River Dane
| River Dane | |
| River | |
 The Dane at Three Shire Heads | |
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Counties | Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | River Croco, River Wheelock |
| Source | |
| - location | Axe Edge Moor |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Confluence with River Weaver |
The River Dane is a tributary of the River Weaver in the Peak District area of England. It forms the border between first Cheshire and Derbyshire on the west and east, and then between Cheshire and Staffordshire before meeting the Weaver near Northwich.
The river rises close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor. Flowing southwest, it forms county borders for around 10 miles (16 km) before flowing west through Congleton and past Holmes Chapel.
The point on the river where the three counties meet, at Panniers' Pool Bridge, is called the Three Shire Heads (often wrongly Three Shires Head).[1] Three Shire Heads is the most northern point in Staffordshire.
Passing just to the north of Middlewich, it merges first with the River Croco near the site of the old Roman fort in Harbutt's Field, and then with the River Wheelock near the aqueduct carrying the Trent and Mersey Canal, and runs the remaining 5 mi (8 km) north to Northwich where it flows into the River Weaver.
The name of the river (earlier Daven) is probably from the Old Welsh dafn, meaning a "drop or tickle", implying a slow-moving river.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Walks in the UK Peak District - Axe Edge Moor, Buxton's coal mining district
- ↑ Watts, Victor, ed. (2010), "Dane", The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Cambridge University Press
Coordinates: 53°15′N 2°31′W / 53.250°N 2.517°W