River Ouse (Yorkshire)
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The River Ouse ( ) is a river in
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England. Hydrologically, the river is a continuation of the
River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...
, and the combined length of the River Ure and River Ouse makes it, at , the sixth-longest river of the United Kingdom and (including the Ure) the longest to flow entirely in one county. The length of the Ouse alone is about but the total length of the river is disputed. It is a matter of opinion as to whether the River Ouse is formed at the confluence of the River Ure and the much-smaller Ouse Gill Beck at Cuddy Shaw Reach near
Linton-on-Ouse Linton-on-Ouse is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, about eight miles north-west of York. It lies on the north bank of the River Ouse. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as ''Lucton ...
, about six miles downstream of the confluence of the
River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley throu ...
with the River Ure. An alternative opinion is recorded in a publication published in ''The Yorkshire Post'' in a series dated 1891, written and illustrated by Tom Bradley. His description and bird's-eye-view maps—specifically in his account of the
River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley throu ...
—suggests that the River Ouse starts at the confluence of the Swale and the Ure. His narrative states that the Ouse has no specific source, simply flowing from the stated confluence until it runs into the
Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...
at the confluence of the Ouse and Trent. Continuing the path of the Ouse downstream from Linton-on-Ouse, it then flows through the city of
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
and the nearby towns of
Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
and
Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's Historic counties of England, historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom censu ...
before joining with the
River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...
at
Trent Falls Trent Falls is the confluence of the River Ouse and the River Trent which forms the Humber between Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire in England. Location The River Ouse flows to the east where it turns into the Humber, and the Ri ...
, near the village of
Faxfleet Faxfleet is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Blacktoft, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Brough, and at the start of the Humber, on the north bank, where the River Ouse and ...
, then entering the Humber estuary. The Ouse's system of tributaries includes the Derwent,
Aire Aire may refer to: Music *''Aire'', a song on the album Chicago VII by the group Chicago (band), 1974 * ''Aire'' (Yuri album), 1987 * ''Aire'' (Pablo Ruiz album), 1997 *''Aire (Versión Día)'', an album by Jesse & Joy Places * Aire-sur-la-Ly ...
,
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...
, Hipper, Wharfe, Rother,
Nidd Nidd is a small village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the village taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 168. It is situated 3 miles north of Harrogate, east of Ripley, North ...
, Swale,
Ure Ure or URE may refer to: People * Alan Ure, English football manager * Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde (1853–1928), Scottish politician and judge * Andrew Ure (1778–1857), Scottish doctor, scholar and chemist * Annie Ure (1893–1976), ...
and
Foss Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...
. Together they drain a large part of the
Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...
, and much of the
Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or Dale (landform), dales, in the Pennines, an Highland, upland range in England. They are mostly located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into C ...
and
North York Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...
. The Ouse valley is a wide, flat plain; heavy rainfall higher in the river's
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
can bring severe flooding to settlements. In recent years
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
,
Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
and villages in between have been flooded.


Sources

The traditional source of the Ouse is in the village of
Great Ouseburn Great Ouseburn is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated south-east of Boroughbridge. The village of Aldwark, Hambleton, Aldwark is to the north-east. It had a population of 598 according to the 20 ...
, and is marked by a stone column reading "OUSE RIVER HEAD... OUSEGILL SPRING Ft. YORK 13 miles BOROUGHBRIDGE 4 miles". The site is from the present course of Ouse Gill Beck, a small stream earlier known as ''Usekeld Beck'', meaning "Spring or source of the Ouse" (from
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
''kelda'' "spring"). The start of the Ouse is now considered to be the point where Ouse Gill Beck joins the River Ure, south-east of Great Ouseburn.


Etymology

The name was first recorded in about 780 as ''Usa''. It has been speculated that the name is of Romano-Brittonic (Celtic) origin, from an assumed word ''udso-'', assumed to be derived from the
Indo-European root The roots of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) are basic parts of words to carry a lexical meaning, so-called morphemes. PIE roots usually have verbal meaning like "to eat" or "to run". Roots never occurred alone in the langu ...
''wed-'', meaning "water". Alternatively, 'Isaf' and 'Ychaf' are common form of place names in modern Welsh (Romano Britonic's successor) meaning 'upper' and 'lower'. The letter 'U' forms an 'I' sound in Welsh. Other sources prefer a
Proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the hypothetical ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly Linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed throu ...
origin. It has been suggested that the Ouse was once known as the 'Ure', but there seems to be no supporting evidence for this claim. The suggestion that the name derives from the Romano-British name of the Ure, assumed to be ''Isurā'' from the Roman name for Aldborough, and over time evolved into ''Isis'' and finally the Saxon ''Ouse'', would go some way to explaining how the little tributary Ouse Gill Beck usurps the name of the much larger River Ure. However the form Ouse is little changed from the eighth century.


