River Irthing

Irthing
	Crammel Linn waterfall
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Physical characteristics
Source
⁃ location	Paddaburn Moor
Mouth
⁃ location	confluence with River Eden

Last updated June 11, 2019

The River Irthing is a river in Cumbria, England and a major tributary of the River Eden. The name is recorded as Ard or Arden in early references.^[1] For the first 15 miles of its course it defines the border between Northumberland and Cumbria.^[2]

A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water. Small rivers can be referred to using names such as stream, creek, brook, rivulet, and rill. There are no official definitions for the generic term river as applied to geographic features, although in some countries or communities a stream is defined by its size. Many names for small rivers are specific to geographic location; examples are "run" in some parts of the United States, "burn" in Scotland and northeast England, and "beck" in northern England. Sometimes a river is defined as being larger than a creek, but not always: the language is vague.

Cumbria is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's county town is Carlisle, in the north of the county, and the only other major urban area is Barrow-in-Furness on the southwestern tip of the county.

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Etymology

The name Irthing may be of Brittonic origin,^[3] though its precise etymology is uncertain. The last part of the name is from –ïnn, an adjectival and, in place-names, toponymic suffix, added to nouns or adjectives.^[3] The first part may be arth, meaning "a bear" (c.f. Welsh arth).^[3] Or else, the first part of the name could either one of two elements suffixed with -ed, an early Celtic nominal suffix meaning "having the quality of..".^[3] The first of these is, *ar, an ancient river-naming element implying either horizontal motion, "flowing", or else "rising" or "springing up" (compare Irt ). The second possibility is *īr, meaning "fresh, clean, pure".^[3]

Common Brittonic was an ancient Celtic language spoken in Britain. It is also variously known as Old Brittonic, British, and Common or Old Brythonic. By the sixth century AD, this language of the Celtic Britons had split into the various Neo-Brittonic languages: Welsh, Cumbric, Cornish, Breton and probably the Pictish language.

In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs.

Welsh ; [kʰəmˈraiɡ](listen)) or y Gymraeg is a Brittonic language of the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa. Historically, it has also been known in English as "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric".

Geography

It is thought that before the last glacial maximum the Irthing flowed into the South Tyne valley through the watershed near Greenhead, now known as the Tyne Gap. This section of the valley is now blocked by a filling of glacial till, diverting the river south west, but the old course has been detected by drilling and echo-sounding.^[4] The rapidly eroding cliffs threatening the southern edge of Birdoswald Roman Fort and the fact that the Roman bridge abutment at Willowford is now 44 m (144.4 ft)^[5] from the river testify to the instability of the local landscape as it continues to recover from glacial alteration.

Banna, now known as Birdoswald Roman Fort, was a fort, towards the western end of Hadrian's Wall, in the Roman province of Britannia. Today the site is occupied by a former farm called Birdoswald. As of 2005, it is the only site on Hadrian's Wall at which significant occupation in the post-Roman period has been proven, and it is subject to a long-term archaeological programme under the directorship of Tony Wilmott.

In engineering, abutment refers to the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam whereon the structure's superstructure rests or contacts. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the bridge, as well as acting as retaining walls to resist lateral movement of the earthen fill of the bridge approach. Multi-span bridges require piers to support ends of spans unsupported by abutments. Dam abutments are generally either side of a valley or gorge but may be artificial in order to support arch dams such as Kurobe Dam in Japan.

The river rises on Paddaburn Moor in Kielder Forest and skirts the eastern edge of Butterburn Flow raised bog. Remains of numerous mediaeval shielings have been found along the banks of these upper reaches,^[6] some of which have been given ancient monument status.

Kielder Forest is a large forestry plantation in Northumberland, England, surrounding Kielder village and the Kielder Water reservoir. It is the largest man-made woodland in England with three-quarters of its 250 square miles (650 km²) covered by forest. The majority of the forest lies within the Border Forest Park, with the southern tip known as Wark Forest lying within Northumberland National Park.

A shieling, also spelt sheiling, shealing and sheeling, is a hut, or collection of huts, once common in wild or lonely places in the hills and mountains of Scotland and northern England. The word also refers to a mountain pasture used for the grazing of cattle in summer, implying transhumance between there and a valley settlement in winter.

