![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/River_thames_oxford.jpg/220px-River_thames_oxford.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/4516-Oxford-map-1510x1384.jpg/220px-4516-Oxford-map-1510x1384.jpg)
"The Isis" (/ˈaɪsɪs/ EYE-siss) is an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the Thame at Dorchester in Oxfordshire. The modern form of the name, first recorded c.1540,[a] relates to the Egyptian goddess Isis.[b] The deity was venerated throughout the Roman Empire, and was worshipped at the Temple of Isis – near the Thames in Londinium – during the Roman occupation. Notably, the Isis flows through the city of Oxford.
Egyptian goddess
[edit]The association between Oxford – rowing, angling – and the Egyptian goddess Isis – might be explained by her role as Stella Maris – "Star of the Sea" ..."the divine protector of sailors and fishermen".[c][d] The Latin Stella Maris – "Star of the Sea" – relates to Mary, mother of Jesus and Christianity. The worship of Isis (as Stella Maris) was associated with the transformation of Roman society – away from paganism – towards the shining light of Christianity.[e][f][g][h]
Oxford is famously known as the city of "dreaming spires" for the stunning architecture of its many churches. The University of Oxford has always been an important centre for the study of religion.
Rowing
[edit]The name "Isis" is especially used in the context of rowing at the University of Oxford. A number of rowing regattas are held on the Isis, including Eights Week, the most important Oxford University regatta, in the Trinity term (summer), Torpids in the Hilary term (early spring) and Christ Church Regatta for novices in the Michaelmas term (autumn). Because the width of the river is restricted at Oxford, rowing eights normally have a staggered start near Donnington Bridge and must then aim to "bump" the eight in front (i.e. catch up and touch or overlap with it sufficiently). The leading eight aims to "row over" (i.e. finish the race without being bumped).
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/H._B._Wimbush%2C_Oxford_the_Isis.jpg/220px-H._B._Wimbush%2C_Oxford_the_Isis.jpg)
There used to be ornate wooden barges on the river bank at the southern end of Christ Church Meadow to house rowing facilities and for viewing races. Now the barges are gone and there are boathouses instead a little further down the river near the confluence with the River Cherwell. Poplar Walk in Christ Church Meadow is used as a route to and from the boathouses.
The name "Isis" is also used for the men's second rowing eight of Oxford University Boat Club, who race against Goldie, the men's second crew of the Cambridge University Boat Club, before the annual Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames in London.
Angling
[edit]The Isis, like much of the Thames, has long been popular among anglers for its freshwater fish, including trout and crayfish. The Oxford region is home to several angling clubs. W. F. Wallett, a popular Victorian clown, shares in his memoirs his own anecdote about fishing in the Isis with the celebrated circus proprietor Pablo Fanque:
For a few days I amused myself with Pablo Fanque fishing in the Isis. Pablo was a very expert angler, and would usually catch as many fish as five or six of us within sight of him put together. This suggested a curious device. You must know that Pablo is a coloured man. One of the Oxonians, with more love for angling than skill, thought there must be something captivating in the complexion of Pablo. He resolved to try. One morning, going down to the river an hour or two earlier than usual, we were astonished to find the experimental philosophic angler with his face blacked after the most approved style of the Christy's Minstrels.[4]
Natural England maps
[edit]The name Isis is normally associated with the stretch of the Thames between North Oxford and its confluence with the River Thame at Dorchester on Thames:
Feature | Place name | Map [Help 1] |
Latitude N – S |
---|---|---|---|
Bifurcation | Seacourt Stream (Wytham – Seacourt – Hinksey) See also Wytham Ditches and Flushes (SSSI) |
[Map 1] [Help 1] |
210100 |
Flood-meadow | Port Meadow (SSSI) See also Wytham Woods (SSSI) |
[Map 2] [Help 1] |
209200 |
Bridge | Godstow Bridge, Godstow Abbey, The Trout Inn. | [Map 3] | 209200 |
