Confluence of the Rivers Ure and Swale Cawood, North Yorkshire Selby, North Yorkshire Goole Whitgift Ferry, East Yorkshire Trent Falls Aldwark Toll Bridge River Aire River Don River Nidd River Swale River Ure River Wharfe

River Ouse

River Ouse is in Humber Estuary.

The River Ouse is formed by the confluence of the River Ure and River Swale around 900m south-west of Myton-on-Swale [Map]; there are other theories as to where it starts. Thereafter it flows broadly south-east through York [Map], past Cawood, North Yorkshire [Map], Selby, North Yorkshire [Map], Goole [Map] and the location of the former Whitgift Ferry, East Yorkshire [Map] before joining the Humber Estuary at Trent Falls [Map].

The River Ouse appears to start at the Aldwark Toll Bridge [Map], or therabouts, before which it is known as the River Ure. It isn't clear why it changes its name? An alternative view is that the River Ouse begins at the Confluence of the Rivers Ure and Swale [Map].

On 3rd December 1614 brothers John Sheffield, Edmund Sheffield [aged 25] and Philip Sheffield [aged 21] were drowned whilst attempting to cross the flooded River Ouse at the Whitgift Ferry, East Yorkshire [Map].

River Don

The River Don rises at Dunford Bridge [Map] after which it flows broadly east through Penistone [Map] then south through Oughtibridge [Map], Sheffield [Map] then east through Rotherham [Map], past Conisbrough Castle [Map], Doncaster [Map] and Stainforth [Map] before joining the River Ouse at Goole [Map]. Originally the River Don was a tributary of the River Trent forming the northern boundary of the Isle of Axholme [Map] but was re-engineered by Cornelius Vermuyden as the Dutch River in the 1620s.

Between 43AD and 68AD an earth and wood Roman fort was first built at Templeborough [Map]. It was later rebuilt in stone. It is thought to have been occupied until the Roman withdrawal from Britain c. 410. Icknield Street crossed the River Don near the fort.

River Rother

The River Rother rises at Clay Cross, Derbyshire [Map] then flows through Chesterfield, Derbyshire [Map] and Sheffield [Map] after which it joins the River Don which then flows through Rotherham [Map] to which the River Rother gives its name.

River Nidd

River Swale

Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet

Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 70AD a fort was commissioned at Cataractonium [Map] by Julius Agricola. During the first century a large bank was created north of the River Swale with an associated gate across Dere Street to control access.

The initial fort appears to have gone out of use by about AD 120 but there were further forts at the site during the next 300 years.