Ley Hunter - 1966 vol 2 no 1

Magazine Overview

Title: THE LEY HUNTER
Issue: Vol. 2. No. 1
Date: January 1966
Publisher: The Ley Hunter's Club

This issue of The Ley Hunter marks the end of its first year of publication and is presented as the best yet, being larger and containing excellent articles. The magazine focuses on the study of ley lines, ancient sites, and related archaeological and statistical investigations.

Editorial

Philip Heselton, the editor, reviews the club's progress and emphasizes the need for serious study of restricted areas backed by statistical evidence to gain credibility with sceptics. He highlights the contributions of Jimmy Goddard and Peter Furness and praises the articles on leys in Sheffield and Fenland, encouraging readers to submit their own findings.

The Vastness of Our Task

By Jimmy Goddard

Goddard reflects on the ambitious aim of compiling a National Ley Index. He recounts his personal attempt to study the Isle of Man intensively, discovering an unexpectedly vast number of leys and centres. He concludes that compiling a comprehensive National Ley Index would require an immense effort, comparing it to an army of researchers or a project costing more than the space race. He details the primary ley system of the Isle of Man, which forms an irregular hexagon, and lists the grid-references of its eight centres and the lines connecting them.

A South-North Alignment in the City of Sheffield: Origin of Units of Length

By R.D.Y. Perrett, B. Sc.

Perrett discusses the challenges and justifications for publishing preliminary findings in ley research, given limited time and the fragmentary nature of the material. He proposes three principles for writing: clearly distinguishing facts, inferences, and surmises; assessing the accuracy of facts; and indicating directions for further work.

Features Involved

• The article details several features in Sheffield that are part of alignments:
• Beauchief Abbey (SK 334819): Founded in 1183, with a church still in use.
• Erinkcliffe "Tump" (SK 333848): A mound with trees, bisected by a footpath, near a large house.
• Botanical Gardens "Tump" and Roads-Junction (SK 334861): A somewhat indefinite hump-like rise in the land, possibly an ancient tump.
• "Spion Kop" in Football Ground of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (SK 333905): A large mound used for viewing, possibly enlarged from an original tump.

Directional Characteristics

Calculations from a l-inch Ordnance Survey map suggest directions between Beauchief Abbey and the other features. The mean direction from Beauchief Abbey to "Spion Kop" is approximately 3/4° W. of true north. Modern roads tend to cross this line at right angles.

Distance Characteristics

Perrett uses a unit of length called a "gauge," equivalent to the standard rail-gauge of 4ft. 8ins. He provides distance measurements between Beauchief Abbey and the other features using both 1-inch and 4-inches-to-the-mile maps. The figures suggest that the Brinkcliffe Tump and Botanical Gardens "Tump" are approximately one-third and one-half of the way from Beauchief Abbey to "Spion Kop," respectively. He notes the round numbers of "gauges" (6000, 3000, 2000) as potentially significant.

He also examined points dividing the distance between Beauchief Abbey and "Spion Kop" into sixths, finding a church at one-quarter of the way that forms part of a 6.5-mile alignment running roughly 33° N. of W.

Wheels as Measures of Distance

Perrett explores the ancient origins of the 4ft. 8ins. rail-gauge and the curious prevalence of the factor "eleven" in length measures. He proposes that a wheel with a radius equal to the span of a human hand could be the basis for measurement. Rolling such a wheel once gives a distance of approximately 4ft. 8.55ins. Seven rolls yield 33 feet (half a chain). Dividing 33 feet into 12 parts gives 2.75 feet, close to Professor Thom's unit of length for Bronze Age Stone Circles (2.72 feet). He suggests that the exact thousands of revolutions of this "span-radius" wheel in the Beauchief Abbey alignment could be supporting evidence.

Are Leys Due to Chance?

By Peter Furness

Furness addresses the long-standing question of whether leys are merely due to chance alignment. He outlines a theoretical solution to this problem, which involves calculating probabilities based on map area, ley length, and the number of points. He defines the probability of a random point falling within a ley line and then calculates the probability of a specific number of points falling on a ley line. Using equations, he demonstrates how to determine the expected number of alignments of a certain number of points that would occur by chance on a given map. The calculations performed on a typical one-inch Ordnance Survey map suggest that leys with fewer than six points could be expected by chance, but a seven-point ley would be a rare occurrence if purely random.