Lock | Godstow Lock | [Map 4] | 208950 |
Narrowboat Canal | Oxford Canal | [Map 5] | 205570 |
Bridge | Folly Bridge | [Map 6] | 205560 |
Flood-meadow | Christ Church Meadow – Parks and Gardens. | [Map 7] | 205550 |
Confluence | River Cherwell – Isis confluence. Oxford University Rowing Clubs (Boathouses). |
[Map 8] [Help 1] |
205300 |
Bridge | Donnington Bridge | [Map 9] | 204370 |
Flood-meadow | Iffley Meadows (SSSI) | [Map 10] | 204370 |
Lock | Iffley Lock and Iffley village. See also St Mary the Virgin (Grade I listed). |
[Map 11] [Help 1] |
203640 |
Abbey | Abingdon Abbey | [Map 12] | 197170 |
Confluence | River Thame – The Isis – River Thames confluence. Dorchester on Thames |
[Map 13] [Help 1] |
193200 |
Thame and Isis
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Damer_Thames_and_Isis.jpg/220px-Damer_Thames_and_Isis.jpg)
Extract from Poly-Olbion
..."That Isis, Cotswolds heire,
long woo'd was lastly wonne,
And instantly should wed
with Tame, old Chiltern's sonne.[5]
— Michael Drayton (1563–1631)
The keystones of Henley Bridge depict carved faces intended to represent the Isis and the Thame. Thame is a bearded man, while Isis is female.[6]
Dorchester
[edit]The Isis is an alternative name for the stretch of the Thames from its source in the Cotswolds – near Thames Head – to its confluence with the River Thame at Dorchester on Thames.[a]
It has in the past been conjectured that the Romano-British name for the Thames ("Tamesis") is a conflation (joining together) of its two main tributary names:
- Tam – River Thame (Tame 956).[7][i][j]
- esis – The Isis.
The conflation theory might explain the reason why the Thames has retained a trailing 's' – but the River Thame has not.[k]
Scholars
[edit]The conflation theory (Tam + Isis) was proposed and endorsed by antiquarians and scholars during the middle ages:
- Ranulf Higden (c.1280–1364).[l]
- John Leland (c.1503–1552).[9]
- William Camden (1551–1623).[9]
In the late seventeenth century, the Welsh scholar Edward Lhuyd – second Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford – endorsed the conflation theory in Parochailia (1695).[9]
Name history
[edit]Iron Age
[edit]![]() |
![]() |
Dobunni – Upper Thames. | Catuvellauni – Lower Thames. |
During the Iron Age, a major river system might have passed through the territory of more than one tribe, each tribe having its own name for their stretch of river. River names are often ancient, dating back to the Celtic Britons before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons.[m][n]
The tribal territories for the Thames valley:
- Dobunni – Upper Thames.
- Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester).
- Glevum (Gloucester).
- Aquae Sulis (Bath).
- Catuvellauni – Lower Thames.
- Thame (Tame 971).[7]
- Dorchester on Thames.
- Londinium.
The name used by the Dobunni for their stretch of the Thames is not known. However, the etymology for names recorded during the medieval period indicate a Brittonic (P-Celtic) origin.[p][q][r] The native language of the Dobunni ("the Britons") was Brittonic.
Roman Britain
[edit]The Thames rises from its source near Cirencester and begins its journey through the Cotswolds towards the Thames Estuary. During the Roman occupation, Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester) was the second largest Roman town in Britain, and Londinium the largest.[s] The valley of the upper Thames was the most prosperous part of Roman Britain, it contained the highest concentration of Roman villas, and the most luxurious, for example Chedworth Roman Villa.[t]
Temple of Isis
[edit]It is known that people in Londinium worshipped the Egyptian goddess Isis at the Temple of Isis, during the Roman occupation.
The graffito on a first-century flagon, found near the River Thames in Londinium, reads:[Web 1]
"LONDINI AD FANVM ISIDIS" ..."To London at the temple of Isis".
North Britain
[edit]The name Isis is also found in North Britain:
- The Romano-British name for the River Tees – Teisis (or Teesa).[14]
- The Isis Parlis caves beside the River Eamont, near the Roman fort Brocavum.[15][u][v]
It is possible that the Romano-British name Teisis (or Teesa) may share a common etymology with Ptolemy's Tuesis in Caledonia. If so then the name derives from the Gaulish deity Esus ("God of the river") – not the Egyptian goddess Isis.
