ANCIENT BRITISH SKULL.
FUOM BAEEOW AT KENNET NEAE ABUEY, NOETH WILTS.
(REGION o r THE 330BRNI, TEMP. PTOLEMJEI, A.B. 120.)
Cranium from Barrow at Kennet.—Quarter-size.
THE great western coacli-road from London to Bath, on leaving Marlborough, crosses a large
extent of partially enclosed chalk down, stretching almost as far as Calne. Close to Marlborough,
was a Eoman British town or station, the Cunetio of the Itinerary of Antonine, the Cunetzone
of the Geographer of Eavenna. Cunetio was doubtless so called from the native British name
of the river which flowed past the station—the Kennet. This river still gives its name to the two
villages of East and West Kennet, about five miles to the west of Marlborough. The Kennet is
the most considerable stream of the north-west of Wiltshire and of Berkshire, and after the
Medway, is probably the largest feeder of the Thames. In the Cymric, cynt/d signifies to i-ise,
and cicnad, rising or elevation, but whether this is the etymology of the name of Kennet is by
no means clear. At Abury the Kennet is a mere brook, deriving an uncertain supply from
the small streams, or winter bourns, which flow by the villages of that name—Winterbourne
Monkton and Winterbourne Basset—and by Tatesbury. A mile to the south of Abury,
and close to Silbui-y Hill, the Kennet receives a large addition from a spring called the " Swallowhead
"—the sacred foimtain of the locality—so that on reaching the village of West Kennet, it
merits to be called a river. The Eoman road, from Londinium and CaUeva to Aquee SoUs,
passing tlu-ough Cunetio, followed very nearly the line of the present road, and considerable
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