The River Stort is a river in Essex and Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles long and flows from near the village of Langley to the River Lea at Hoddesdon. The river's name is a back-formation from the name of the town of Bishop's Stortford. The 16th-century cartographers Christopher Saxton and William Camden named it the Stort, assuming the town o…The River Stort is a river in Essex and Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles long and flows from near the village of Langley to the River Lea at Hoddesdon. The river's name is a back-formation from the name of the town of Bishop's Stortford. The 16th-century cartographers Christopher Saxton and William Camden named it the Stort, assuming the town of Stortford was named for its ford. The river was originally called the Stour.