Crossword Genius

The first to hire a river (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

trent

'a river' is the definition.
(River Trent)

'the first to hire' is the wordplay.
'the first' becomes 't' (1st letter of 'the').
'to hire' becomes 'rent' ('rent' can be a synonym of 'hire').
't'+'rent'='TRENT'

(Other definitions for trent that I've seen before include "Major English river" , "Burton's river" , "Crossword frame" , "Chief river of the Midlands" , "Midlands banker" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror and The Daily Express.
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