Touchstone - No 025 - 1990 04

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 25
Date: April 1990
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group
Document Type: Magazine Issue

A Walk Round Oxted

The lead article, "A WALK ROUND OXTED," details a country walk taken from the Oxted station. The author notes the presence of Scots pine clumps in the area, with one particularly significant clump at the east end of a nine-hundred-year-old church. The author was interested to find that these clumps, along with others, align with the church and pass through various cross-tracks and junctions. One alignment also incorporates a parish boundary, a hilltop point where a county boundary crosses a road, and a Norman motte. Further alignments are described, including one passing through Castle Hill, a crossroads at Bletchingley, and a church in Reigate. Another alignment from a clump in Spring Lane offers a "Watkinsian view" of another pine clump on the horizon, passing through major cross-tracks and going northwards through a church at Selsdon.

The article concludes that these observations, obtained from an hour's walk and mapwork, demonstrate that the ley system is still active and that its markers, like the pine clumps, play a significant role in its continuity.

The Riddle of the Stones

This section recounts the author's experience hearing the last of a series of BBC Education radio programmes titled "The Riddle of the Stones," which focused on ancient sites and trackways, specifically the Uffington White Horse. The author was surprised that the programme allowed a fair hearing for Paul Devereux, who discussed the ley system, without immediate ridicule. However, Devereux had to "water down" the ley message. The discussion also featured archaeologist Chris Chippendale, who questioned the age of sites and the absence of leys in medieval writings. Chippendale suggested possibilities such as churches being secretly sited on leys or people's hands being guided by unknown influences. The author feels Paul Devereux missed an opportunity to elaborate on these points, particularly regarding multi-age leys and the recognition of sanctity in earlier sites by later peoples. The idea of extraterrestrial influence was quickly dismissed by the theory that figures like the White Horse were meant to be seen by gods.

Despite these limitations, the programme is considered a breakthrough for its rational discussion of the ley system, contrasting with a previous television broadcast. The author notes that the programme ended with an archaeologist emphasizing the need to move away from the idea of single, isolated sites.

John Aubrey's Surrey

This section, written by Chris Hall, presents notes extracted from Volume 3 of John Aubrey's work, with modernized spelling of place names. It details historical observations about various locations in Surrey:

• Horsell: Mentions two round hills or barrows on the heath, believed to be burial places for men slain in battles. These are identified as early Bronze Age bell barrows and a disc barrow.
• Bisley: Describes a spring near the church, St. John Baptist's Well, which turns purple with Galls and is colder in summer and warmer in winter. It also mentions a public footpath.
• Chobham: Notes a stoned well in Valley Wood with a rough taste, turning purple with Powder of Galls due to iron. It also mentions a White Cross and a Long-Cross, and two deep ditches thought to be ancient earthworks for defence.
• Frimley: Describes a very high barrow on Collingley Ridge, exceeding others in Wiltshire except Silbury Hill, with a round ditch that commonly holds water.
• Woking: Lists two fairs held on September 12th and Whit-Tuesday.
• Ockham: Mentions wells with purgative properties and a mineral like alum, affecting brewing and washing. It also refers to a tradition of a vault at Newark Abbey leading to a nunnery at Ockham Court.
• Worplesdon: Notes a medicated spring similar to one at Evesham, and another at Holt Common, which is gaining popularity.

The author states that the style and sentence structure of the original work have been retained.

Letters

Several readers contribute their thoughts and queries:

• Mary Bonney, Windsor: Mentions a conversation about St. George's Hill and a preference for living elsewhere. She also discusses the name 'Addlestone', agreeing it's more likely related to a stone or stone circle than 'Attel's Dene', and queries if there are any burial mounds.
• Unnamed Reader (Surrey E.M.): Poses a query about the "Wish Stream" near Sandhurst, asking about the origin of its name and its potential connection to legends, witchcraft, or sacredness.
• Army Neighbour: Light-heartedly suggests the "Wish Stream" might have been named to avoid frightening recruits, implying a witch in the area.
• Unnamed Reader: Shares a story about chalybeate wells at Sunninghill that rivaled those at Bath, but with no information on their fate. An ancient yew tree may still exist there.
• Unnamed Reader: Mentions a pond near Virginia Water and a place marked as "Egham Wick" on an old footpath map.
• Daniele Hart (mentioned by reader): The reader agrees with Hart's sentiment that "the Greens do not seem interested in Earth Mysteries."
• Fred Hadley, Surbiton: Praises the "down-to-earth" edition and expresses enjoyment of reports on summer expeditions. He comments on the OUGRAF meeting, suggesting a geology student studying gravity anomalies will not succeed, and reiterates that geological maps are made by ground observation, not electromagnetic detection.
• Bob Dickinson, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire: As a musician, he expresses interest in the article "The Significance of Sound" and is researching "Bullroarers." He wonders if frequency analysis of bullroarer tones would correlate with frequencies identified in the article and notes the widespread historical and geographical presence of bullroarers.

Notes and News

• Hurt Wood Field Trip: An upcoming field trip to the Hurt Wood Track on June 30th is announced, organized by the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, London Earth Mysteries Circle, and OUGRAP. The track is described as the longest coincident track in Surrey. Details include meeting at Newlands Corner, a UFO sighting by Jimmy Goddard, a talk by Gordon Millington on a UFO sighting, and a walk along the Hurt Wood Track, noting its mean-follower characteristics.
• London Meetings: A schedule of meetings for the London Earth Mysteries Circle is provided, including topics like "Memories and Visions of Paradise," "Hypnotic Regression," "Geopathic Stress," and "Cropfield Circles Mystery."
• LEMC Field Trips: Additional field trips by LEMC are listed: a Festival Stall at Kingston Green Fair, the Hurt Wood field trip, Butser Iron Age Camp and Winchester, and a Ley Hunter Moot in Cornwall.
• Ghostly Breaks: Tom Perrott of the Ghost Club sent a catalogue of ghostly weekend breaks with a specialist guide, but the price is noted as being beyond affordability.
• E.M. Yorkshire Tour: A seven-day earth mysteries tour of Yorkshire is organized by the Northern Earth Mysteries Group, featuring stone circles, standing stones, holy wells, leys, and ancient customs.
• Publications Available from Jimmy Goddard: A list of publications is provided, including "Skyways and Landmarks Revisited," "Campus Lines," "Cosmic Friends," and "The Inhabited Solar System," with prices.

Exchange List

A list of publications and groups with whom Touchstone exchanges publications is provided, including Fortean Times, Northern Earth Mysteries, The Ley Hunter, Magonia, and others.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on "Earth Mysteries," a broad category encompassing ley lines, ancient sites, folklore, UFO sightings, and unexplained phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry and a desire to connect disparate pieces of information, encouraging readers to share their findings and experiences. There is a clear interest in historical research, particularly concerning local Surrey history and ancient sites, as evidenced by the inclusion of John Aubrey's notes. The magazine also serves as a platform for networking within the earth mysteries community, listing events, contacts, and publications. The tone is generally informative and participatory, inviting readers to engage with the subjects discussed.