In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The term differs from the American term "national monument" in that U.S. National Monuments are comparatively few in number and may include natural formations; British ancient monuments are by definition manmade.

For two miles above the village of Gilsland the river flows through the Irthing Gorge , flanked by mainly sandstone crags. Within the upper section of this gorge lies the spectacular 7.6 metre (25 feet) Crammel Linn waterfall. Peregrine falcons and ravens nest near the waterfall and derelict military structures, probably pump-houses supplying water for the Blue Streak rocket site at RAF Spadeadam, can be seen just upstream. Further downstream, in the grounds of Gilsland Spa hotel, the crags develop into high cliffs. The cliff face below the hotel gives rise to the famous sulphurous spring after which the hotel is named and also a chalybeate spring and a petrifying seep.

Gilsland is a village in northern England about 20 miles (32 km) west of Hexham, and about 18 miles (29 km) east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland. The village provides an amenity centre for visitors touring Hadrian's Wall and other features of historical interest in this area of rugged Border country, popularised by the Romantic novelist Sir Walter Scott.

The peregrine falcon, also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop, making it the fastest bird in the world and the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV programme, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.

A raven is one of several larger-bodied species of the genus Corvus. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus.

Hadrian's Wall crossed the river on a bridge at Willowford, 0.75 kilometres (0.5 miles) east of Birdoswald Roman Fort. From that point the course of the river as it turns west is lined with other Roman sites associated with the Roman Stanegate road and Hadrian's Wall. A 914-metre (2,998.7 feet) stretch of Wall, including two turrets and the impressive bridge remains, runs alongside the River Irthing at Willowford, linked by a new footbridge to Birdoswald Roman Fort.^[7] This crossing of the River Irthing marked a significant transition in the construction of Hadrian's Wall, emphasising the greater availability of building stone to the east.

Hadrian's Wall, also called the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or Vallum Hadriani in Latin, was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the emperor Hadrian. It ran from the banks of the River Tyne near the North Sea to the Solway Firth on the Irish Sea, and was the northern limit of the Roman Empire, immediately north of which were the lands of the northern Ancient Britons, including the Picts.

Stanegate Roman road that ran from Carlisle to Corbridge

The Stanegate, was an important Roman road built in what is now northern England. It linked two forts that guarded important river crossings; Corstopitum (Corbridge) on the Tyne in the east, and situated on Dere Street, and Luguvalium (Carlisle) on the Eden in the west. The Stanegate ran through the natural gap formed by the valleys of the Tyne and Irthing. It predated Hadrian's Wall by several decades; the Wall would later follow a similar route, slightly to the north.

Passing Brampton the Irthing merges with the River Gelt, and soon after meets the River Eden near Warwick Bridge, just north of Wetheral.

Related Research Articles

There are many Roman sites in Great Britain that are open to the public. There are also many sites that do not require special access, including Roman roads, and sites that have not been uncovered.

Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, 10 miles (16 km) east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall. It had a population of 3,811 at the 2011 Census.

A milecastle was a small fort (fortlet), a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain, hence the name.

Bewcastle is a large civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is in the historic county of Cumberland.

Milecastle 48 , is a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall. Its remains lie near the village of Gilsland in Cumbria where it was historically known as "The King's Stables", owing to the well-preserved interior walls. Unusually a substantial section of stone stairs has survived within the milecastle. The two turrets associated with this milecastle have also survived as above-ground masonry.

Milecastle 49 was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall.

The River Gelt is a river in Cumbria, England and a tributary of the River Irthing.

The Poltross Burn is a tributary of the River Irthing. The burn rises on Denton Fell and flows north-east, joining the Irthing at Gilsland. The well-preserved Roman Milecastle 48, a feature of Hadrian's Wall once known locally as The King's Stables, stands on the west bank. It is signposted as Poltross Burn Milecastle, and adjoins the south side of the railway embankment in Gilsland. A 19th-century watermill within the village used the burn as a source of power to grind corn.

