River Tarrant
The River Tarrant carves a gentle, fertile valley, the Tarrant Valley, through the north of Dorset.
The river itself of just seven and a half miles long, rising near Tarrant Gunville, its spring found in the grounds of what had been Gunville House. From here it flows southwards, ultimately joining the River Stour by Tarrant Crawford.
The valley lies to the east of Blandford Forum and runs through Cranborne Chase, an area of chalk downland.
Nine villages and hamlets in the valley bear the name of the river. From the river's source downstream they are:
- Tarrant Gunville
- Tarrant Hinton
- Tarrant Launceston: a hamlet where the river is crossed on a 3-arched 17th-century bridge.
- Tarrant Monkton
- Tarrant Rawston, a hamlet
- Tarrant Rushton
- Tarrant Preston, a hamlet consisting of a farm, and a few houses.
- Tarrant Keyneston, the largest village of the nine
- Tarrant Crawford, where the Tarrant meets the Stour
There were possibly one or two other Tarrant communities in past days
- Tarrant Stubhampton north of Tarrant Gunville and part of that parish: This is now known as Stubhampton.
- Tarrant Antioch which may have been an earlier name for Tarrant Rawston, or may have been a distinct community just north of Tarrant Rawston.
A Roman road followed the valley and there are many tumuli on the hills on both sides of the river more ancient still.
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