OUSE, the name of several English rivers, an ancient word of disputed etymology.
(I) The Great Ouse rises in Northamptonshire, in the hills between Banbury and Brackley, and falls about Soo ft. in 16o m. to its mouth in the Wash (North sea). It flows east past Brack ley and Buckingham and then turns north-east to Stony Strat ford, receiving the Tove and the Ouzel at Newport Pagnell. It then follows a sinuous course past Olney to Sharnbrook, where it turns abruptly south to Bedford, then to flow north-east past St. Neot's to Godmanchester and Huntingdon, when the river trends easterly to St. Ives. Hitherto the Ouse has watered an open valley, but below St. Ives the river debouches suddenly upon the Fens; its fall from this point to the mouth, a distance of 55 m. by the old course, is little more than 20 feet. From Earith to Denver the waters of the Ouse flow almost wholly in two straight artificial channels called the Bedford Rivers, the old course being called the Old West River. This is joined by the Cam 4 m. above Ely. North of this point the river receives the Lark, the Little Ouse, or Brandon river, and the Wissey. Below Denver sluice, 16 m. from the mouth, the Ouse is tidal. It flows past King's Lynn, and enters the Wash near the south-east corner. The river is locked up to Bedford, a distance of 744 m. by the direct course. A recent attempt to clear the river in order to make it more navigable and less liable to floods has been made, but has met with opposition from the farmers of the upper reaches.
(2) A river of Yorkshire. The river Ure, rising in the Pennines, and traversing Wensleydale, unites with the river Swale to form the Ouse near Boroughbridge, in the central plain of Yorkshire. The course of the Swale, which rises on the eastern flank of the Pennines, is mostly through this plain, and that of the Ouse is wholly so. It flows south-east passing York, Selby and Goole to the Trent, to form with that river the Humber estuary (q.v.). The course of the Ouse, thus defined, is 61 miles. The Swale and Ure are each about 6o m. long. Goole is a growing port, and the river bears much traffic up to York, smaller traffic up.to Borough bridge, from which the Ure Navigation (partly a canal) con tinues up to Ripon. The Swale is not navigable. The chief tribu taries are the Nidd, the Wharfe, the Don and the Aire on the right, and the Derwent on the left. All traverse beautiful valleys, and the Aire and the Don, with canals, afford communications between south Yorkshire and the Humber ports. The Derwent is also navigable. It is tidal up to Naburn, 37 m. from the junction with the Trent.
(3) A river of Sussex, rising in the Forest Ridges between Horsham and Cuckfield, and draining part of the Weald. Like other streams here, it breaches the South Downs, and reaches the English Channel at Newhaven after a course of 3o miles. The Ouse is navigable for small vessels to Lewes, and Newhaven is an important harbour.