East Kennett is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in Wiltshire, England, west of

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

. The

United Kingdom Census 2011 A Census in the United Kingdom, census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Inter ...

recorded a parish population of 84. The

River Kennet The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which � ...

forms most of the northern boundary of the parish, and the village lies close to the river. The neighbouring village of West Kennett is on the opposite bank a short distance upstream, in

Avebury Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in t ...

parish.

History

Evidence of prehistoric activity includes a

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

long barrow Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repres ...

, probably a communal burial site, on a hillside south of the present village; this monument is part of the

Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) in Wiltshire, England. The WHS covers two large areas of land separated by about , rather than a specific monument or building. The sites were inscribed as co-listi ...

. Further south, a circle of

sarsen Sarsen stones are silicified sandstone blocks found in quantity in Southern England on Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire; in Kent; and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset, and Hampshire. Geology ...

stones is possibly from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

The Ridgeway The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countryside The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk r ...

, an

ancient trackway Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackway ...

, passes through East Kennet village. Some 600 metres north of the village, at

Overton Hill Overton Hill is a 571 ft (174 m) hill at the southern edge of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, England. It lies just west of the village of West Overton and about west from the town of Marlborough. The A4 road passes close to the north, a ...

, the trackway becomes the Ridgeway National Trail which runs northeast as far as Buckinghamshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded holdings in Chenete, the area which later became East and West Kennett. There was a church at East Kennett in the 12th century and by 1291 it was a separate parish. A schoolhouse was built opposite the manor house in 1857 with support from Maria and Ann Mathews, daughters of the owner of the house. Maria gave a large endowment in 1878 and the school became known as Miss Mathews' School. After her death in 1882 it became a Church of England

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

, and pupils of all ages attended until 1924 when older children transferred to Avebury or West Overton. In 1990 the school federated with the school at

Lockeridge Lockeridge (pop. approximately 290) is a village in Wiltshire, England. It lies at the edge of the West Woods in the Kennet Valley, west of Marlborough, east of Avebury and south of Swindon. It is south of the A4 road which was historically ...

, as numbers at both schools were low; the combined school was named Kennet Valley and the East Kennet site housed the upper years, in buildings behind the original. This site closed in 2011 after accommodation at Lockeridge was increased. The church

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

was united with Avebury in 1923; a further rearrangement in 1929 formed the benefice of Overton and Fyfield with East Kennett.

Notable buildings

Manor Farmhouse, opposite the church, is dated 1630 with extensions added in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The older part is constructed from the local

sandstone. East Kennett Manor House is a three-storey brick house from the late 18th century, extended in the 19th century and again in 1925. Christ Church (geograph 1963154)

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

, Christ Church, was built in 1864 on the site of a 12th-century church. Today the parish is part of the Upper Kennet benefice.

References

{{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire