The River Hiz is a chalk river with a length of . Its headwaters rises south of the village of Charlton, the river winds its way through the county of Hertfordshire, moving its way into and through a northeastern direction into Hitchin, to its confluence with the River Purwell, then flows north through its confluence with the River Oughton at Ickleford. The Hiz joins at its confluence of the River Ivel near the village of Henlow.
Course
Its headwaters rises south of the village of Wellhead, Charlton, the river flows through Hertfordshire, meandering through a northeastern direction into Hitchin. The Hiz is a tributary of the Ivel, meaning it joins at its confluence near the village of Henlow. It has a total length of 13 km (8.1 mi).
Tributaries Two notable tributaries of the Hiz include:
River Oughton - it joins the Hiz at its confluence at Ickleford.
River Purwell.
Hydrology + Depth of the River Hiz. Station Depth range Deepest depth (m) Date of highest level recorded Arlesey 0.13m-0.26m 1.40 m 27 September 2024 There is one gauging station along the River Hiz, located at Arlesey. This station is regulated by Environment Agency. Hydromorphology Its hydromorphological designation is 'heavily modified' which means it fails to achieve good ecological status due to its physical alterations caused by human use.
Ecology +Species on the River HizSpeciesScientific nameMarsh OrchidDactylorhizaCowslipPrimula verisYellow Flag IrisIris pseudacorusKingfisherAlcedo atthisWater VoleArvicola amphibiusTroutSalmo trutta
The table below lists the species of the River Hiz.
Toponymy The z in Hiz is a Domesday-Book abbreviation for ts (or tch),Johnston, James B., The Place-Names of England and Wales, London, 1915, p. 305 and Hiz is properly pronounced "Hitch". This fact seems to be little known, and Hiz is now normally said as it is spelled. It may take its name from the Hicce tribe, who inhabited the area and gave their name to Hitchin. Eilert Ekwall says that Hiz/Hitch is a probable back-formation from Hitchin, which in turn is the dative plural of Hicce.
John Norden says the name is derived from a wood called Hitch, but Ekwall believes this is a conflation with Wychwood, for which the Old English is Hwiccawudu.
References
External links