iii. THE ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE TRENT 



BY 



K. C. EDWARDS, M.A. 



Day by day the River Trent plays a growing part in the commercial 

 activity of Nottingham. The extensive works of improvement undertaken 

 in recent years by the Trent Navigation Committee of the City Corpor- 

 ation, the Trent Navigation Company and the River Trent Catchment 

 Board have embraced the modernisation of the waterway between 

 Nottingham and Newark, the regulation of the stream, attention to its 

 banks and the preparation of plans to alleviate the serious floods which 

 occur from time to time. 



The Trent in a special sense is Nottingham's river, for apart from Stoke 

 and the Potteries where the stream is of insignificant size, Nottingham is 

 the only large city on or near its banks. Trent Bridge, too, rich in its 

 associations of history, commerce and sport, ranks as one of the most 

 important river-crossings in the country. Like the Thames and Severn, 

 the Trent provides a natural waterway penetrating far inland from its 

 tidal estuary on which navigation has been maintained to a greater or 

 lesser degree throughout the course of history. Even in Roman times, 

 portions of the river were used for the conveyance of grain in shallow 

 boats, whilst later on Saxon tribes established trading connections at 

 places along the lower reaches. The Danes appear to have made fuller 

 use of the river as a highway and have left a record of their Trentside 

 settlements in such names as Keadby, Althorpe, Butterwick, Gunthorpe, 

 Bleasby and many others. Judging too, from the manner in which these 

 Norse sailors revived the use of the ancient Fossdyke from Torksey to 

 Lincoln, it seems that the development and organisation of the southern 

 part of the Danelagh with its five boroughs were to some extent based 

 upon the system of waterways provided by the Trent and its tributary 

 connections. Then again, the river was undoubtedly an asset in fostering 

 the Norman settlements at Newark and Nottingham, the award of fines 

 against persons who hindered the passage of boats being mentioned in 

 the Domesday Survey. 



The Trent rose to great importance as a highway of commerce during 

 the eighteenth century, for the beginnings of modern industry found the 

 roads of the country hopelessly inadequate and traffic was accordingly 

 directed to the navigable rivers wherever possible. This was an era of 

 prosperity for a number of 'ports' between Burton-on-Trent and the 

 Humber such as Nottingham, Newark, Torksey, Gainsborough and Baw- 

 try, the last-named being on the River Idle. Gainsborough, on the 

 tidal stretch, was accessible for sea-going vessels and became an exchange 

 point for traffic to and from the Humber, for upstream the channel 

 could accommodate only flat-bottomed craft and not keel vessels. The 



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