The 'Tamar' is a
river in south western
England, that forms most of the border between
Devon (to the east) and
Cornwall (to the west). At its mouth, the Tamar flows into the
Hamoaze where it joins with the
River Lynher before entering
Plymouth Sound. The river has some 20 road crossings, including the
Tamar Bridge, a
toll bridge on the
A38 trunk road and the world renowned
Royal Albert Bridge.
The Tamar's
source is less than 6km (4 miles) from the north Cornish coast, but it drains southward. North of the source the Cornish border heads to the sea along
Marsland Water, making Cornwall nearly an island.
In a few places the border deviates from the river, leaving, for instance, the Devon village of
Bridgerule on the 'Cornish' side. Curiously, the modern
administrative border between Devon and Cornwall more closely follows the Tamar than the
historic county border. Several villages north of
Launceston which are west of the Tamar were actually in Devon until the 1960s.
The Tamar Valley
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers around 195km² (75 square miles) around the lower Tamar (below Launceston) and its tributaries the
Tavy and the
Lynher.
[1] It was first proposed in 1963, but was not designated until 1995.
[2]
Tamar Bridge Act 1998
In the late 1850's there was a successful submission by the
Duchy of Cornwall involving a dispute with the Crown over the latter’s claim to Cornwall’s foreshore. The Duchy described Cornwall as a Palatine state that had always been held apart from England and that the entire jurisdiction of the Crown within Cornish borders was held by the Duke.
[1] In other words the reigning monarch’s writ did not extend to Cornwall and the ancient boundary fixed by
Athelstan 900 years previously between Cornwall and Wessex was confirmed as the east bank of the river Tamar. This was confirmed more recently by the Tamar Bridge Act 1998.
[2]
See also
★ The
Tamar River in
Tasmania was named after the Tamar in Cornwall.
★
Rivers of the United Kingdom
External links
★
Tamar Valley AONB
References
1. Cornwall Council - Duchy of Cornwall's submission 1856
2. The Tamar Bridge Act 1998