Two Fenland Leys

By Michael Davidson

Davidson describes two significant ley lines in the Fenland area.

First Ley (24 miles)

This ley starts near a Bronze Age causeway found between Ely and Stuntney. It passes by a Victorian chapel (with Norman work inside), a site of an earlier church and stone cross, and a tradition of an old causeway. Six miles further, it passes Fordham church and then Moulton church. The ley is aligned with the Castle Mound at Ely and the Al42 road. It continues over reclaimed Fen land to Wimblington church. The total features noted are 4 churches, a known causeway, and the Castle Mound.

Second Ley (35 miles)

This ley runs from a Cambridge map to a Bury St. Edmunds map, starting near a supposed causeway between Little Thetford and Barham. It passes Barham Church, Chapel Hill, the Priory and Church at Isleham, Tuddenham Heath, and the River Lark. It also passes over a small concrete bridge with older brickwork foundations, potentially related to a "Temple" at a ford. The ley crosses the Icknield Way and passes near Ampton church before entering private park land. It then touches a circular copse, crosses a footbridge, and follows a footpath towards Ixsworth Priory and Ixsworth Church. The ley is noted to pass near the Black Bourne river. Features include 4 churches, possibly 5, 2 Monastic Houses, 2 Fords, and 1 place name.

Davidson speculates that the Iceni people may have used causeways and boats to cross large rivers like the Ouse, rather than building bridges. He notes that maps showing Stone and Bronze Age settlements indicate the Fens were not desolate but thickly settled, with modern bridges often located at ancient ford sites.

Odd Notes

This section includes a report by Jimmy Goddard on an expedition in Gloucestershire with Millicent Rosslova and Mrs. Geraldine Mortimer.

They visited Bishop's Cleeve Church, which is on a ley from "The Ring," a ley centre on Cleeve Hill. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. Due to a service, they could not enter. They then climbed Cleeve Hill to "The Ring," a triangulation station, and took photographs. Goddard mentions that many UFOs have been seen over Cleeve Hill. On descending, they met a man who told them about an old mark-stone crossing a stream, similar to an encounter Allen Watkins had.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the practical application of ley hunting through detailed regional studies, the statistical analysis of alignments to distinguish them from chance, and the exploration of ancient measurement systems. The editorial stance, as expressed by Philip Heselton, is to encourage rigorous, evidence-based research, focusing on specific areas to build a strong case for the significance of ley lines. There is a clear emphasis on moving beyond mere speculation towards demonstrable findings, even if the scope of the club's work is limited.

This document is page 10 of the fourth issue of 'The Ley Hunter' magazine, published by The Ley Hunter's Club. The issue details subscription information and includes content related to archaeology and potential UFO sightings.

Archaeological and Observational Accounts

The issue features an account of a visit to archaeological sites, including the Tibble Stone, a mark-stone near Teddington, and Teddington Church, which dates back to the 11th century. The author also describes observing three clumps of trees that appeared to be in alignment on a ridge while travelling by train from Cheltenham. The author speculates that these tree clumps were in fact in alignment.

Pope Gregory's Words

A significant section presents a quote attributed to Pope Gregory, from a letter to Abbot Mellitus dated 601 A.D. In this quote, Pope Gregory expresses his determination that the temples of the English idols should not be destroyed but that the idols within them should be removed. He suggests that if the temples are well-built, they should be converted to the worship of the true God, believing that this would help the nation remove error from their hearts and more faithfully resort to these places.

Subscriptions

The magazine provides subscription details, noting that with the fourth issue, subscriptions may have expired. Readers are encouraged to send renewed subscriptions to Jimmy Goddard. The subscription rate is 4/6 a year for four issues, published in January, April, July, and October. Single copies and back numbers are available at 1/3 each. Correspondence, letters, articles, and enquiries should be directed to the Editor, Philip Heselton.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes evident in this page are archaeology, ancient sites, historical religious practices, and the observation of natural phenomena that might suggest human or natural design (like tree alignments). The editorial stance, as indicated by the content, appears to be focused on exploring historical and potentially anomalous sites and phenomena, with an interest in ancient beliefs and their transformation. The inclusion of Pope Gregory's quote suggests an interest in the historical context of religious sites and their conversion.