Duver

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A duver (pronounced to rhyme with Cover; occasionally spelt as dover) is an Isle of Wight dialect term for a low-lying piece of land along the coast, subject to occasional inundation by the sea.[1]

Abandoned boat at St Helen's Duver, Isle of Wight

Etymology

The word comes from the Old French term douvre.[2]

The name has become part of place names on the Isle of Wight, for example Dover Street in Ryde is the street which used to run down to the duver.[3]

The word survives in the names of coastal areas at St Helens Duver, Seaview Duver and Hamstead Dover.[3]

Dunes

There are relatively few dunes on the Isle of Wight,[4] and some have been reclaimed or otherwise lost, meaning that some places which bear the name duver are no longer sand dunes. The largest surviving example is St Helens Duver.[5]

References

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