A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



within the limits of the county, and nearly all have their whole course 

 in the county and are tributary to the Trent. By an Act of Parliament, 

 1897, the small peninsula-like prolongation of Staffordshire in which 

 Upper Arley is situated has been added to Worcestershire, so that the 

 Severn proper flows through no portion of the county, but drains a 

 portion of the west and south-west by streams tributary to the Severn. 



i. THE WEAVER 



The Weaver is a Cheshire river tributary to the Mersey, and is fed by the waters of 

 several streams draining the north and north-west of Staffordshire. The most important is 

 the Dane. This river enters Staffordshire at Three Shires Head north-east of Flash, and is a 

 rapid mountain stream forming the boundary between Staffordshire and Cheshire from near 

 Flash to below Bosley ; here it passes into Cheshire, and after a long and varying course 

 joins the Weaver near Northwick. It drains by numerous small tributaries a considerable 

 portion of north Staffordshire, such as the country around Flash, Quarnford, the Roaches, 

 Gradbach Hills, Swithamley, Rushton Marsh, and by an important stream rising on the east 

 side of Mow Cop and Bradley Green, Gillow Heath and Biddulph. A portion of the county 

 south-west of Biddulph is drained by small streams tributary to the Wheelock, which enters 

 the Dane near Middlewick, and by Checkley Brook which joins the Weaver near Nantwich. 

 These minor streams drain the country around Kidsgrove, Audley, Betley, Wrinehill, Made- 

 ley and the northern portion of Whitmore, a district rich in some of the rarer plants, among 

 which are : 



Ranunculus fluitans Andromeda polifolia Utricularia vulgaris 



Nymphaea alba Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea minor 



Empetrum nigrum Oxycoccus Potamogeton rufescens 



Cotyledon Umbilicus Cynoglossum officinale Osmunda regalis 

 Crepis paludosa 



2. THE DOVE 



The Dove rises in a natural spring on Axe Edge at an elevation of 1,684 f eet above sea 

 level and enters the county near Patch Edge, and flows south-east through a narrow valley to 

 Longnor, where it receives a small feeder from the west rising on the high ground near 

 Quarnford. After flowing 4 miles through another narrow valley it passes near Hartington. 

 From here its course is a little more south through Pike Pool in Berresford Dale and 2 miles 

 further through the weird narrow dale, the entrance to which it appears to have carved out of 

 the solid rock. From this it flows between the craggy hills of Mill Dale, and below the 

 beautiful Alstonfield church to the wild and romantic Dove Dale. Dove Dale is nearly 3 

 miles long and is entered by a pathway between of lofty rocks and cliffs, surmounted by isolated 

 crags called tors. The rocks are grand in aspect and covered with vegetation, trees and 

 shrubs and smaller plants, many of them the rarest elements of the county flora, too frequently 

 growing in inaccessible places. Here the Dove murmurs along over miniature falls and weirs, 

 and amid boulders covered with rare cryptogamic wealth, with floating masses of Ranunculus 

 pseudo-fluitam and the local float-grass Glyceria fluitans, and passing under Dove Bridge enters a 

 broad fertile valley, and near Ham is joined by its important affluent the Manyfold. The 

 Manyfold is formed by streams rising in the moorlands near Flash and near Croft Bottom, 

 and flows south-east by Wiltshaw Hill and east through part of Longnor, then south through 

 Ludbourne and Brund to Hulme End. Here the limestone hills divert its course south-west 

 by Ecton Hill, near where it is fed by Blake brook and Warslow brook, draining a large 

 extent of country around Warslow ; thence flowing through the beautiful Wetton valley, past 

 Ossum's Hill and Thor's Cave to Beeston Tor, its bed unites with that of the Hamps. Near 

 Wetton the river disappears for several miles, passing through an underground channel and 

 emerging at Ham. The Hamps rises on the wild moors south-west of the Manyfold and has 

 a course of 5 miles south through Keywall Green to Onecote ; it then flows eastward through 

 Ford, then west through Winkshill ; here the high limestone hills divert its course easterly by 

 Crowtrees and Waterhouses to Stoneyrock, where its course becomes northward through a 

 beautiful rocky valley of about 3 miles to the union of its bed with that of the Manyfold at 

 Beeston Tor. This river near here disappears for several miles and emerges at Ham, where it 

 unites with the Manyfold, and the united stream joins the Dove near Thorpe. The Dove 



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