Navigation

The Ouse is navigable throughout its length. Seagoing vessels use the river as far as
Howdendyke Howdendyke is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north of Goole town centre and about south of Howden. Howdendyke forms part of the civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of admi ...
. The inland port of Goole also accepts seagoing vessels on a regular basis. Goole also offers access to the
Aire and Calder Navigation The Aire and Calder Navigation is the River engineering#Canalization of rivers, canalised section of the River Aire, Rivers Aire and River Calder, West Yorkshire, Calder in West Yorkshire, England. The first improvements to the rivers above Kn ...
. At Selby there is access to the
Selby Canal The Selby Canal is a canal with two locks, which bypasses the lower reaches of the River Aire in Yorkshire, England, from the village of West Haddlesey to the town of Selby where it joins the River Ouse. It opened in 1778, and provided the mai ...
. The river is tidal up to
Naburn Naburn is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the eastern side of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse about south of York. According to ...
; the resultant
tidal bore A tidal bore, often simply given as bore in context, is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travels up a river or narrow bay, reversing the direction of the river or bay's cu ...
is known locally as "the Aegir". At Naburn there is a weir with locks, so that boats of length and beam can reach York. Above York there is another weir with locks at
Linton-on-Ouse Linton-on-Ouse is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, about eight miles north-west of York. It lies on the north bank of the River Ouse. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as ''Lucton ...
, which allows boats of length to proceed to the River Ure Navigation. Adjacent to the lock is
Linton Lock Hydro Linton Lock Hydro is a hydroelectric plant on the River Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, between the villages of Linton-on-Ouse and Nun Monkton. The first hydroelectric scheme was built here in 1923, but that was abandoned in the early 1960s. ...
plant. This is capable of generating enough electricity to power 450 homes. The
navigation authority A navigation authority is a company or statutory body which is concerned with the management of a navigable canal or river. Rights of a navigation authority Whilst the rights of individual authorities vary, a navigation authority will typically hav ...
is
Associated British Ports Associated British Ports (ABP) owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade. The company's activities cover transport, haulage and terminal operations, ship's agency, dredging and mari ...
from Trent Falls to
Goole railway swing bridge Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the 2021 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 20,475. It is north-east ...
at Skelton, and the
Canal & River Trust The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...
upstream from there. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was considerable commercial traffic on the river, mainly from Selby, which then had a custom house, downstream. After the 1826 opening of the Aire and Calder Navigation, most traffic became concentrated on the port of Goole. This continues, although the coal trade which formed the backbone of the river trade has ceased.


