River Thame
Encyclopedia
The River Thame (ˈteɪm) is a river
in Southern England
. It is a tributary
of the larger and better-known River Thames
.
The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles (65 km). It flows through the English
counties of Buckinghamshire
and Oxfordshire
.
The River Thame's source is several small streams which rise in the Vale of Aylesbury on the north side of the Chiltern Hills
. These streams converge north-east of Aylesbury
, the county town of Buckinghamshire. Aylesbury played an important role in the English Civil War
when John Hampden
(the town's Member of Parliament
) defended Aylesbury at the Battle of Holman's Bridge, which crosses the Thame to the north of Aylesbury, in 1642.
The vale streams converge very close to the new village of Watermead
. After leaving Watermead, the River Thame flows through farmland passing the small villages of Nether Winchendon
and Chearsley
before reaching the market town of Thame
with which it shares its name. Thame is about 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Oxford
and grew from an Anglo-Saxon
settlement beside the river. In Anglo-Saxon times, Thame was in the Diocese of Dorchester
.
From the town of Thame, the River Thame swings southward and after passing the villages of Great Milton
and Stadhampton
, its valley widens out. In this area in 1642 and 1643, the river acted as an important line of defence for Royalist Oxford
. The bridges at Wheatley
, Cuddesdon
Mill and Chiselhampton
were key crossing points, with Chiselhampton Bridge playing a critical part in Prince Rupert's movements before and after the Battle of Chalgrove Field
.
The River Thame then reaches the small town of Dorchester, Oxfordshire
(not to be confused with Dorchester, Dorset). There was a Romano-British
settlement here and the town itself is of Anglo-Saxon origin. The Saxon cathedral
in Dorchester was later superseded by Dorchester Abbey
, which is preserved.
Just over half-a-mile (approx 1 km) south of Dorchester, the River Thame flows into the River Thames
. The confluence is ⅔ of a mile (1 km) downstream of Day's Lock
.
According to some usage, the River Thames is named the River Isis
until its confluence with the River Thame. Ordnance Survey maps label the Thames as "River Thames or Isis" upstream of Dorchester. For more information on this issue see Origin of the name in the River Thames
article.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
. It is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the larger and better-known River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
.
The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles (65 km). It flows through the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
counties of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
The River Thame's source is several small streams which rise in the Vale of Aylesbury on the north side of the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
. These streams converge north-east of Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, the county town of Buckinghamshire. Aylesbury played an important role in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
when John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
(the town's Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
) defended Aylesbury at the Battle of Holman's Bridge, which crosses the Thame to the north of Aylesbury, in 1642.
The vale streams converge very close to the new village of Watermead
Watermead, Buckinghamshire
Watermead is a housing estate, situated less than half a mile north of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, however, the spine road entrance is situated within Aylesbury. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district. It is a very popular place to live for young couples and city...
. After leaving Watermead, the River Thame flows through farmland passing the small villages of Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the border of Oxfordshire, about five miles west of Aylesbury and three miles south of Waddesdon.The village name 'Winchendon' originates from Anglo Saxon, meaning 'hill...
and Chearsley
Chearsley
Chearsley is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated about seven miles south west of Aylesbury, and about four miles north of Thame, in Oxfordshire....
before reaching the market town of Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
with which it shares its name. Thame is about 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and grew from an Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement beside the river. In Anglo-Saxon times, Thame was in the Diocese of Dorchester
Diocese of Dorchester
The Diocese of Dorchester was an Anglo-Saxon Roman Catholic diocese in southern and eastern England.The Bishop of Dorchester had his seat, or cathedra, at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The Wessex diocese covered most of Hampshire, Berkshire, parts of Oxfordshire and...
.
From the town of Thame, the River Thame swings southward and after passing the villages of Great Milton
Great Milton
Great Milton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of Oxford.-History:The toponym appears to refer to the "Middle Town" of a group....
and Stadhampton
Stadhampton
Stadhampton is a village and civil parish north of Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. Stadhampton village is on the A329 road and close to the River Thame.-Location:...
, its valley widens out. In this area in 1642 and 1643, the river acted as an important line of defence for Royalist Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The bridges at Wheatley
Wheatley, Oxfordshire
Wheatley is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of Oxford.-Archaeology:There was a Roman villa on Castle Hill, about southeast of the parish church. It was excavated in 1845, when Roman coins dating from AD 260 to 378 and fragments of Roman pottery and Roman tiles were...
, Cuddesdon
Cuddesdon
Cuddesdon is an east Oxfordshire village about east of Oxford. It is notable as the location of Ripon College Cuddesdon....
Mill and Chiselhampton
Chiselhampton
Chiselhampton is a village on the River Thame about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.-Toponym:"Chisel" is derived from the old English ceosel or cisel meaning "gravel" or "shingle", referring to the river gravel beside the Thame on which some of the village is built. In a document dated...
were key crossing points, with Chiselhampton Bridge playing a critical part in Prince Rupert's movements before and after the Battle of Chalgrove Field
Battle of Chalgrove Field
The Battle of Chalgrove was a small battle during the English Civil War in the county of Oxfordshire. It took place around 09:00 hours on the morning of 18 June 1643 in Chalgrove Field, northeast of Chalgrove in Oxfordshire...
.
The River Thame then reaches the small town of Dorchester, Oxfordshire
Dorchester, Oxfordshire
Dorchester-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the River Thame in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Wallingford and southeast of Oxford. Despite its name, Dorchester is not on the River Thames, but just above the Thame's confluence with it...
(not to be confused with Dorchester, Dorset). There was a Romano-British
Romano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
settlement here and the town itself is of Anglo-Saxon origin. The Saxon cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Dorchester was later superseded by Dorchester Abbey
Dorchester Abbey
Dorchester Abbey is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a Norman abbey church and was built on the site of a Saxon cathedral.-History:...
, which is preserved.
Just over half-a-mile (approx 1 km) south of Dorchester, the River Thame flows into the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. The confluence is ⅔ of a mile (1 km) downstream of Day's Lock
Day's Lock
Day's Lock is a lock on the River Thames near Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on the Dorchester side of the river.The pound lock was built in 1789 by the Thames Navigation Commissioner...
.
According to some usage, the River Thames is named the River Isis
The Isis
The Isis is the name given to the part of the River Thames above Iffley Lock which flows through the city of Oxford. The name is especially used in the context of rowing at the University of Oxford...
until its confluence with the River Thame. Ordnance Survey maps label the Thames as "River Thames or Isis" upstream of Dorchester. For more information on this issue see Origin of the name in the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
article.