River Kennet | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

moss Jan 15, 2007 15:20:59

Your latest folklore on this Rhiannon about the land being flooded.... November 2006 the Kennet flooded beautifully, turning the fields into water meadows. Took some photos one of which is here;
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/54820

A lovely watery landscape, trees and shrubs with their feet in water; maybe in good folklore tradition, Silbury just was'nt surrounded by a moat but was an island a bit like Glastonbury ;) .... when the sun came out the reflection of the sky turned the river blue....

Pete G Jan 15, 2007 15:45:07

Replying to moss

did you notice the Beckhampton brook is flowing at last?
4 years since the last time,
PeteG

Littlestone Jan 15, 2007 16:29:26

Replying to moss

Rhiannon's entry* quotes that, "Near the River Kennet in this shire, there breaks out water in the manner of a suddain Landsflood, out of certain Stones standing aloft in open fields, which by the common people is accounted a fore-runner of death."

The Landsflood certainly sounds like the water meadows between the Kennet and Silbury, as shown in your photo. Perhaps the, "Stones standing aloft in open fields" is referring to the stones of West Kennet Long Barrow - that might explain why the flood, and the stones standing aloft, were seen as a fore-runner of death.

* http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/latest/