Touchstone - No 015 - 1987 10

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 15
Date: October 1987
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group

This issue of Touchstone, a newsletter focused on earth mysteries, features a lead article titled "Ley Hunter's Paradise," detailing explorations in Wiltshire, a region rich in Neolithic history and potential ley line activity. The magazine also includes sections on other earth mystery topics, such as ley lines in Wales, historical boundary markers, and discussions of supernatural phenomena and related meetings.

Ley Hunter's Paradise

The main article recounts a visit to Wiltshire, described as a major Neolithic centre with visible evidence of ancient activity. The author describes staying in a small, old thatched cottage and exploring the surrounding area. The focus is on identifying and tracing ley lines, which are described as alignments of ancient sites and natural features.

Key locations explored include:

• Wiltshire: Identified as a major Neolithic centre.
• The Cottage: Described as a small, thatched house, several hundred years old, with a garden filled with flowers and lavender. It was noted to have a 'head-hum' or happy atmosphere, particularly on the side facing the church.
• St. Mary's Church, Bishops Cannings: An extremely powerful church, a tall, spired building of Early English and Norman design. Its similarity to Salisbury Cathedral is attributed to the influence of the Bishops of Salisbury. It contains a medieval meditation desk.
• Avebury Circles: Mentioned as being only a few miles away from the church.

The article details several ley alignments passing through the church:

1. East-west axis: Cuts through a corner of the cottage. While not an acceptable ley mapwise, it is suggested to be a ley passing through a tumulus north of Roundway, Milk Hill, a spotmark between Bromham and Rowde, and a stretch of straight road in Melksham.
2. Second alignment: Links the church with the centre of Avebury and the Norman church of St. John in Devizes. It also passes through tumuli, cross-roads, and cross-tracks, including a stone on the road near the church, which is not ancient but placed on the line.
3. Best alignment: Goes through a cross-tracks with church in Trowbridge, Seend church, a nearby junction, Bishops Cannings church, a tumulus on Easton Hill, another on All Cannings Down, and one south of Overton.

The author also visited Barbury Castle, a hill-fort and country park near Swindon, described as beautiful and botanically rich, offering a good all-round view from the ramparts. Alignments were noted here as well, potentially marking barrows or planted in the eighteenth century.

Further explorations included:

• Hilmarton church and a well near Bradenstoke Abbey.
• Sunrise at Avebury: Described as a powerful experience, with two other people present.
• Kitchen Barrow: A nearby long barrow with a protruding stone, though access was blocked by footpaths.
• Easton Hill: From which the church is visible.
• Wansdyke: Described as impressive.
• Devizes Museum: Found to be extremely interesting, with model reconstructions of Avebury, Woodhenge, and Stonehenge.
• Lacock: A picturesque National Trust village, reminiscent of Chiddingstone, featuring a clump of horse chestnut trees with spiralling trunks.
• Cherhill White Horse: One of Wiltshire's famous chalk horses, noted as part of a precise isosceles triangle with other white horses.

The article discusses the theory that the white horses mark an area of special significance for extraterrestrial visitors, noting that the newness of some horses does not negate this possibility, attributing it to subconscious siting.

Meeting of the Ways

This section details a visit to Royston, a town described as an interesting crossing-point of the Roman Ermine Street and the Icknield Way, and also a number of leys. The original county boundary between Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire ran along the Icknield Way. The Royse Stone, now on a brick plinth, is mentioned, traditionally associated with a cross built by Lady Roysia. The area also features a 'cave' beneath the street with religious drawings, associated with the Knights Templar. The Grand Avenue of Wimpole Hall aligns on a nearby hill.

Several ley alignments are described passing through Royston's cross-roads, including one that goes through a large clump outside the town, a triangulation point, Goffer's Knoll (a tumulus), another clump, a cross-roads, a stretch of track near Duxford, an earthwork near Balsham, and Weston Colville church. Another alignment passes through the abbey church, linking five points in about five miles.

A Welsh ley

This section describes a remarkable ley found while camping in Wales, running through the village of Cenarth near Cardigan. The ley passes through St. Llawddog's church and a mound called "Parc-y-domen." The alignment continues through a church in Hawen, a junction near Brongwyn, Parcycastell mound, and the Preseli Mountains, which are considered the supposed source of the Stonehenge bluestones. A line drawn from a settlement site on Preseli to Stonehenge appears to go through the site of the Westbury White Horse, suggesting a link between Wales and Wiltshire and the universality of the ley system.

Putting the "stone" in Addlestone

This piece discusses a historical extract from the "Chertsey Cartulary" referencing a stone in Addlestone, possibly connected to the town's name. It details the "Metes and bounds of the Hundred of Godley," surveyed in the 24th year of King Henry VI. While a seventh-century survey does not mention the stone, the mention in the later document is considered interesting, as are implications of crosses at Hamm Moor and Spinney Hill. The article also explores the manor boundary as shown on an enclosure map, noting how it has influenced modern property boundaries and the potential location of boundary stones.

Supernatural Clump

This short piece refers to an article in "My Weekly" magazine about supernatural animals, illustrated by a large clump of Scots pines with a track leading to it and a ghostly dog. The author questions why a clump was used for illustration and mentions Tony Wedd's association of the Keston Mark clump with a black dog ghost.

London Meetings

Announces upcoming meetings of the London Earth Mysteries Circle at the Maria Assumpta Centre, Kensington Square, including topics like Celts, tree spirits, religions, and traditional mummer's plays.

Sarum

A brief review of Edward Rutherfurd's novel "Sarum," noting its historical scope and its proximity to earth mystery themes.

Our Meetings

Reminder of regular meetings in Addlestone on the second Thursday of each month.

Moots mon!

A lighthearted piece defining someone interested in earth mysteries as a "mooter."

Publications Available

A list of publications available from Jimmy Goddard, including "Skyways and Landmarks Revisited" (re-examination of Tony Wedd's work), "Campus Lines" (project investigating leys), and "Cosmic Friends" (account of communication with extraterrestrials). Touchstone itself is also listed.

Exchange List

A comprehensive list of other publications and newsletters available for exchange, including "Quicksilver Messenger," "Caerdroia," "Earthquest News," "Common Ground," "Fortean Times," "Northern Earth Mysteries," "Stonehenge Viewpoint," "The Pipes of Pan," "Folklore Frontiers," "Word Spirit," "The Ley Hunter," "Circle," "Magonia," "Earth Force," and "Amskaya." The list provides contact addresses for each publication.

Celtic Crafts

An advertisement for Celtic Crafts, offering hand-carved wooden items, chalices, runes, copper wire, and bronze work, with a free catalogue available.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of Touchstone strongly emphasizes the exploration of ley lines and ancient sites, particularly in Wiltshire. The magazine promotes the idea that landscape features, churches, and ancient monuments are interconnected through alignments that may hold significant meaning. There is a recurring interest in the potential for these sites to be linked to extraterrestrial phenomena, as suggested by the white horse theory. The publication also serves as a hub for earth mystery enthusiasts, listing local meetings and other related publications, fostering a community around these interests. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into historical and geographical anomalies, encouraging readers to investigate and share their findings.