From: dgkilday57
Message: 70170
Date: 2012-10-11
>If the 1330 variants Rudde and Rodelle (with a Norman suffix, apparently) are folk-etymological after 'ruddy', the river may well have appeared red then. Cameron (p. 13) also mentions a Nether and an Upper Red Brook, tributaries of the Ashop, without etymological comment, so presumably these appear red. Detailed geological information (which I lack) might allow reconstruction of the pre-industrial appearance of the Rother.
> At 8:59:20 PM on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, dgkilday57 wrote:
>
> > The river Rother of Derbyshire (Roder, -ir, -yr, -ur 13th
> > cent., Rudde 1330, Rodelle 1330, Rother 1577) is explained
> > by Ekwall (English River-Names 348) as 'chief river',
> > British *dubro- 'water' with intensive *ro- from *pro-.
> > Cameron (Place-Names of Derbyshire 15) agrees with this
> > analysis but suggests 'great river' as a better translation.
>
> > I have never been there, but maps suggest that the Rother
> > is not a particularly great river, nor the chief river of
> > Derbyshire.
>
> It did get Rotherham named after it, and it seems to be
> fairly wide. It suffered a great deal from
> industrialization; I suspect that it would be hard to get a
> good idea of its early appearance and importance (or lack
> thereof) from the modern river.
> > Also, the contraction of the name required isPoint taken.
> > rather violent, since Dubris is still Dover.
>
> On the other hand, PrW *duâr > MCorn. dour, ModW. dwr.