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OUSE

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 380 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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OUSE , the name of several See also:

English See also:rivers. (1) The See also:Great Ouse rises in See also:Northamptonshire, in the slight hills between See also:Banbury and See also:Brackley, and falls only about 500 ft. in a course of 16o m. (excluding lesser windings) to its mouth in the See also:Wash (See also:North See also:Sea). With an easterly direction it flows past Brackley and See also:Buckingham and then turns N.E. to Stony See also:Stratford, where the See also:Roman Watling See also:Street forded it. It receives the Tove from the N.W., and the Ouzel from the S. at See also:Newport Pagnell. It then follows an extremely sinuous course past See also:Olney to Sharnbrook, where it turns abruptly S. to See also:Bedford. A north-easterly direction is then resumed past St Neot's to See also:Godmanchester and See also:Huntingdon, when the See also:river trends easterly to St Ives. Hitherto the Ouse has watered an open fertile valley, and there are many beautiful wooded reaches between Bedford and St Ives, while the river abounds in coarse See also:fish. Below St Ives the river debouches suddenly upon the See also:Fens; its fall from this point to the mouth, a distance of 55 M. by the old course, is little more than 20 ft. (the extensive See also:system of artificial drainage cuts connected with the river is considered under FENS). From Earith to See also:Denver the See also:waters of the Ouse flow almost wholly in two straight artificial channels called the Bedford Rivers, only a small See also:head passing, under See also:ordinary conditions, along the old course, called the Old See also:West River. This is joined by the See also:Cam from the S.

4 M. above See also:

Ely. In its northward course from this point the river receives from the E. the See also:Lark, the Little Ouse, or See also:Brandon river, and the Wissey. Below Denver sluice, 16 m. from the mouth, the Ouse is tidal. It flows past See also:King's See also:Lynn, and enters the Wash near the S.E. corner. The river is locked up to Bedford, a distance of 741 M. by the See also:direct course. In the See also:lower See also:part it bears a considerable See also:traffic, but above St Ives it is little used, and above St Neot's See also:navigation has ceased. The drainage See also:area of the Great Ouse is 2607 sq. m. (2) A river of See also:Yorkshire. The river Ure, rising near the N.W. boundary of the See also:county in the See also:heart of the Pennines, and traversing the lovely valley famous under the name See also:Wensleydale, unites with the river Swale to See also:form the Ouse near the small See also:town of See also:Boroughbridge, which lies in the See also:rich central See also:plain of Yorkshire. The course of the Swale, which rises in the north of the county on the eastern flank of the Pennines, is mostly through this plain, and that of the Ouse is wholly so. It flows S.E. to See also:York, thence for a See also:short distance S. by W., then mainly S.E. again past See also:Selby and See also:Goole to the junction with the See also:Trent; the great See also:estuary so formed being known as the See also:Humber. The course of the Ouse proper, thus defined, is 61 m.

The Swale and Ure are each about 6o m. See also:

long. Goole is a large and growing See also:port, and the river bears a considerable traffic up to York. There is also some traffic up to Boroughbridge, from which the Ure Navigation (partly a See also:canal) continues up to See also:Ripon. The Swale is not navigable. The See also:chief tributaries are the Nidd, the Wharfe, the See also:Don and the See also:Aire from the W., and the See also:Derwent from the N.E., but the detailed See also:consideration of these involves that of the See also:hydrography of the greater part of Yorkshire (q.v.). All, especially the western tributaries, See also:traverse beautiful valleys, and the Aire and Don, with canals, are of importance as affording communications between the manufacturing See also:district of See also:south Yorkshire and the Humber ports. The Derwent is also navigable. The drainage area of the Ouse is 4133 sq. m. It is tidal up to Naburn locks, a distance of 37 M. from the junction with the Trent, and the See also:total fall from Boroughbridge is about 40 ft. (3) A river of See also:Sussex, rising in the See also:Forest Ridges betweenHorsham and Cuckfield, and draining an area of about zoo sq. m., mostly in the See also:Weald. Like other streams of this locality, it breaches the South See also:Downs, and reaches the English Channel at See also:Newhaven after a course of 33 M. The eastward See also:drift of See also:beach-See also:building material formerly diverted the mouth of this river from its See also:present See also:place to a point to the See also:east near See also:Seaford.

The Ouse is navigable for small vessels to See also:

Lewes, and Newhaven is an important See also:harbour.

End of Article: OUSE

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OUSEL, or OUZEL

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