Settlements

* Lower Dunsforth * Aldwark *
Linton-on-Ouse Linton-on-Ouse is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, about eight miles north-west of York. It lies on the north bank of the River Ouse. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as ''Lucton ...
*
Newton-on-Ouse Newton-on-Ouse is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, about north-west of York. It lies on the east bank of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as ...
*
Nun Monkton Nun Monkton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Nidd, Nidd. Cottages and houses are grouped around a v ...
*
Beningbrough Beningbrough is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The population as taken at the 2011 Census was less than 100. Details are included in the civil parish of Shipton, North Yorkshire. Beningbrough village is ...
* Overton *
Nether Poppleton Nether Poppleton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is by the west bank of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse and is adjacent to Upper Poppleto ...
*
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
*
South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
* Fulford *
Bishopthorpe Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is ...
*
Naburn Naburn is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the eastern side of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse about south of York. According to ...
*
Acaster Malbis Acaster Malbis () is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, England. It is located on the River Ouse, almost south of York. Nearby are the villages of Copmanthorpe to the north-west, Bishopthorpe 2 miles to ...
* Acaster Selby *
Cawood Cawood (other names: ''Carwood'') is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England that is notable as the location of the Cawood sword. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was p ...
* Kelfield *
Riccall Riccall is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, lying to the north of Selby and south of York. Riccall is noted for being the place where Harold Hardrada's force of invaders landed in 1066, just before the Battle of Stamfor ...
*
Barlby Barlby is a linear village in the civil parish of Barlby with Osgodby, in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the north-east of the market town of Selby, and is bordered to the west by the River Ouse and to the east by the A19 Barl ...
*
Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
*
Hemingbrough Hemingbrough is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, approximately from Selby and from Howden on the A63 road, A63. It was in the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, but since 1974 has come under North Yorkshire. The village ...
*
Barmby on the Marsh Barmby on the Marsh is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies about west of the market town of Howden. It lies on the east bank of the River Ouse (and across it to North Yorkshire), near its confluence wi ...
* Booth *
Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
* Skelton *
Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's Historic counties of England, historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom censu ...
*
Swinefleet Swinefleet is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south-east of the town of Goole on the A161 road from Goole to Crowle. It lies on the south bank of the River Ouse. According to ...
*
Saltmarshe Saltmarshe is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Laxton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Ouse, downstream from York, Selby and Goole. Saltmarshe is approximately sout ...
* Reedness * Little Reedness *
Yokefleet Yokefleet (also known as Yorkfleet) is a Hamlet (place), hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Blacktoft, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. A very small part of Yokefleet is in the civil parish of Laxton, East Riding of Y ...
* Whitgift *
Blacktoft Blacktoft is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The village is situated on the north bank of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, west from where it joins the River Trent and becom ...
*
Ousefleet Ousefleet is a small hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Twin Rivers, in the East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of Engla ...
*
Faxfleet Faxfleet is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Blacktoft, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Brough, and at the start of the Humber, on the north bank, where the River Ouse and ...
''(Joins Trent at Trent Falls to form Humber)


Flooding

With both the Ouse and the Foss running through York, flooding has been a problem throughout its documented history. Flooding is known to have occurred in 1263, 1316, 1564, 1625, 1638, 1947, 1978, 1982,
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, 2010 and 2015. In November 2000, the floods reached a height of above sea level, whilst over the Christmas period of 2015, the level reached . A barrier was installed on the mouth of the River Foss in York city centre in 1989, so that when the Ouse was in flood, water would not run upstream of the Foss and flood the city. Flooding occurs typically due to heavy rainfall further upstream in the catchment area of the Ouse (Swale, Ure, Nidd) which covers , (the Foss catchment is . Low-lying land around the villages of Kelfield, Riccall, Wistow and Cawood, which are south of York, are designated as a floodplain, though it can cause damage to properties there. In February 2020, it was estimated that over of fields were under floodwater, making the size comparable to that of
Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...
, England's largest natural lake. As the Ouse is tidal as far inland as Naburn, this means that flooding can occur due to heavy rainwater or tidal surges in the downstream settlements of Selby and Goole.


Gallery

File:Nun Monkton Priory - geograph.org.uk - 184550.jpg,
Nun Monkton Nun Monkton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Nidd, Nidd. Cottages and houses are grouped around a v ...
, north west of York File:High Water York - geograph.org.uk - 1588405.jpg, The River Ouse in the city of York File:The A64 crossing the river Ouse - geograph.org.uk - 1220879.jpg, The A64 crossing the River Ouse,
Bishopthorpe Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is ...
, York File:Approach to Naburn Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1512256.jpg, The Marina in
Naburn Naburn is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the eastern side of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse about south of York. According to ...
, south of York File:River Ouse at Selby - geograph.org.uk - 644740.jpg, River Ouse at
Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
File:Goole rail bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1520503.jpg, Goole swing rail bridge
Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's Historic counties of England, historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom censu ...


See also

*
Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve is a nature reserve in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which leases the site from Associated British Ports. Description The site is on the sou ...
*
Bridges of York There are nine bridges across the River Ouse and eighteen smaller bridges and passages across the narrower River Foss within the city of York, England. Bridges over the Ouse The earliest bridge, built by the Romans, linked Stonegate (the '' ...
*
List of crossings of the River Ouse, Yorkshire This is a list of current bridges and other crossings of the River Ouse in Yorkshire, and are listed from Ouse Gill Beck downstream to the river's mouth. The River Ouse is listed on mapping as starting where the Ouse Gill Beck enters the River ...
*
Rivers of the United Kingdom For details of rivers of the United Kingdom, see * List of rivers of England * List of rivers of Scotland * List of rivers of Wales * Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingd ...
*
York City Rowing Club York City Rowing Club is a rowing club by the River Ouse in York, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers abou ...


References


Sources

*


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouse River navigations in the United Kingdom Rivers of North Yorkshire Rivers of the East Riding of Yorkshire River Ouse