SEVERN, in point of length and importance, second to the Thames among British rivers; in the beauty and majesty of its aspect, surpassed by none. It rises at a place called Maes Hafren, in the moors, high up the eastern side of Plinlimmon, on the south-western border of Montgomeryshire. From that point its course is nearly semicircular to the sea, first towards the north-east, then southwards, and finally in a south-westerly direction to the Bristol Channel, which it enters at a point only 80 miles in a straight line S.E. of its source, though its length is about 200 miles. The counties it traverses are, in their order, Montgomeryshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. For the first 15 miles of its course the Severn flows over a rough precipitous bed, through a narrow valley, and is interrupted by many falls, some of which are of considerable size. At Llanidloes, the valley expands to the width of 1 or 2 miles, and assumes a more fertile and beautiful appearance. It is bounded on the S.E. by the range of the Plinlimmon Hills, and on the N.W. by the Berwyn Mountains. Its chief affluents here are the Clywedog and the Vyrnwy. From this gradually widening vale it emerges on the borders of Shropshire, and, turning to the S.E., enters the broad rich plain of Shrewsbury. With enlarged but gentle stream it flows beneath the dark castle and more modern towers of Shrewsbury; and skirted now by woods, now by meadows, it passes the western base of the Wrekin, and pursues its course through the county, receiving from the right the Meole, Cound, Mar Brook, and Bore Brook; and from the left the Perry Tern, Bell Brook, and Worf. Before leaving Shropshire, the river acquires a southerly direction, in which it continues to flow through Worcestershire. In this county it passes the towns of Stourport and Worcester, and, after entering Gloucestershire, those of Tewkesbury and Gloucester. From Buildwas under the Wrekin, to Gloucester, a distance of 72 miles, the fall of the river is only 104 feet; and from Stourport to Gloucester the breadth is very nearly the same, about 150 feet. Below the latter town, the breadth of the Severn, and the bold picturesque character of its banks, continually increase. Its course for some distance below Gloucester is very tortuous; but at Sharpness Point it expands very much, and, after a further course of 18 miles, the estuary of the Severn widens out into the Bristol Channel, just at the point where it receives from the left the Lower Avon or Bristol River; and from the right the Wye, which rises in Plinlimmon, close to its own source. From Gloucester downwards, the general course of the river is S.W. Besides the rivers already mentioned, the most important affluents of the Severn are the Teme from the right, the Upper Avon and the Frome from the left. In the lower part of its course, the Severn flows through a valley about 12 miles broad, bounded on the east by the Cotswold, and on the west by the Malvern Hills, neither of which rise to any great height. The whole extent of land drained by the Severn is 4500 square miles; and to this must be added 1400 drained by the Wye, making a total of 5900 square miles. Owing to the extent of this area, and the marly character of the greater part of it, the quantity of mud deposited in the estuary is greater than in that of any other river in Europe. The tide enters the estuary with great force; and the tidal wave or bore is here about 9 feet high. Inundations have frequently been caused by the sudden rise of the tide. At the mouth of the Severn it rises 48 feet, and at Chepstow, on the Wye, as high as 60 feet. The navigation of the Severn is of very great importance. It extends to 160 miles above its mouth, and affords to North Wales and the adjacent country the means of conveying their produce to the sea. Several canals connect it with the more important places in the adjacent parts of England. The Stroudwater Canal, and the Severn and Thames Canal, connect the waters of these two rivers; the Gloucester and Berkeley
Severus Canal avoids the tedious windings of the Severn below the
Seville. former town; and various other canals connect different
parts of the river with Birmingham, Liverpool, and other
towns. The Severn abounds in fish of many different
kinds. The ancient name of the river was Hafren, by
which it is still known above Llanddow. It was called by
the Romans Sabrina, a name it is said to have derived from a
British princess who was drowned in it; and Milton has
employed this name in his Comus to designate the goddess
of the river.