River Trent
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- For other uses see Trent River.
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 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". (Please refer to the 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, ie the river flowed over major road routes. This may explain the presence of the Celtic element "rid" (cf Welsh "rhyd" - "ford") in the 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.
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. The phrase "born North of the Trent" thus signifies one definition of someone from the North of England.
Towns and cities on or close to the river include:
Tributaries
Among its tributaries are:
- River Derwent, Derby
- River Dove
- River Soar, Leicester - meets the Trent at Trentlock
- River Tame, Birmingham
- River Devon
- River Leen