There has always been an interest in the original courses of the three rivers Chess, Gade and Colne as they met at Rickmansworth before the Grand Junction Canal was cut and changed the courses of all three. At least two local residents are working, independently, to follow in the footsteps of Geoff Saul and resolve the matter for once and for all.
One problem, of course, is that the rivers did not stick rigidly to their bed – so when do we define ‘original’? A major flood, such as that of February 1795, may well have made significant changes as the rivers flowed though farmland. Few of the old maps, which seem to offer vital clues, were surveyed suficiently accurately to be reliable. And there are very few primary sources which describe the rivers clearly enough to help.
So work continues on this long-standing conundrum, helped (or perhaps not) by a constant commentary, with maps etc, on local Facebook pages. This Society may take this as a proper research project in the near future!
