Stour, River
county:
coords:
Dorset
SZ1692
parish:
parish:
parish:
county:
Bournemouth
Hurn
West Parley
Dorset
otherwise: sture, 944-15; stour, 968-14; Stour, 1100-1135
STOUR, river
There are several 'Stours' in England, eg also in Kent and Essex/Suffolk. Ekwall relates it to the 'Stura' in Italy and gives it an Indo European background allowing it to mean 'strong powerful river'; though citing words meaning 'pole' does not make the theory convincing. There are philological difficulties in connecting it instead with an unattested hypothetical Old English relative 'stur' of the Old Norse word 'storr'='big', which would otherwise be seductive because the name seems only to attach to relatively major rivers.
- Hampshire
... has its source on the borders of Wilts and Dorset, and flows in a south-easterly direction through the latter county. Its course in hampshire is not more than 6 miles in length.
Period - 19th century, early
a river that rises in the most northerly point of Dorsetshire, passes by Stourminster, Blandford, and Winborn, then enters Hampshire, and flows into the Avon, opposite Christchurch.
Christchurch ... is seated on the Avon, opposite the influx of the Stour
Shown on an old map by Harrison 1788
- river - Christ Church Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1780s
Shown on an old map by Badeslade 1742
- river - Hampshire
Period - 1740s
The Avon from Wiltshire meets the Stour from Dorsetshire, & fall into the Sea near Christchurch ...
Period - 18th century, early
... Christ Church ... stands at the mouth of the Avon ... receives also the Stour and Piddle, two Dorsetshire rivers, which bring with them all the waters of the north part of Dorsetshire; ...
Period - 17th century, late
Christ Church.
The Qualifications of the Haven ... there falls into this Haven two Considerable Freshes, the one from Salisbury, the other from Blandford, ...
Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- river - Christchurch Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1690s-1720s
- river - Hampshire
a Rill
- Hamshire
Period - 1630s-40s
- river - Hantshire
The place is described in text Camden 1610
- Hantshire
Period - 1600s
the river Stoure coming down out of Dorsetshire
Under this towne [Christchurch] Stoure and Aven joining together doe emptie themselves into the sea at one mouth
- river - Hamshire
Period - 1590s-1600s
- Southampton
Shown on an old map by Saxton 1575
- river - Southamtoniae
Period - 16th century
otherwise: Alauni Fluvii
Ptolemy lists:-
ALUNI FLUVII OSTIA
Ptolemy's position makes this the Axe at Seaton; a possible alternative is the combined mouth of the rivers Avon and Stour at Christchurch, both of which rivers have tributaries called Allen.
Period - 14th century (about 1360)
Enters sea next the Avon, flows by Wimbourne.
otherwise: Stur, river
rises at Stourhead, flows to the River Avon at Christchurch; note places Stourton, West Stour, East Stour, Stour Provost, Sturminster, Stourpaine