Post-Roman
[edit]Following the end of Roman rule in Britain, towards the end of the fourth century, the Dobunni regained control of their traditional tribal territory, which happened to include some of the most prosperous parts of Roman Britain:[w]
- Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester).[x]
- Glevum (Gloucester).
- Aquae Sulis (Bath).
It would be expected that during the late sixth century the Saxon invaders would try to occupy and control the most important parts of the Roman infrastructure. There were battles between the Dobunni ("the Britons") and the Saxons, most notably the Battle of Deorham in 577. It is possible that there was some integration between the Romanised Dobunni and the Saxon Hwicce, while others abandoned the Dobunnic capital (Corinium Dobunnorum) and reestablished themselves in the available hill forts in the surrounding area. Archaeological evidence suggests that Crickley Hill, on the Cotswold scarp near Cheltenham, was re-occupied during the post-Roman period.[y]
The Saxon Hwicce then occupied and controlled the upper Thames area:
- East of Thames Head (near Corinium) as far as Wychwood (near Woodstock and Oxford).
- West of Thames Head as far as the Forest of Dean.
Middle Ages
[edit]Extract from Histories:
..."The Istros river arises among the Celts and the polis of Pyrene,
cutting Europe across the middle...[17]
— Herodotus (c.484–c.425 BC)
Known name variants for the upper Thames, recorded during the medieval period, include:
The name variants Isa, Ise, suggest a P-Celtic origin and may derive from Brittonic 'is' or 'isca' , from whence many common river names derive.[q][r] The European Danube river was known by its Celtic name Istros.[17] A more local example is the River Isbourne, which is a hybrid of Brittonic 'is' and English bourne.
See also wiktionary – for Q-Celtic Usa, Ouse:
- Old Irish <uisce> ..."water".
- Scottish Gaelic <uisge> ..."river, stream".
Modern name
[edit]The modern form of the name, first recorded c.1540,[a] is a reference to the Egyptian goddess Isis,[b] possibly the result of a revival of interest in classical Roman antiquities during the sixteenth century, and influenced by the ideas of the antiquarian John Leland (c. 1503–1552), who endorsed the conflation theory (Tam + Isis).[z] It is unlikely that the earlier names were related to the Egyptian goddess.[p]
The origin of the modern form was possibly influenced by:
- The study of religion at the University of Oxford.
- The association of the Egyptian goddess with Christianity.[aa]
- The association of the Thames with the Egyptian goddess.[ab]
- Events in the sixteenth century.
- The revival of interest in classical Roman antiquities.
- The conflation theory (Roman Tamesis = Tam + Isis) endorsed by the antiquarian John Leland.
It is possible that the earlier name Isa had a different meaning that was lost when replaced by a similar sounding name.
Example (River Severn)
[edit]The River Severn is a famous example of how the original meaning of a name is lost when it is replaced by a similar sounding name that has a different meaning.
Name | Year | Etymology | English |
---|---|---|---|
Sæferne | 894[ac] | Old English <sæ> Middle English <fearen> English <seafarer> |
Sea Travel Seafarer |
Saverne | c.1130[20] | Swedish <säv> | Club-rush |
Sephern | 1479[ad] | Old Norse <sef> | Club-rush |
Seaverne | 1677[21] | English <seave> | Club-rush |
Severn | 1836[Web 2] |
Name legacy
[edit]The Morris Isis name was first used by Morris Motors Limited of Oxford on a six-cylinder car made from 1929 to 1931. It was resurrected on a six-cylinder car from the British Motor Corporation in the 1950s. The name died out in 1958.
HMP Isis is a Category C Young Offenders Institution in England operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, adjacent to HMP Belmarsh and HMP Thameside near the River Thames in the Woolwich area of South East London.
Each of the Formula Student cars manufactured by the Oxford Brookes racing team used the name ISIS in the beginning of its chassis number.[citation needed] ISIS is then succeeded by the year number; for example, ISIS XII was the 2012 chassis, nicknamed "Miss Piggy".[citation needed] This continued until the 2016 season, when the naming convention changed to use an OBR prefix.
The ISIS neutron source is named after the river Isis.[Web 3]
See also
[edit]- Port Meadow
- Folly Bridge
- River Cherwell
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Rowing on the River Thames
- Henley-on-Thames
- Tributaries of the River Thames
- List of rivers in England
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Watts 2007, p. 334.
