1189 



YORKSHIRE. 



YORKSHIRE. 



1190 



several small tributaries on each side. A little below Askrigg the Ure 

 falls over a succession of limestone rocks, forming what is called the 

 Aysgarth Force. Below Middleham it is joined on the south by the 

 Cover, a stream which rises at the head of the long narrow valley of 

 Coverdale ; and shortly afterwards it Sows past Masham, a few miles 

 below which place it reaches the boundary-line between the North 

 and West Ridings, and receives on the right side the small river Binn. 

 It then pursues a very irregular course by Tanfield to Ripon, where it 

 receives on the right the united streams of the Skell and the Laver. 

 At Ripon the Ure quits the boundary-line and enters the West Riding, 

 but it rejoin* the boundary near Boroughbridge, and passes by that 

 place and Aldborough to the junction of the Swale. The united 

 treun which, according to different authorities', may at this part be 

 called either the Ure, the Swale, or the Ouse continues in an irregular 

 course to the south-east, forming the boundary of the North Riding as 

 far as York, receiving the Linton with its tributaries on the left, and 

 the much more important river Nidd ou the right side. At York the 

 Ouse receives the river Foss on the left fide, and from that city to 

 near Cnwood its course runs southward, a little inclining to the west. 

 Near Nun-Appleton, a little above Cawood, it receives on the right 

 ride the Wharfe, and in the remaining part of its course the Ouse 

 constitutes the boundary between the East and West Ridings. 

 Inclining now to the south-east, it pursues a very irregular course 

 by Cawood and Selby, and, after receiving successively the Derwent 

 on the left, and the Aire with its tributaries on the right side, it pur- 

 sues very tortuous course near Howden ; and by the newly-formed 

 port of Goole, where it is joined by the Dutch River, or River Dunn 

 Navigation, to the confluence with the Trent at Faxfleet, whence the 

 united stream, under the name of the Humber, pursues an eastern 

 course to the ocean. [TRENT AND HUMBER.] The Ouse and it* prin- 

 cipal northern tribut tries have been the subject of several Acts for the 

 improvement of the navigation. 



The Swale is formed principally of two streams, which, rising 

 respectively near two bills called the Lady's Pillar and Shunnor 

 Fell, flow in an easterly direction along the opposite sides of the high 

 ground called the Water Craj, which has an elevation of 2180 feel, 

 until, the flnt-mentioned and principal branch having turned to the 

 south, after flowing through the valley called Swale-Dale, they unite 

 at Muker. From Muker the river has an irregular course towards the 

 eut put Reeth to Richmond, bf low which its course inclines some- 

 what to the south, and it receives, together with several minor 

 streams, the river Gilling on the left side. Not far from Northallerton 

 it receive! on the right the Bedalebeck, or Bedale River ; and farther 

 south, in the latitude of Think, it is joined on the left by the Wi*ke, 

 a stream which riws near Osmotherley, on the west escarpment of the 

 Eastern Moorlands. From this point the course of the Swale, though 

 very tortuous, continues in a south-fouth-east direction to its junction 

 with the Ure, receiving in it* coarse on the left side two considerable 

 streams which descend from the Hambleton Hills, on the escarpment 

 of the Eastern Moorlands, the northern and most important of which 

 flows by Think, and is called the Codbeck. 



The .ViWrf rises about 3 mile* N.E. from Kettlewell, on the adjacent 

 mountains called the Ure.t Wbarnside and Black Fell, and after 

 flowing eastward to BleasSeld Scar, It enters the earth by a wide and 

 rocky cavern called Ooydon-Pot-Uole. It reappears about two miles 

 south of that point by two issues, the streams of which nhortly unite, 

 ami then, after receiving the Stone, a little river which rises in Nether- 

 dale Forest, very near the source of the Nidd itself, the river takes a 

 tolerably direct course towards the south-east to Pateley Bridge. It 

 then inclines more to the east, and descends along the slope of the 

 Western Moorlands, by Ripley and Knaresborotigh to Colthorpe, 

 whence its g-neral direction is north-east to the Ouso at Nun 

 Monkton. 



The Wharfe, the next tributary on the same side of the river Ouse, 

 and which is one of the mot beautiful streams in the isl ind, rises 

 also in the Western Moorlands, very near the source of the Kibble. 

 The main stream, rising; about three miles north of the Pennigant 

 Mountain, flows eastward through Langster-dale or Langstrath-dale to 

 Bnckden, very near the border of the North Riding, where it turns 

 nearly due south along Kettledale, passing Kettlewell, near which 

 place it receives a considerable tributary. After pursuing the same 

 qlluUuu to Grawington the river become* very tortuous, but inclines 

 generally to the south-east, by Barden Tower and Bolton Abbey, 

 where it forms the main feature of several mile* of scenery of sur- 

 passing beauty. A short distance below Barden Tower the stream 

 rushes with great impetuosity through a narrow passage in the rocks, 

 and forms a remarkably picturesque object. This chasm, known as 

 the ' Strid,' is only about six feet wide. It is the scene of a legend 

 which furtui the subject of poems by Wordsworth and Rogers. One 

 of the small tributaries of the Wharfe forms a picturesque waterfall 

 In Bolton Park, not far from the Strid. From Bolton Abbey the 

 Wharfr flows south-east to Ilkley, near Rommell's Moor, whence it 

 turn* east by Otley and Harewood to Wetherby. From Wetherby 

 the Wh-xrfe incline* more to the south-east, and passing by Tadcaster, 

 np to which place it is navigable, join* the Ouse at Nun-Appleton, a 

 little above Cawood. 



