Ley Hunter - 1966 vol 2 no 4

Magazine Overview

Title: The Ley Hunter
Issue: Vol. 2 No.4
Date: November 1966
Publisher: The Ley Hunter's Club
Editor: Ken Rogers
Secretary: Jimmy Goddard

This issue of 'The Ley Hunter' magazine, a publication dedicated to exploring ancient sites, ley lines, and related phenomena, presents a collection of articles and reports from November 1966. The magazine aims to uncover the purpose behind ancient alignments and identify their builders, while also investigating contemporary mysteries such as UFO sightings.

Editorial

The editorial, penned by Editor Ken Rogers, introduces the magazine's ongoing research into pre-historic sites and ley lines, acknowledging that definitive answers remain elusive despite numerous discoveries. It highlights a letter from R.K. Proctor of Maidstone, Kent, who proposes that the sub-soil along leys might be permanently affected by 'saucer force fields' or regenerated over time. Proctor suggests the possibility of navigating along leys, perhaps with an auto-pilot device or by instinct, and posits that this could explain ancient trackways and Roman Roads. He also draws parallels between leys and features on the Moon and Mars, and recounts a personal UFO sighting of a 'giant yellow egg' sailing along a ley.

The editorial also touches upon the concept of 'Orthoteny', a subject that Jimmy Goddard, the club's secretary, has extensively researched. The magazine announces its intention to publish a regular feature on Orthoteny, with Goddard contributing the first article.

Pioneer Watkins

Written by Marjorie Craddock for the Hereford Times, this article profiles Alfred Watkins, a remarkable individual from Herefordshire. Watkins, born in 1855, was a man of immense curiosity and vitality, involved in his family's milling and brewing business, which he expanded. He was an innovator, inventing a dough meter to introduce scientific exactitude into baking. His passion for photography led to further inventions, including an exposure meter that was widely exported and used by early Antarctic expeditions. He also developed special darkroom equipment and the 'Watkins factor' for calculating photographic development times, earning him the Progress Medal of the Royal Photographic Society. Watkins was also a keen naturalist, archaeologist, and a founder of the Photographic Convention of the UK. The article recounts his early interest in filming, his work with cine-cameras, and his habit of photographing local landmarks during his business travels. It also mentions his pioneering use of electricity in Hereford and his ownership of one of the city's first cars. A humorous anecdote is shared about his exchange with a landowner regarding the quality of his photographs and the landowner's pheasants.

Precision

This section, likely a continuation of the article on Alfred Watkins, details his contributions to photography. It mentions his invention of an exposure meter, which, though now obsolete due to faster films, was once exported globally and used by explorers like Captain Scott. H.G. Ponting, Scott's chief photographer, credited Watkins' meters for his success. Watkins also invented photographic equipment such as tanks, thermometers, and darkroom timers as early as 1885. His work on calculating development time led to the 'Watkins factor', and he received the Progress Medal from the Royal Photographic Society. He was also a founder and president of the Photographic Convention of the UK.

Great Camera

This part of the article continues to explore Alfred Watkins's life and work, highlighting his ability to combine his business travels with his photographic hobby. He used his tours to buy wheat and sell flour, allowing him to photograph various sites, including village churches and local crosses. He was also a member of the Woolhope Club, a county Councillor, magistrate, and a Liberal. His pioneering spirit extended to building St. George's Hall in Hereford, making it the first building in the city to be lit by electricity, and he owned one of the first cars in Hereford. The article also touches upon his family background and his home at Harley Court. A lighthearted story is told about his photographic skills and a landowner's appreciation.

