex succession of at least six separate gravel terrace systems along
5724-428: The extraction of these minerals continues to be an important industry in the Trent Valley, with some three million tonnes of aggregates being produced each year. Once worked out, the remaining gravel pits which are usually flooded by the relatively high water table have been reused for a wide variety of purposes. These include recreational water activities, and once rehabilitated, as nature reserves and wetlands. During
5832-404: The fact that eighty loads of faggots and upwards of four hundred tons of earth were required to fill up the hole, an operation which took several weeks to complete. The flood bank was subsequently strengthened and repaired, following further floods during 1824 and 1852. The principal flood of the 19th century and the second largest recorded, was in October 1875. In Nottingham a cart overturned in
5940-419: The floodbank at Morton breached, resulting in the flooding of some 78 sq mi (200 km ; 50,000 acres) of farmland in the Trent valley. Flooding on the Trent can also be caused by the effects of storm surges independently of fluvial flows, a series of which occurred during October and November 1954, resulting in the worse tidal flooding experienced along the lower reaches. These floods revealed
6048-407: The floodwaters near the Wilford Road and six people drowned, dwellings nearby were flooded to a depth of 6 feet (1.8 m). Although not quite as large as 1795 this flood devastated many places along the river, at Burton upon Trent much of the town was inundated, with flooded streets and houses, and dead animals floating past in the flood. Food was scarce, "in one day 10,000 loaves had to be sent into
6156-423: The flow of the upper tributaries draining the Potteries conurbation. At Yoxall , the flow increases to 12.8 m /s (450 cu ft/s) due to the input of larger tributaries including the Sow and Blithe. At Drakelow upstream of Burton the flow increases nearly three-fold to 36.1 m /s (1,270 cu ft/s), due to the additional inflow from the largest tributary the Tame. At Colwick near Nottingham,
6264-401: The following for the year 1121: In the same year, king Henry cut a large canal from Torksey to Lincoln, and by causing the River Trent to flow into it, he made it navigable for vessels. Some take this to mean that the canal did not exist before Henry's construction work. Thus Kevin Leahy writes: Even if the Fossdyke had been built by the Romans it needs a high level of maintenance and after
6372-408: The foundation of Durham (when Cuthbert's body, being moved across England on a cart, refused to be moved, signalling his desire to remain at Durham, see Libellus iii.1), and several picturesque deaths visited upon the enemies of Cuthbert's devotees. Several versions of the Libellus survive from the Middle Ages. Symeon's own revised copy can be found in Durham, University Library, Cosin V.II.6. It
6480-471: The highest annual rainfall of 1,450 mm (57 in) and above occurring over the high moorland uplands of the Derwent headwaters to the north and west, with the lowest of 580 mm (23 in), in the lowland areas to the north and east. Rainfall totals in the Tame are not as high as would be expected from the moderate relief, due to the rain shadow effect of the Welsh mountains to the west, reducing amounts to an average of 691 mm (27.2 in) for
6588-425: The last such episode occurred when the bitter winter of 1946-7 was followed by a rapid thaw due to rain in March 1947 and caused severe flooding all along the Trent valley. At the other extreme, extended periods of low rainfall can also cause problems. The lowest flows for the river were recorded during the drought of 1976 , following the dry winter of 1975/6. Flows measured at Nottingham were exceptionally low by
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#17327720181946696-401: The leases already agreed. The Witham was affected more than the Foss Dyke, as the line followed its bank from Lincoln to Boston. The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR) passed through Saxilby to Lincoln a little later. Combined figures for the two waterways showed a drop in goods carried of two-thirds between 1848 and 1868. Cargoes of coal and wool were the first to transfer to
6804-416: The level of the canal. The gates allow the lock to be used at most states of the tide. A steel footbridge crosses the lock near the road, and both the footbridge and the lock are grade II listed structures. The canal runs to the east, and then turns south, passing to the east of Fenton and Kettlethorpe . Soon it is joined by the A57 , and turns east again. The road runs along the south bank, until Saxilby
6912-419: The major aquifers in the catchment. In the lower tidal reaches the Trent has a high sediment load, this fine silt which is also known as ‘warp', was used to improve the soil by a process known as warping , whereby river water was allowed to flood into adjacent fields through a series of warping drains, enabling the silt to settle out across the land. Up to 0.3 metres (1 ft) of deposition could occur in
