Bytham River
Encyclopedia
The Bytham River has been proposed as an ancient river
in Pleistocene
Great Britain
that has been suggested to have run through the English
Midlands
until around 450,000 years ago. Its course has been suggested as the route that the first humans to visit Britain took.
If it existed as a single entity, the river rose in the vicinity of modern-day Stratford-on-Avon and ran through the Midlands for millennia during the first half of the Pleistocene
period. It ran north east towards modern day Leicester
then may have turned east into East Anglia
. At this point it turned south to Bury St Edmunds before turning east again towards Lowestoft
and emptying into the southern North Sea
.
Much of the river valley was scoured away by the Anglian Stage, but parts were covered and preserved by glacial soil deposits which has enabled geologist
s and archaeologists to reconstruct its course. It was discovered by a geographer, Professor Jim Rose of the University of London
in the 1980s and named after the Lincolnshire
village of Castle Bytham
where Rose first identified it.
Its wide sand and gravel banks would have provided an easy route to travel along and the river would have provided water, vegetation and attracted animals making it a useful place for humans to exploit. A concentration of Lower Palaeolithic occupation sites dating to before the Anglian glaciation is known along the river's route including Waverley Wood near Coventry
and High Lodge, West Dereham
, Feltwell
, Brandon
, Hengrave
, Lakenheath
and Warren Hill
in East Anglia. This indicates that the river was significant to the first inhabitants of Britain who lived between 700,000 and 500,000 years ago. It would have been the largest river in Britain at the time although the second largest river, which was to become the River Thames
, shows no similar indication of pre-Anglian human occupation.
Recent re-evaluation of the evidence in the western Norfolk and Suffolk Fenland margin indicates unequivocally that the localities where the sediments of this river were identified, including High Lodge, West Dereham
, Feltwell
, Lakenheath
and Warren Hill
are, in fact, glacial meltwater deltas, dating from a Wolstonian-age glaciation (c. 160 000 years old). They therefore bear no relationship to the 'Bytham river', although they include pebbles derived from a river of East Midlands' source - almost certainly a Middle Pleistocene River Trent. This discovery throws into question the existence of a 'Bytham river' in East Anglia, although there is strong evidence of an Ingham river which was a Thames' tributary. Additionally, this implies that the West Midlands' upstream course of the 'Bytham river' represents a separate, north-eastwards-aligned river.
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 Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
that has been suggested to have run 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...
Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
until around 450,000 years ago. Its course has been suggested as the route that the first humans to visit Britain took.
If it existed as a single entity, the river rose in the vicinity of modern-day Stratford-on-Avon and ran through the Midlands for millennia during the first half of the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
period. It ran north east towards modern day Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
then may have turned east into East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. At this point it turned south to Bury St Edmunds before turning east again towards Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and emptying into the southern North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
Much of the river valley was scoured away by the Anglian Stage, but parts were covered and preserved by glacial soil deposits which has enabled geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s and archaeologists to reconstruct its course. It was discovered by a geographer, Professor Jim Rose of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in the 1980s and named after the Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
village of Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham is a picturesque village and Civil Parish of around 300 houses in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire.At one time the village was an important commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural communities, but it is now largely a dormitory, although a number of farming families...
where Rose first identified it.
Its wide sand and gravel banks would have provided an easy route to travel along and the river would have provided water, vegetation and attracted animals making it a useful place for humans to exploit. A concentration of Lower Palaeolithic occupation sites dating to before the Anglian glaciation is known along the river's route including Waverley Wood near Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and High Lodge, West Dereham
West Dereham
West Dereham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 440 in 176 households as of the 2001 census....
, Feltwell
Feltwell
Feltwell is a village 10 miles west of Thetford, Norfolk, England, and is in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.Feltwell is a small village with a thriving community. The village has a small primary school which was originally built as a hospital. The pubs, The Lodge and the West End, are...
, Brandon
Brandon, Suffolk
Brandon is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is in the Forest Heath local government district.Brandon is located in the Breckland area on the border of Suffolk with the adjoining county of Norfolk...
, Hengrave
Hengrave
Hengrave is a small village in Suffolk, England. It is near the town of Bury St Edmunds....
, Lakenheath
Lakenheath
Lakenheath is a village in Suffolk, England. It has around 8,200 residents, and is situated in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and at the meeting point of the The Fens and the Breckland natural environments.Lakenheath is host...
and Warren Hill
Warren Hill
Warren Hill Warren Hill Warren Hill (born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a Canadian smooth jazz and adult contemporary musician. A graduate of Berklee College in Boston, Massachusetts, Hill performed at his own graduation day in 1988, where he caught the attention of record producer Russ Titelman,...
in East Anglia. This indicates that the river was significant to the first inhabitants of Britain who lived between 700,000 and 500,000 years ago. It would have been the largest river in Britain at the time although the second largest river, which was to become 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,...
, shows no similar indication of pre-Anglian human occupation.
Recent re-evaluation of the evidence in the western Norfolk and Suffolk Fenland margin indicates unequivocally that the localities where the sediments of this river were identified, including High Lodge, West Dereham
West Dereham
West Dereham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 440 in 176 households as of the 2001 census....
, Feltwell
Feltwell
Feltwell is a village 10 miles west of Thetford, Norfolk, England, and is in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.Feltwell is a small village with a thriving community. The village has a small primary school which was originally built as a hospital. The pubs, The Lodge and the West End, are...
, Lakenheath
Lakenheath
Lakenheath is a village in Suffolk, England. It has around 8,200 residents, and is situated in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and at the meeting point of the The Fens and the Breckland natural environments.Lakenheath is host...
and Warren Hill
Warren Hill
Warren Hill Warren Hill Warren Hill (born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a Canadian smooth jazz and adult contemporary musician. A graduate of Berklee College in Boston, Massachusetts, Hill performed at his own graduation day in 1988, where he caught the attention of record producer Russ Titelman,...
are, in fact, glacial meltwater deltas, dating from a Wolstonian-age glaciation (c. 160 000 years old). They therefore bear no relationship to the 'Bytham river', although they include pebbles derived from a river of East Midlands' source - almost certainly a Middle Pleistocene River Trent. This discovery throws into question the existence of a 'Bytham river' in East Anglia, although there is strong evidence of an Ingham river which was a Thames' tributary. Additionally, this implies that the West Midlands' upstream course of the 'Bytham river' represents a separate, north-eastwards-aligned river.
External links
- BBC:Tools unlock secrets of early man
- Bytham River Aggregates by James Rose, Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London