The Erme is a river in south Devon, England. From its source on Dartmoor it flows in a generally southerly direction past some of the best-preserved archaeological remains on the moor. It leaves the moor at the town of Ivybridge and continues southward, passing the settlements of Ermington, Modbury and Holbeton. Near Holbeton it becomes a ria and empties into the English Channel in Bigbury Bay, between the rivers Yealm and Avon.
Toponymy
The Ravenna Cosmography, an imperfect list of place-names that was compiled in the early 8th century from late Roman sources, lists amongst many others, over twenty names that probably refer to places in south-west England. Most of these have not been positively identified, but the name Aramis/Aranus/Armis was suggested to be the River Erme by Rivet and Smith in The Place-names of Roman Britain (1979).
The first certain documentary reference to the river is as Irym in the cartulary of Buckfast Abbey, dated 1240. Other early recorded forms are Hyrm, Irm, Erm and, in the mid 16th century, Arme. The derivation of the name remains unknown. Ekwall's suggestion that it is a back-formation from Ermington is now thought to be unlikely. Tristram Risdon, in his 1811 Survey of Devon gives an alternate name for the River Erme as the River Arme. He also refers to the mouth of the River Erme as Armouth. In Donn's map of Devon published in 1765, the village of Mothecombe at the mouth of the river, is referred to as Muddicomb.
On Dartmoor
The River Erme rises near the centre of southern Dartmoor on the Abbot's Way less than a mile to the south of the source of the River Plym. Between these two sources lies Duck's Pool, where there is a plaque and letterbox in memory of the Dartmoor author William Crossing. There are extensive early tin mining workings nearby known as Erme Pits, which are in places over 15 metres deep.
For the first mile or so the river flows south-eastwards. It is joined on the north bank by Wollake, which is the lower part of the Blacklane Brook that rises on the southern flanks of Fox Tor a mile and a half to the north, between Crane Hill and Naker's Hill. The short streams, Dry Lake and Red Lake also join on this side, the latter rising near the disused clay works at Redlake. The confluence of Red Lake, and the source of the Erme are two of the thirty-three places that delineate the ancient boundary of the Forest of Dartmoor. On this stretch, a short stream flowing down Hortonsford Bottom from Langcombe Hill also joins the river from the south.
Between Stingers Hill and Redlake the river turns southward into an area known as The Meadow, where it is crossed by the Upper Erme stone row, the longest on Dartmoor at . For the next mile or more downstream from here there are extensive archaeological remains on the river's banks, most notably Erme Pound (the highest and largest Bronze Age enclosure in the area), Downing's House (a well-preserved "tinner's cache" or "beehive hut" with much of its roof preserved), and a number of tinner's huts and blowing houses.
As the river reaches the edge of the high moor, it flows through the gorge it has cut between Stalldown Barrow on the west and Piles Hill to the east. Here, on the eastern bank, lies Piles Copse which is one of the few areas of ancient woodland on Dartmoor and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Although the moorland valley of the Erme today appears to be natural and unspoiled, the entire valley floor from its source down to Piles Copse is artificial, being created by the extensive tin-streaming operations that took place between the 4th and 14th centuries. Supporting evidence for this was provided by a study published in 2004 which showed that phases of aggradation occurred lower down the valley between the 4th century and the 7th century, and in the 13th century.
Leaving the open moor, the river passes into enclosed land and under its first road bridge at the hamlet of Harford. At this point it is joined by the minor stream of Butter Brook, with its now disused reservoir. From Harford down to the boundary of the national park, which here follows the main railway line between Plymouth and Exeter, much of the river's course is in woodland and is a popular site for kayaking and canoeing, especially in Long Timber Woods.
Ivybridge to Holbeton
After leaving the national park, the river continues southward, passing through the centre of the town of Ivybridge where it formed the source of the town's prosperity by powering a grist mill, a paper mill and a fulling and tucking mill. In 1813 the only bridge over the river in the village (as it was then) was the inspiration for J. M. W. Turner's painting The Ivy Bridge.