7020-475: The major phases of the community's development in the constant presence of their patron, Saint Cuthbert . The miracles worked in Cuthbert's name during the late Anglo-Saxon period were particularly flamboyant, and the Libellus contains engaging accounts of some of these, including the miracle of the three waves (when Cuthbert turned a portion of the Irish Sea into blood in order to prevent his followers from taking his relics out of England, see Libellus ii.11),
7128-582: The majority of the 6 million people who live in the catchment. The majority of these urban areas are in the upper reaches of either the Trent itself, as is the case with Stoke, or its tributaries. For example, Birmingham lies at the upper end of the Tame, and Leicester is located towards the head of the Soar. Whilst this is not unique for an English river, it does mean that there is an ongoing legacy of issues relating to urban runoff , pollution incidents, and effluent dilution from sewage treatment , industry and coal mining. Historically, these issues resulted in
7236-439: The market town of Stone, and after passing the village of Salt , it reaches Great Haywood , where it is spanned by the 16th-century Essex Bridge near Shugborough Hall . At this point the River Sow joins it from Stafford . The Trent now flows south-east past the town of Rugeley until it reaches Kings Bromley where it meets the Blithe. After the confluence with the Swarbourn, it passes Alrewas and reaches Wychnor, where it
7344-423: The medieval Hethbeth bridge that pre-dated the existing 19th-century crossing. Historic flood levels have also been recorded at Girton and on the churchyard wall at Collingham . One of the earliest recorded floods along the Trent was in 1141, and like many other large historical events was caused by the melting of snow following heavy rainfall, it also caused a breach in the outer floodbank at Spalford . Some of
7452-457: The name may be a contraction of two Romano-British words, tros ("over") and hynt ("way"). 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 Romano-British element rid (cf. Welsh rhyd , "ford") in various place names along
7560-399: The need for a tidal protection scheme, which would cope with the flows experienced in 1947 and the tidal levels from 1954, and subsequently the floodbanks and defences along the lower river were improved to this standard with the works being completed in 1965. In December 2013, the largest storm surge since the 1950s occurred on the Trent, when a high spring tide combined with strong winds and
7668-405: The notable disruptions the community weathered during the Viking invasions and even more recently in the Norman Conquest . Symeon sought furthermore to justify William of Saint-Calais's expulsion of Durham's clerical community in 1083, in order to replace it with a group of Benedictine monks drawn from Wearmouth and Jarrow. Like earlier Durham writers, Symeon finds historical continuity between
7776-627: The only toll bridge along its course at Dunham on Trent . Downstream of Dunham the river passes Church Laneham and reaches Torksey , where it meets the Foss Dyke navigation which connects the Trent to Lincoln and the River Witham . Further north at Littleborough is the site of the Roman town of Segelocum, where a Roman road once crossed the river. It then reaches the town of Gainsborough with its own Trent Bridge . The river frontage in
7884-483: The proprietors of the Witham and Foss Dyke in 1846, to guarantee them an income by leasing the waterways. Richard Ellison IV had agreed a lease for 894 years, at £9,570 per year, based on the average profit for the previous three years plus 5 per cent. This was authorised by the Richard Ellison's Estate Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. 18 ). The line was built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR), who took over
7992-551: The railways. However, the MSLR, by then renamed the Great Central Railway (GCR), built a dock and transshipment warehouse at Brayford in 1897. The Foss Dyke carried 75,881 long tons (77,099 tonnes) in 1905, and an average of 69,611 long tons (70,728 tonnes) between 1913 and 1917, most of it general goods and agricultural produce. A series of takeovers and mergers resulted in its ownership changing several times, before it
8100-583: The redevelopment of the south bank, which included the opening of the University of Lincoln in the same year. 2 miles (3.2 km) to the west of Lincoln, a new 15-acre (6.1 ha) marina has been constructed at Burton Waters, as part of a 140-acre (57 ha) housing development. Construction of a footpath and cycleway beside the canal from Lincoln to Saxilby has been carried out by the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership,
