River Dane

River Dane
River
Three Shire Heads = Formerly "Daven" from the Welsh "Dafn" meaning a "drop". Hence Davenport and Davenham.
Country	England
Counties	Cheshire
Districts	Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester
Source
- location	Axe Edge Moor, Cheshire
Mouth
- location	Confluence with River Weaver

The River Dane flows through Cheshire in the northwest England.

The river rises close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor. Flowing southwest, it forms the border between Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire for around 10 miles (16 km) before flowing west through Congleton and past Holmes Chapel.

The point on the river where the three counties meet, at Panniers' Pool Bridge, is called the Three Shire Heads (often wrongly Three Shires Head). Three Shire Heads is the most northern point in Staffordshire.

Passing just to the north of Middlewich, it merges first with the River Croco near the site of the old Roman fort in Harbutt's Field, and then with the River Wheelock near the aqueduct carrying the Trent and Mersey Canal, and runs the remaining five miles north to Northwich where it flows into the River Weaver.

See also

• List of rivers in England

The name "Dane" comes from the Welsh "Dafn" (pronounced "Daven" -with a short'a') meaning a 'drop'. Its original name accounts for the villages of Davenham and Davenport.

The name "Wheelock" come from the Welsh, "Chwyrlog" meaning "winding" which describes the meandering of the river.