IIo NOTES ON THE RIVER TRENT AT BURTON. 
Between the Burton Bridge and the Forge Mills the 
greatest depth is to be found at the outer bend of the river 
near the Trundle Hole. The depth of this so-called hole 
being at the present time about 11 ft., and though a lot of 
rubbish has been thrown into it of late years, which must 
have considerably reduced its depth, I cannot believe that 
it ever was 30 ft. deep. Molyneaux, in his History of 
Burton-on-Trent, gives as an explanation of the great depth 
of the Trundle Hole, which in his time was said to be 
20 ft. deep, the fact that an arch of the old Burton Bridge 
spanned the hole, and, due to the consequent contraction of 
the water-way, the velocity of the stream had scooped out 
the bed of the river at this point to such a depth. 
Molyneaux also gives as a reason for the depth of the 
river at the Mud Hole the existence of a bridge between 
the St. Modwen’s Orchard and the Old Church Yard, which 
would cause a contraction of the river and consequent 
increased velocity of the stream. 
Careful soundings in the river opposite the Old Church 
Yard failed to elicit any evidence whatever of the existence 
at any time of a bridge over the river. Neither are any 
traces of piers to be found on the banks. 
To natural causes alone I believe the depth of the river 
at this part must be attributed. 
With regard to the Trundle Hole, there is some evidence 
that it is at least partly artificial, for I find that in the old 
days of the Trent Navigation, the stream across the 
Winshill Meadows which ran out of the Trundle Hole 
had become almost entirely silted up, and the Trundle 
Hole was made large enough to admit of the boats entering 
it to be turned round, or, in other words, the place was 
used to trundle the boats round; whence the name. 