Idle Thoughts on Pubs

By Michael Davidson, this article explores the potential connection between pub names and ley lines. Davidson starts by referencing Alfred Watkins's idea that Manor Houses or Halls built on ley points might be significant. He extends this to British pubs, noting that while their appearance may change, their names often persist. He speculates that inns might be located at significant points, such as those giving rise to altars or shrines, or marking stages of physical endeavor like crossing a ford. Davidson suggests that pubs might have acquired names related to local deities or significant natural features. He discusses medieval inns with religious names and modern pubs called 'The Sun' or 'Rising Sun', questioning if 'Bell' names might relate to the Celtic Sun God Beli. He also considers pubs named 'The Green Man', linking it to the pre-Christian God of the Oak Tree, and pubs named after oaks, questioning if they refer to Charles II, the God in the Oak Tree, or a meeting place in Watkins's sense. The article also touches upon 'Boar's Head' names and the 'Horse Cult' of the Iron Age peoples.

The Visible Ley

By Jimmy Goddard, this piece describes a striking aerial photograph from Brinsley Le Poer Trench's book 'Men among Mankind'. The photograph shows a line of round and long barrows joined by a straight track leading to a crossroads. Goddard identified this crossroads as Longbarrow Crossroads, southwest of Stonehenge. Using a straight-edge on a map, he found that this alignment formed a ley passing through several points, including tumuli and churches, and noted it as a rare example of a ley visible from the air.

Orthoteny News

Also by Jimmy Goddard, this section reports on recent sightings and alignments. On June 3, Richard Tayler and Peter Coleman reported sightings of white and yellow lights moving northwards near Birmingham, which, when plotted, formed an orthoteny. This alignment also passed through several churches, a moat, and a crossroads. The article mentions that the Finchley-Wandsworth and South Coast orthotenies meet at Portslade-by-Sea, forming a ley-orthotenic centre, and questions if this is why the area is known for UFO sightings. On July 15, Mr. Lovell reported seeing a large pear-shaped object with lights heading towards Bristol, possibly traveling along a primary ley forming the west side of the Great Isosceles Triangle. A significant sighting investigated by Ken Rogers occurred in Wood Green, North London, on August 15, where a UFO was seen at low altitude, and a nearby bush subsequently had withered branches. This incident happened near the baseline of the Great Isosceles Triangle, an area with considerable UFO activity.

Extract: From Strange World, by Frank Edwards

This extract discusses the possibility of North American Indians being relative newcomers, with evidence pointing to earlier, more advanced cultures. It describes a mysterious stone wheel symbol on Medicine Mountain in Wyoming, a large circular arrangement of stones with radiating spokes and seven-foot 'chairs' for high priests. The Indians had no knowledge of the wheel's origin, and research in 1902 suggested it was a religious symbol of a race that existed between 15,000 B.C. and 1,000 B.C. The article posits that this stone wheel might be the only surviving evidence of this vanished race.

The Portlock Ley

By Jimmy Goddard, this article details how Goddard discovered a ley by chance while looking at a calendar. A photograph of a hill-notch, identified by Alfred Watkins as a potential ley point, prompted Goddard to investigate. Using a map of the Porlock, Somerset area, he found the hill with the notch to be Bossington Hill. The line from the notch through the point where the photographer stood in Porlock proved to be a ley, passing through several ancient sites, including a tumulus, a standing stone, and churches in Porlock and Bossington, all within a ten-mile stretch.

Subscription Information

The final section provides details on subscribing to 'The Ley Hunter' magazine, with subscriptions costing 4/6 per year for four quarterly issues. Single copies are available at 1/3 each. Correspondence, letters, and articles should be sent to the Editor, Ken Rogers, at his Winchmore Hill, London address, while subscriptions and other matters should be directed to the Secretary, Jimmy Goddard, at his Shepperton, Middlesex address.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of 'The Ley Hunter' are ley lines, their connection to ancient sites and potential mystical or extraterrestrial influences, and the investigation of UFO sightings. The magazine also shows a strong interest in the history of photography, particularly through its profile of Alfred Watkins, who was instrumental in both photography and the study of leys. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, encouraging research and the sharing of findings, while acknowledging the speculative nature of many of the topics discussed. There is a clear effort to connect historical phenomena with contemporary mysteries, suggesting a unified underlying principle or force at play.