The Stour

Iwerne

The Iwerne rises in the chalk hills to the north of Iwerne Minster in Dorset, runs through it and travels for about four miles before joining the Stour at Stourpaine.

Ekwall suggests that the name Iwerne comes from Celtic sources and means 'the Yew river', whereas recent research links it to the Celtic goddess Everna. Here you can read a study by Peter Irvine of Dorset Wildlife Trust's Otter Group on the river's etymology.

The picture shows the river in Iwerne Minster.