8208-593: The river becomes the Derbyshire - Leicestershire border, passing the traditional crossing point of King's Mill , Castle Donington, Weston-on-Trent and Aston-on-Trent . At Shardlow , where the Trent and Mersey Canal begins, the river also meets the Derwent at Derwent Mouth. After this confluence, the river turns north-east and is joined by the River Soar before reaching the outskirts of Nottingham , where it
8316-482: The river reaches the boundary with Yorkshire and joins the River Ouse to form the Humber which flows into the North Sea . Unusually for an English river, the channel altered significantly during historic times, and has been described as being similar to the Mississippi in this respect, especially in its middle reaches, where there are numerous old meanders and cut-off loops. An abandoned channel at Repton
8424-427: The river, deposited when a much larger Trent flowed through the existing valley, and along its ancestral routes through the water gaps at Lincoln and Ancaster. This ‘staircase’ of flat topped terraces was created as a result of successive periods of deposition and subsequent down cutting by the river, a product of the meltwater and glacially eroded material produced from ice sheets at the end of glacial periods through
8532-562: The same bridge was partially destroyed by a flood that also meant the loss of the bridge at Newark. Historical archives often record details of the bridge repairs that followed floods, as the cost of these repairs or pontage had to be raised by borrowing money and charging a local toll. The largest known flood was the Candlemas flood of February 1795, which followed an eight-week period of harsh winter weather, rivers froze which that meant mills were unable to grind corn, and then followed
8640-458: The section to Saxilby was officially opened on 26 July 2011. The Foss Dyke joins the River Trent at Torksey . A branch leaves the main channel, passes under the A156 bridge, and immediately enters Torksey lock, which is the only lock on the canal. It has six sets of gates, three sets facing Lincoln, and three facing the river, which is tidal at this point, and so its level can be higher than
8748-431: The smug and silver Trent shall run In a new channel, fair and evenly; It shall not wind with such a deep indent, To rob me of so rich a bottom here. Henry Hotspur's speech complaining about the river has been linked to the meanders near West Burton , however, given the wider context of the scene, in which conspirators propose to divide England into three after a revolt, it is thought that Hotspur's intentions were of
8856-503: The summer, and increasing to 151 m /s (5,300 cu ft/s) in January. During lower flows the Trent and its tributaries are heavily influenced by effluent returns from sewage works, especially the Tame where summer flows can be made up of 90% effluent. For the Trent this proportion is lower, but with nearly half of low flows being made up of these effluent inflows, it is still significant. There are also baseflow contributions from
8964-671: The text of the Libellus before the revisions found in the Durham manuscript. A full list of manuscripts can be found on the Libellus de Exordio page. About 1129 Symeon undertook to write a Historia regum Anglorum et Dacorum . This begins at the point where the Ecclesiastical History of Bede ends. Up to 957 Simeon merely copies some old Durham annals, not otherwise preserved, which are of value for northern history; from that point to 1119 he copies John of Worcester with certain interpolations. The section dealing with
9072-493: The tolls were £595, and continued to increase. Under his son, the tolls were £2,367 in 1789, while his grandson collected £5,159 in 1811. Navigation through Lincoln and on to Boston was hampered by the shallow draught available under the medieval High Bridge, just below Brayford Pool. Sir Joseph Banks , when proposing the construction of the Horncastle Canal knew that the problem needed addressing, and William Jessop
9180-433: The town and distributed gratuitously to save people from famine". In Newark the water was deep enough to allow four grammar school boys to row across the countryside to Kelham. The flood marks at Girton show that this flood was only 4 inches (100 mm) lower than that of 1795, when the village was flooded to a depth of 3 feet (0.91 m). On 17–18 March 1947 the Trent overtopped its banks in Nottingham. Large parts of
9288-456: The town is lined with warehouses, that were once used when the town was an inland port, many of which have been renovated for modern use. Downstream of the town the villages are often named in pairs, representing the fact that they were once linked by a river ferry between the two settlements. These villages include West Stockwith and East Stockwith , Owston Ferry and East Ferry , and West Butterwick and East Butterwick . At West Stockwith
