Tide in United Kingdom

Meaning of Tide

The following is an old definition of Tide [1]: To be tidal water it is not necessary that water should be salt, but the spot must be one where the tide, in the ordinary course of things, flows and reflows. In England there is no navigable stream beyond the ebb and flow of the tide. There, therefore, tide-water and navigable water are synonymous terms, and mean nothing more than public rivers. Hence the established doctrine in that country that admiralty jurisdiction is confined to the ebb and flow of the tide. In other words, it is confined to public navigable waters. And so, in early days in this country, a public river was defined as a tide-water river, without examination whether that definition was as applicable here as in England, the navigable waters then thought of being tide-waters on the Atlantic coasts, rather than the great lakes with their tributaries. See Admiralty; Lakes; Navigable.

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Notes and References

1. Concept of Tide provided by the Anderson Dictionary of Law (1889) (Dictionary of Law consisting of Judicial Definitions and Explanations of Words, Phrases and Maxims and an Exposition of the Principles of Law: Comprising a Dictionary and Compendium of American and English Jurisprudence; William C. Anderson; T. H. Flood and Company, Law Publishers, Chicago, United States)