- ^ Ackroyd 2007, p. 26.
- ^ Rodgers 2017, p. 426.
- ^ Wallett, W. F. (1870). Luntley, John (ed.). The Public Life of W.F. Wallett, the Queen's Jester: An Autobiography. London: Bemrose and Sons. p. 73.
- ^ Ackroyd 2007, p. 28.
- ^ Kendal, Roger; Bowen, Jane; Wortley, Laura (2002). Genius & Gentility: Henley in the Age of Enlightenment. Henley-on-Thames: River and Rowing Museum. pp. 12–13. ISBN 9780953557127.
- ^ a b Watts 2007, p. 606.
- ^ a b Reaney 1969, p. 72.
- ^ a b c d e f Ackroyd 2007, pp. 26–27.
- ^ Moffat 2019, p. 142.
- ^ Ackroyd 2007, p. 23.
- ^ a b Williams 2023, p. 68.
- ^ a b Williams 2023, p. 72.
- ^ Rabbitts & Rabbitts 2022, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Collingwood 1988, p. 131.
- ^ Williams 2023, p. 75.
- ^ a b Roberts 2015, p. 62.
- ^ James 2020, p. 158.
- ^ Reaney 1969, p. 77.
- ^ Watts 2007, p. 537.
- ^ Raithby 1819, pp. 892–893.
Web
[edit]- ^ *"Ancient Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Isis". HERITAGE DAILY. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ a b *"Welsh Place-names: Afon Hafren (River Severn)". People's Collection Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "ISIS Neutron Source". YouTube. Science and Technology Facilities Council. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
Maps
[edit]- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Hinksey Stream – Isis bifurcation north". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Port Meadow, Oxford". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Godstow Bridge". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Godstow Lock". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Oxford Canal". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Folly Bridge". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Christ Church Meadow, Oxford". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: River Cherwell – Isis confluence". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Donnington Bridge". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Iffley Meadows SSSI". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Iffley Lock". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: Abingdon Abbey". Natural England.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP: River Thame – River Thames confluence". Natural England.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Watts – English Place-Names
River ISIS ..."An alternative name for the Thames above its junction with the Thame, used particularly in Oxford...[1]- Isa c.1350, c.1400.
- Ise 1347, 1387, c.1540.
- The Isis c.1540.
- Isis or Ouse 1577.
- ^ a b Ackroyd – Thames: Sacred River
..."The god of the Egyptians, Isis, has been generally associated with the Thames ...[2] - ^ Rodgers – Ancient Rome...
..."As her worship spread around the Mediterranean from its origins in Alexandria, Isis became known as Stella Maris (star of the sea) the divine protector of sailors and fishermen ...[3] - ^ See also Isis > In the Greco-Roman world > Festivals > ...The first festival was the Navigium Isidis...
- ^ The relationship between the Egyptian goddess and Christianity was complex, since the cult of Isis was itself pagan.
- ^ See also Paganism ...Ritual sacrifice was an integral part of ancient Graeco-Roman religion and was regarded as an indication of whether a person was pagan or Christian...
- ^ See also Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire.
- ^ See also Isis > Possible influence on Christianity.
- ^ The Th– for T– spelling of Thame is a post-conquest Anglo-Norman influence.
- ^ P. H. Reaney – English Place Names
..."The common ME Tamise is a French form, as is the modern spelling with the French Th– for T– (Thamis 1220) ...[8] - ^ P H Reaney – English Place Names
..."The earliest forms of Thames, Tamesa, Tamesis
..."What is most noteworthy here is the preservation of the inter-vocalic 's' ...[8] - ^ a b c Ackroyd – Thames: Sacred River
..."Higden writes
..."Tamisia seems to be composed from the names of two rivers, that are the Thama and the Ysa or Usa ...[9]..."Tamisia videtur... ...Thama et Ysa aut Usa
– Ranulf Higden (c.1280–1364). - ^ Alistair Moffat – A Journey to Lindisfarne...
..."River names are amongst the oldest and least changed in the landscape ...[10] - ^ Ackroyd – Thames: Sacred River
..."Thames is an old name. With the exception of Kent, it is perhaps the most ancient name recorded in England ...[11] - ^ The name variants for the Upper Thames (recorded in the fourteenth century):
- Ysa or Usa.