The source of tba Airt, Air, or Are, is in Malham Tarn or Water, 

 < or mile* E. by N. from the town of Settle, in the district of Craven, 



among the Western Moorlands ; but for about a mile south from this 

 lake the stream runs underground, and reappears at the base of a 

 perpendicular rock 286 feet high, which forms the centre of a romantic 

 amphitheatre of limestone rocks called ' Malham Cove.' The course 

 of the Aire, and of those subsidiary streams which unite with it in 

 the upper part of its course, is generally towards the south for a few 

 miles, until near Gargrave it is crossed by the Leeds and Liverpool 

 Canal, which passes over it by a large aqueduct at an elevation of 

 about 414 feet from the sea at low water, and which from that point 

 follows the valley of the Aire to Leeds, and the levels of which, here- 

 after noticed, will give some idea of the descent of the valley. From 

 Gargrave the general course of the river is south-east, passing to the 

 south- west of Skipton, Rumbold's or Rommell's Moor, and Biugley, 

 east of Keighley, and north of Bradford, along the picturesque valley 

 of Airedale, to Leeds, passing in its course the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey. 

 At Leeds the canal terminates, the river itself being made navigable 

 below that town. It proceeds in the same direction from that town 

 to Castleford, where it receives the Calder from the west, and from 

 which point it pursues a very irregular course, the main direction of 

 which is nearly due east, but inclining a little to the south, by Knot- 

 tingley, Ferrybridge, and Kcllingtou, to Snaith, a little below which 

 town it receives the Don from the south, and from this junction it 

 runs east by north for 5 or 6 miles (direct distance) to its junction 

 with the Ouse at Assleby Island, near Armin, or Airmin, a little to 

 the south-west of Howdeu. The improvement of the Aire, with its 

 important tributary the Calder, for the purposes of navigation, forms 

 an important feature in the history of this class of improvements, 

 these rivers having been made navigable under the powers of an Act 

 passed in 1699 (10 and 11 Will. III., c. 19), upwards of half a century 

 prior to the date of any enactment for a canal navigation. As before 

 intimated, the Aire is not navigable above Leeds ; but under the 

 powers of the Act referred to, the navigation was formed from that 

 town to the junction with the Calder, a distance of 11 J miles, in 

 which there is a fall of 43} feet, effected by six looks, and also from 

 the junction of the two rivers to Weeland, a farther distance of 

 18| miles, with a fall of 34J feet, by four locks, making a total navi- 

 gable length of about 30 miles, with which several short connections 

 have been formed by private canals and railroads extending to quarries 

 and collieries in the vicinity. [CALDEK RIVER.] 



The Don, or Dun, rises near Saltersbrook, upon the high ground 

 called Snealsden or Snailsden Pike, near the border of Cheshire, and 

 pursues an easterly course to Penistone, then turus south-east towards 

 Sheffield, receiving on its way the Little Don, the Ewden Brook, and 

 the Loxley River. At Sheffield the Don is joined by the Shef or 

 Sheaf, which rises in the Derbyshire Mountains, and runs north-north- 

 east, skirting the boundary of the county for a short distance, and 

 receiving another small stream from the highlands to the west. From 

 Sheffield the Don runs north-east by Rotherhain and Done-aster to 

 Thome, when it turns north, and runs to the Aire just below Snaith. 

 The principal tributaries received along this part of its course are the 

 Rother, which rises in Derbyshire [DERBYSHIRE], enters Yorkshire a 

 few miles south of Rotherham, and joins the Don at that town; the 

 Dearn, or Darn, the longest branch of which rises at the hill called 

 Denby Moor, to the north of Penistona ; a stream of considerable 

 length which descends from Hemsworth, Kirkby, and Clayton in the 

 Clay, and flows westward to the Don at Barsley ; and the Went, which 

 originates in the last slope of the high lands on the west of the Ouse 

 Valley, and flows by Wentbridge and Kirk-Smeaton to the Don about 

 midway between Thorne and its junction with the Aire. The navi- 

 gation of the Don or Dun commences at Tiusley, south-west of Rother- 

 ham, at which point the river is joined by the Sheffield Canal, a sepa- 

 rate undertaking, though forming part of the same extended line of 

 communication ; but in many parts below that point a navigation is 

 effected by artificial cuts to avoid bends and difficulties in the bed of 

 the river. The first Act for this navigation was passed in 1726, and 

 there have since been several others, of which that of 1826 empowered 

 the company of proprietors to make very extensive improvements by 

 new cuts and other works. The portion of navigation from T insley 

 to Doncas'er, which by the old course was 21 miles long, is thus 

 reduced to 18 miles, with a fall of 674 f 88 ' D 7 H locks. Similar im- 

 provements have been effected in other parts of the navigation, and 

 the total length of the improved Don navigation is about 39 miles, 

 with a total rise from the low-water mark in the Dutch River of 

 92 J feet, effected by 16 locks. This navigation is of very great im- 

 portance for exporting the produce of the extensive coal- and iron- 

 works which abound at its western extremity, as well a-i the vast 

 quantity of manufactured iron goods and cutlery produced in 

 Sheffield and its neighbourhood. The trade of Rotherham, the lime- 

 stone and plaster at Sprotoborough and other places on the line, and 

 the agricultural produce of the neighbourhood of Doncaster, also 

 constitute considerable branches of traffic ; while the imports embrace 

 every article required for the supply of an extensive and populous 

 manufacturing district. 



The rivers which join the Ouse on the north-eastern sido are far 

 less numerous and important than thosa on the south-west. The 

 Linton, which joins it near Newton-upon-Ouse, and which id the first 

 of any consequence below the junction of the Ure and the Swale, 

 rises on the Howardian HiUs, a little north of Etwingwold, and flows 



