river in southern Ontario, Canada. The Thames is 160 miles (260 km) long. It rises north-northwest of Woodstock, in the uplands between Lakes Huron and Erie, and flows southwest past the towns of Woodstock, London, and Chatham to Lake Saint Clair. The river is navigable below Chatham. Originally called the La Tranche River, it received its present name in 1792. The Battle of the Thames (1813) was fought at Moraviantown, near Chatham.