- Isa, Ise.
- ^ a b Ackroyd – Thames: Sacred River
..."It is more than probable that the Ysa and Usa of Higden's account are in fact from the Celtic...[9] - ^ a b SPNS – Brittonic Language in the Old North
ï[s]- "A verbal root meaning ‘refresh’, and so ‘heal’, is seen as an element in several ancient river names, with connotations of ‘vigour, swift movement’ ...[18] - ^ a b P H Reaney – English Place Names
..."Axe, Exe, Esk, Usk, Wiske all forms of Brit. isca...[19] - ^ Thomas Williams – Lost Realms...
..."By the second century, Cirencester (Roman Corinium Dobunnorum) was...the second largest city in Britain...and, from the third century, the presumed capital of Britannia Prima ...[12] - ^ Thomas Williams – Lost Realms...
..."The Cotswolds were home to some of the largest and most luxurious private dwellings anywhere on the island during the Roman occupation. At places like Woodchester, Frocester, Great Witcombe, and Chedworth (all Gloucestershire), the late Roman aristocracy expressed their wealth and power...[13] - ^ Brocavum castrum (near Penrith) on the trans-Pennine section of Watling Street (North) Roman road.
- ^ The Watling Street (North) Roman road connected York (Eboracum) with Carlisle (Luguvalium) and Petriana (Stanwix Roman fort) – the largest castrum on Hadrian's Wall.
Route from York to Carlisle:- Dere Street to Scotch Corner. Now the A1 road.
- Trans-Pennine to Penrith. Now the A66 road.
- North to Carlisle. Now the A6 road.
- ^ Williams – Lost Realms...
..."a military presence persisted in Corinium until the end of the fourth century – as it did elsewhere in the Dobunnic civitas...[13] - ^ Williams – Lost Realms...
..."By the second century, Cirencester (Roman Corinium Dobunnorum) was...the second largest city in Britain...and, from the third century, the presumed capital of Britannia Prima
..."It had developed from a Legionary fort into the tribal capital of the Dobunni...[12] - ^ Williams – Lost Realms...
..."But about a thousand years later, in the decades that followed the end of the fifth century, people returned to Crickley Hill.
..."Spindle whorls and a copper needle suggest the working of textiles...[16] - ^ Ackroyd – Thames: Sacred River
..."John Leland in his Itinerary (1546)...announced that[9]..."Isis riseth 3 myles from Cirencestre"
- ^ See Isis > Possible influence on Christianity.
- ^ See Londinium > Temple of Isis.
- ^ ASC ‘A’ sa 894 recte 893.
- ^ Welsh Place-names: Afon Hafren (River Severn).
..."Servern id est aqua Haveren id est Sephern 1479...[Web 2]
Sources
[edit]- Ackroyd, Peter (2007). Thames: Sacred River. Chatto & Windus. ISBN 978-0701172848.
- de la Bédoyère, Guy (2013). Roman Britain: A New History. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0500291146.
- Collingwood, W. G. (1988). The Lake Counties (1932). Revised by William Rollinson (1988). J.M. Dent & Sons. ISBN 0-460-04758-2.
- James, Alan G. (2020). "The Brittonic Language in the Old North, A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence, Volume 2" (PDF). Scottish Place-Name Society. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- Moffat, Alistair (2019). To the Island of Tides; A Journey to Lindisfarne. Canongate Books. ISBN 978-1786896346.
- Rabbitts, Paul; Rabbitts, David (2022). Cotherstone: A Village in Teesdale. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1398113831.
- Raithby, John, ed. (1819). Charles II, 1677 & 1678: An Act for Preservation of Fishing in the River of Seaverne. British History Online. pp. 892–893. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- Roberts, Alice (2015). The Celts: Search for a Civilisation. Heron Books. ISBN 978-1784293321.
- Reaney, P. H. (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Rodgers, Nigel (2017). Ancient Rome: An Illustrated History. Lorenz Books. ISBN 978-0754834205.
- Watts, Victor (2007). The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-16855-7.
- Williams, Thomas (2023). Lost Realms: Histories of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings. William Collins. ISBN 978-0008171988.
External links
[edit]- Salters Steamers Salters boats depart from Folly bridge in Oxford.