River Stort

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Stort
River Stort - geograph.org.uk - 258527.jpg
The Stort above Harlow, Essex
Location
Country United Kingdom
Region Hertfordshire
City Bishop's Stortford
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationNear Langley, Essex, England
  coordinates 52°00′10″N0°04′06″E / 52.0027°N 0.0683°E / 52.0027; 0.0683
  elevation130 m (430 ft)
Mouth River Lea
  location
Near Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
  coordinates
51°45′52″N0°00′51″E / 51.7644°N 0.0141°E / 51.7644; 0.0141 Coordinates: 51°45′52″N0°00′51″E / 51.7644°N 0.0141°E / 51.7644; 0.0141
  elevation
28 m (92 ft)
Length38 km (24 mi)

The River Stort is a river in Essex and Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles (38 km) long and flows from just south of the village of Langley to the River Lea at Hoddesdon.

Contents

The river's name is a back-formation; the town of Bishop's Stortford does not derive its name from the River Stort, but the other way around. The 16th-century cartographers Christopher Saxton and William Camden named it the Stort, assuming the town of Stortford was named for its ford. [1] The river was originally called the Stour. [2]

The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of the River Stort running 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Bishop's Stortford to its confluence with the Lee Navigation. It has 15 locks.

Course

The Stort rises north of Langley according to OS Explorer map 194 (GR 425358). From Langley, the Stort flows in a generally southerly direction through the villages of Clavering and Manuden and the market town of Bishop's Stortford.

It then flows past Sawbridgeworth, before it changes direction and flows west past Harlow and Roydon. It finally empties into the Lea at Feildes Weir, Hoddesdon. This 14-mile (22-km) long section was canalised in the 18th century as the Stort Navigation.

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References

  1. "River Stort – Stort Navigation". Bishop's Stortford and Thorley, A History and Guide. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  2. Thomas, Richard (July 2016). "Stort History". History of the Lee and Stort Navigations.