What is the ancient name of the Kent river called Rother?

sancho_pft

It was originally known as the Limen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Rother_(Eastern) Aug 12 06, 3:57 AM

zbeckabee

LYMINGTON, borough Appears to have as its first element the river name found in that of the eastern Rother (Sussex; 697 'liminaea') and others (see 'Leam, Lymn' in the Dictionary of English Place Names). The river in question has been known as the 'Boldre' for probably 600 years or more (see BOLDRE), but there is no bar to an older label of this type. Thus Old English 'farm by the river Limen' (or the like). This river name has excited some controversy (Rivet and Smith 1979) about whether it derives from hypothetical Primitive Welsh 'lem' the source of Welsh 'llwyf'='elm'. This, the traditional view, still seems best, but Jackson (1953) guardedly gives no translation of the element seen in 'Limen'. Associations between words for trees and river names are commonplace, eg the various 'Derwents' and hypothetical Primitive Welsh 'derwent-'='oak'. http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/hantsgaz/hantsgaz/s0004180.htm Aug 12 06, 5:36 PM

davejacobs

According to sancho's site the Eastern Rother is in Sussex rather than Kent. Zbeck's site appears to refer to the town of Lymington in Hampshire, quite a way (by English standards) from either East Sussex or Kent. Aug 13 06, 5:30 AM

SOTHC

Take it from a true Man of Kent that the River Rother is a river of Kent but only for a small part of its length. For disbelievers see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Kent Aug 13 06, 7:02 AM

davejacobs

Right, for part of its length it forms the boundary between East Sussex and Kent. I wouldn't have said it was in Kent myself, but there you are. Aug 13 06, 11:00 AM