9396-466: The town, where the river turns due north to pass North Muskham and Holme to reach Cromwell Weir , below which the Trent becomes tidal. The now tidal river meanders across a wide floodplain, at the edge of which are located riverside villages such as Carlton and Sutton on Trent , Besthorpe and Girton . After passing the site of High Marnham power station , it becomes the approximate boundary between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire and reaches
9504-418: The tributary basin. The average for the whole Trent catchment is 720 mm (28 in) which is significantly lower than the average for United Kingdom at 1,101 mm (43.3 in) and lower than that for England at 828 mm (32.6 in). Like other large lowland British rivers, the Trent is vulnerable to long periods of rainfall caused by sluggish low pressure weather systems repeatedly crossing
9612-612: The tributary catchments. These include the Sherwood sandstones that occur beneath much of eastern Nottinghamshire, the Permian Lower Magnesian limestone and the carboniferous limestone in Derbyshire. Not only do these provide baseflows to the major tributaries, the groundwater is an important source for public water supply. Sand, gravels and alluvium deposits that overlie the mudstone bedrock occur almost along
9720-572: The upland areas, through to improved pasture and mixed farms in the middle reaches, where dairy farming is important. Intensive arable farming of cereals and root vegetables, chiefly potatoes and sugar beet occurs in the lowland areas, such as the Vale of Belvoir and the lower reaches of the Trent, Torne and Idle. Water level management is important in these lowland areas, and the local watercourses are usually maintained by internal drainage boards and their successors, with improved drainage being assisted by
9828-523: The upper reaches of the Ancholme. The water is used to maintain the flow and level of the Ancholme during the summer months and other dry periods. When there is insufficient water in Barlings Eau and the Witham, Torksey pumping station transfers water from the Trent through a short pipeline into Foss Dyke. From there it flows for 10.8 miles (17.4 km) along the waterway to Brayford Pool and so into
9936-531: The use of pumping stations to lift water into embanked carrier rivers , which subsequently discharge into the Trent. The less populous rural areas are offset by a number of large urbanised areas including the conurbations of Stoke-on-Trent , Birmingham and the surrounding Black Country in the West Midlands; and in the East Midlands the major university cities and historical county seats of Leicester , Derby and Nottingham . Together these contain
10044-544: The village of Walton-on-Trent until it reaches the large town of Burton-upon-Trent . The river in Burton is crossed by a number of bridges including the ornate 19th-century Ferry Bridge that links Stapenhill to the town. To the north-east of Burton the river is joined by the River Dove at Newton Solney and enters Derbyshire , before passing between the villages of Willington and Repton where it turns directly east to reach Swarkestone Bridge . Shortly afterwards,
10152-423: The way to the Humber. The mudstones are not exposed by the bed of the river, as there is a layer of gravels and then alluvium above the bedrock. In places, however the mudstones do form river cliffs, most notably at Gunthorpe and Stoke Lock near Radcliffe on Trent, the village being named after the distinctive red coloured strata. The low range of hills, which have been formed into a steep set of cliffs overlooking
10260-416: The years 1119-1129 is, however, an independent and practically contemporaneous narrative. Symeon writes, for his time, with ease and perspicuity; but his chief merit is that of a diligent collector and copyist . Symeon also wrote brief biographies of the archbishops of York and a letter on the errors of Origen . Other writings have been attributed to his pen, but on no good authority. They are printed in
10368-591: Was again difficult. Coal traffic averaged 1,357 long tons (1,379 tonnes) per year, bound for Lincoln, but tolls were insufficient to finance repairs. The city of Lincoln did not have the expertise to manage the waterway, and so leased it to Richard Ellison in 1741, who had experience with the River Don Navigation . He paid £75 per year for a navigation which generated around £100 in toll receipts. He dredged it to provide 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) of depth, and re-opened it in 1744. Two years later,
10476-503: Was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory . Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or 1086. When William of Saint-Calais returned from his Norman exile in 1091, Symeon was probably in his company. Symeon eventually became precentor of the priory , and examples of his handwriting appear to survive in several Durham books, including
