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Located in Dorset on the edge of Cranborne Chase, this chalk stream rises in winter near or, in very wet seasons, above Stubhampton, and flows about 15 kms to the River Stour below Tarrant Crawford. Above Tarrant Monkton it is a winterbourne. Evidence suggests that it rose up to 5 kms above its present source in Roman & earlier times. The name Tarrant is identical in origin to Trent which appears in the writings of Ptolemy & Tacitus. Trent, when used for a river name means 'trespasser' - liable to flood as the residents of Tarrants Gunville and Hinton rediscovered during the winter of 2000/1.
The Rev. John Hutchins' description in his "History & Antiquities of the County of Dorset", 1774:
"The down is rolling, windswept chalk hills, many of them covered only with a thin soil, full of flints. The grasses are short & fine, so the traditional farming is sheep rearing. Since the chalk has no surface water, the settlements are in the deep, narrow valleys that have been carved by rivers & streams. As well as water, the valleys contain fertile loams."
This is largely true today. The most obvious difference is the decrease in sheep farming on the downs.
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