| River Ouzel River Lovat | |
|---|---|
 River Ouzel between Northall and Billington | |
  | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Counties | Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Chiltern Hills |
| Mouth | River Great Ouse |
• location | Newport Pagnell |
• coordinates | 52°05′15″N 0°43′00″W / 52.0876°N 0.71675°W |
| Length | 20 miles (32 km) |
The River Ouzel /ˈuːzəl/, also known as the River Lovat, is a river in England, and a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows 20 miles (32 km) north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell.
It is usually called the River Ouzel, except near Newport Pagnell where both names are used. The name Lovat was recorded (in the form 'Lovente') in the thirteenth century,[1] a map of 1724 marks the river as "Lowsel R",[2] and a map surveyed in 1765 shows it as 'Ouzel River'.[3] The modern Ordnance Survey uses only the name Ouzel, except north of Willen Lake where it is marked as 'River Ouzel or Lovat'.[4]
- ^ Eilert Ekwall, English River Names, Oxford University Press, 1928, p. 263.
- ^ Herman Moll, Bedfordshire, reprinted in M. F. Hopkinson, Old County Maps of Bedfordshire, Luton Museum & Art Gallery, 1976, p. 21.
- ^ Thomas Jefferys, The County of Bedford, reprinted by Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, 1983.
- ^ Ordnance Survey, Explorer 192, edition A, 1998.