10584-496: Was breached again, floodwaters spreading out across the low-lying land, even reaching the River Witham and flooding Lincoln. Some 20,000 acres (81 km ; 31 sq mi) were flooded for a period of over three weeks. A description of the breach was given as follows: The bank is formed upon a plain of sandy nature, and when it was broken in 1795, the water forced an immense breach, the size of which may be judged from
10692-399: Was carried out by Samuel Fortrey , a man with previous experience of draining the fens. He was required to bear some of the cost himself, in exchange for some of the profits. The work was completed in 1672, and included a navigable sluice or lock at Torksey, which had first been proposed by Simon Hill in 1632. Warehouses and wharves were built at Brayford Pool, but by 1717, passage from Torksey
10800-460: Was commissioned to survey the Witham and the Foss Dyke in 1791, with particular reference to the junction between the two. He proposed a bypass to the south of the city, using the Sincil Dyke, or excavating the channel beneath the bridge, although he recognized that this solution was not ideal, due to the narrow width of the bridge hole, and the lack of a towing path through it. However, the city
10908-439: Was dried out and refined to be eventually sold as a silver polish for cutlery manufacturers. The Trent is widely known for its tendency to cause significant flooding along its course, and there is a well documented flood history extending back for some 900 years. In Nottingham the heights of significant historic floods from 1852 have been carved into a bridge abutment next to Trent Bridge, with flood marks being transferred from
11016-514: Was keen to keep trade within its limits, and improvements to High Bridge, which were completed by 1795, were authorised as part of the Horncastle Canal Act 1792 ( 32 Geo. 3 . c. 107). The Witham Navigation was soon needing repairs, and the commissioners asked John Rennie for advice in 1802. His report, published in 1803, included recommendations to demolish High Bridge so that a waterway 34 feet (10 m) wide could be built under
11124-471: Was leased to several generations of the Ellison family, who profited from the tolls but failed to maintain it. Although cargoes of coal and wool moved to the railway, the carriage of grain continued, and the last commercial operation was in 1972. The Brayford Mere Trust have turned Brayford Pool into a marina, and the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership are opening a footpath and cycleway from Lincoln to Torksey;
11232-531: Was little that could be done. A challenge to the legality of his lease was considered in the 1820s, but was not thought likely to succeed. He died in 1827, and Humphrey Sibthorp, his niece's husband, who was a proprietor on the River Witham, took over responsibility for it. He asked Isambard Brunel to survey it, and although he did so in 1833, no improvements were made. Railways arrived in Lincoln in 1848. The Wakefield, Lincoln and Boston Railway had negotiated with
11340-644: Was nationalised, and became the responsibility of the British Waterways Board in 1948. Although its date of construction is unknown, the London and North Eastern Railway (successors of both the GNR and the GCR) built a small pumping station to the west of Torksey lock. It contained a steam-powered beam engine , which was probably made by Davy Brothers of Sheffield , and drove a double-acting bucket pump. It
11448-639: Was situated close to the land drainage pumping station, which pumps into the tidal part of the Foss Dyke, draining some 13,000 acres (53 km) of low-lying land to the south of Torksey. Its job was to maintain the water levels in the navigation, but it was demolished in 1936, and no traces of it remain. A new pumping station at a similar location was commissioned in 1974. This forms part of the Trent–Witham–Ancholme transfer scheme. A pumping station at Short Ferry on Barlings Eau pumps water through an 11-mile (18 km) pipeline to Toft Newton reservoir, on
11556-610: Was sought from the Inland Waterways Association , and eventually the Brayford Mere Trust was constituted. They removed the wrecks from the pool, and have rebuilt the site, so that it offers facilities for visiting pleasure craft, now the major users of the waterway. A former lift bridge, which crossed the western entrance to the pool, was replaced in August 1996 by a new concrete flyover, as part of
11664-488: Was transferred to the city of Lincoln by King James I . Improvements made in 1671 included a navigable sluice or lock at Torksey , and warehousing and wharves were built at Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln. Connection to the River Witham at Brayford was hampered by the small bore and depth of High Bridge, a medieval structure just below the pool. The channel through it was made deeper in 1795, but John Rennie 's plans to demolish it in 1803 were not adopted. The canal
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