ABSTRACT
Much of the riverside property of the Sheffield area belonged to the manor of the Earls of Shrewsbury, but it is unfortunate that the estate rentals do not survive for the years before 1581. This southernmost river became significant in the 17th century: the former lands of Beauchief Abbey possessed several suitable sites for mills, and the upper reaches were used for the smelting of lead in water-powered ore-hearths, much as in the other valleys of the north Derbyshire gritstone region. Much of the riverside property of the Sheffield area belonged to the manor of the Earls of Shrewsbury, but it is unfortunate that the estate rentals do not survive for the years before 1581. The intensity with which water power was used on the Sheffield rivers can still be demonstrated on ground, particularly in the upper reaches of Loxley, Rivelin, Porter and Sheaf, where dams and channels have left numerous earthworks which have not been obscured by later development.