Upper Denton is a small village and civil parish in the north of Cumbria, England about 1 km north of the A69 road linking Haltwhistle and Brampton. The population of the civil parish when taken at the Census 2011 was less than 100. Details are included in the parish of Nether Denton. The village is situated on the line of the Roman Stanegate which ran from Corbridge (Coria) to Carlisle (Luguvalium). Just 1 km to the north across the river Irthing is Birdoswald fort on Hadrian's Wall. Nearby villages include Gilsland, Greenhead and Lanercost.

Camboglanna was a Roman fort. It was the twelfth fort on Hadrian's Wall counting from the east, between Banna (Birdoswald) to the east and Uxelodunum (Stanwix) to the west. It was almost 7 miles (11 km) west of Birdoswald, on a high bluff commanding the Cambeck Valley. It guarded an important approach to the Wall and also watched the east bank of the Cambeck against raiders from the Bewcastle area. The site was drastically levelled in 1791 when the gardens of Castlesteads House were laid over it. The name “Camboglanna” is believed to mean “Crook Bank”, or "Bent Valley" because it overlooks a bend in the river Irthing.

The Military Way is the modern name given to a Roman road constructed immediately to the south of Hadrian's Wall.

A turret was a small watch tower, incorporated into the curtain wall of Hadrian's Wall. The turrets were normally spaced at intervals of one third of a Roman mile between Milecastles, giving two Turrets between each Milecastle.

The Maiden Way or Maidenway was a roughly 20-mile (32 km) Roman road in northern Britain connecting the Roman fort of Bravoniacum near Penrith with that of Magnae (Carvoran) on Hadrian's Wall. It was sometimes considered to have run east along Stanegate to Banna (Birdoswald), then 7 miles (11 km) north to the Shrine of Cocidius (Bewcastle), and thence to Liddesdale, but the identity of this course as a single road is problematic.

Upper Denton is a civil parish in the Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It contains ten buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, two are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. Hadrian's Wall passes through the parish, and a stretch of the wall is listed. Many of the buildings are constructed from stone taken from the wall, and one listed building, Willowford and its attached farm buildings, is built between the wall and its vallum. Two of the listed buildings originated as bastle houses, and the other listed buildings comprise farmhouses, farm buildings, houses, a redundant church, and a railway bridge.

Roman Cumbria was an area that lay on the north-west frontier of Roman Britain, and, indeed, of the Roman Empire itself.. Interest in the Roman occupation of the region lies in this frontier aspect - why did the Romans choose to occupy the north-west of England; why build a solid barrier in the north of the region ; why was the region so heavily militarised; to what extent were the native inhabitants 'Romanised' compared to their compatriots in southern England?

Waterhead is a civil parish in Carlisle district, Cumbria, England. At the 2011 census it had a population of 130.

References

↑ Edmund Gosse, 1756, The Life of John Buncle, Esq., J. Noon, London
↑ Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 43, 1997, 1:25000
1 2 3 4 5 James, Alan G. "A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence - Guide to the Elements" (PDF). Scottish Place Name Society - The Brittonic Language in the Old North. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
↑ Lunn, A.G., 1988, Glacial drift thickness in the Tyne Gap, Northumberland : Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria 55(1) p.20-27
↑ Measured by W. Higgs 5 August 2012
↑ Ramm, McDowell & Mercer, 1970, Shielings and Bastles, HMSO
↑ "Willowford Wall, Turrets and Bridge - Hadrian's Wall - English Heritage" . Retrieved 15 April 2017.

Coordinates: 54°55′N2°48′W / 54.917°N 2.800°W / 54.917; -2.800

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[1] Edmund Gosse, 1756, The Life of John Buncle, Esq., J. Noon, London

[2] Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 43, 1997, 1:25000

[BLITON-3] 1 2 3 4 5 James, Alan G. "A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence - Guide to the Elements" (PDF). Scottish Place Name Society - The Brittonic Language in the Old North. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[4] Lunn, A.G., 1988, Glacial drift thickness in the Tyne Gap, Northumberland : Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria 55(1) p.20-27

[5] Measured by W. Higgs 5 August 2012

[6] Ramm, McDowell & Mercer, 1970, Shielings and Bastles, HMSO

[7] "Willowford Wall, Turrets and Bridge - Hadrian's Wall - English Heritage" . Retrieved 15 April 2017.

River Irthing

Contents

Etymology

Geography

Related Research Articles

References