Touchstone - No 056 - 2001 07

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 56
Date: July 2001
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group

This issue of Touchstone, the newsletter of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, focuses on ley lines, ancient sites, and earth energy phenomena. It includes detailed reports on field trips, theoretical discussions on ley characteristics, and observations of unusual events and formations.

More on the Buckingham Palace Ley

The lead article revisits the Buckingham Palace Ley, highlighting a previously missed site: Fulham Palace. Located beside the Thames near Putney Bridge, Fulham Palace served as the residence of the Bishops of London from 704 to 1973. The article notes its historical significance, including its claim to have had the longest moat in England and its beautiful grounds. The gardens, made famous in the seventeenth century by Bishop Compton's introduction of plants like magnolia, are mentioned. The ley is described as passing obliquely through the eastern end of the palace, intersecting the sites of three Bishop's Chapels. The medieval chapel was in the centre of the east end, the eighteenth-century one was on the north-east wall (where the museum rooms are now), and the nineteenth-century chapel is an adjoining church building. A 'head-hum' was felt in the two rooms now housing the Fulham Palace Museum, suggesting a powerful spot, possibly part of the eighteenth-century chapel area. The article also mentions a Neolithic settlement discovered at Fulham Palace and Roman roads converging at a ford nearby, though it's uncertain if these connect to the ley.

Field Trip Reports and Ley Investigations

The issue details a field trip on July 21st by TEMS (Surrey Earth Mysteries Group) to various sites on the Buckingham Palace ley. The trip included a visit to St. Edward's Orthodox Church in Brookwood Cemetery, noted as an unlikely place of worship on a ley. This church, built in 1909, is owned by the St. Edward Brotherhood and contains remains of the Saxon boy king Edward.

Another significant stop was Horsell Church. The first church on this hilltop site was likely from the twelfth century. Here, 'rodspin' and 'headhum' were experienced, suggesting a ley centre, and the diagonal direction of the Buckingham Palace ley was confirmed. The church's south wall contains a mixture of stones, leading to speculation that they might have been standing stones from an earlier site. Faint circular indications in the ground behind the church also suggested a possible hilltop stone circle. A powerful ley was dowsed crossing the church, though it required strong concentration to pick up the Buckingham Palace ley, which was weaker here. This ley was found to be a good one, passing through Abinger and Leith Hill tower.

The report also lists other sites connected by leys, including Valley End, St. Lawrence Church, Chobham, Burntcommon, Gomshall, and Leith Hill tower. The group also visited All Saints', Woodham, and Oatlands Palace.

Further south, the ley skirts the base of the hill of Farnham Castle, passes through Medstead church, and crosses the 'E-Line' at a cross-tracks on Old Down, near Cheesefoot Head, known for crop circles. A tumulus on Lane End Down is also mentioned, where the Fox Hill ley crosses the E-Line. The track leading to it follows the E-Line, starting as a sunken track and becoming a terrace track. Otterbourne Church, built by the father of Charlotte Yonge, is also on the E-Line.

A new church inspired by York Minster's architecture is mentioned, which is on the E-Line and passes a markstone and a tree-covered mound in its churchyard. The question is raised whether this new church is subconsciously sited on an ancient site.

Theories on Ley Energy

Rienk Noorhuis presents his theories on ley width and energy. He suggests that ley width might not only indicate size but also depend on vertical position. He proposes that leys are flattened enormously in the vertical direction, with a dense core about 6-8 paces wide. Wider leys (10 paces or more) are considered above ground level, their energy reflecting on the landscape, while narrower leys (5-4 paces) run below the surface, important for nature spirits and ruminants. He speculates that overground leys are rare phenomena that might hold mountain chains together, while underground leys are innumerable. He models a ley as being 6-8 paces wide horizontally, with a dense, flattened core, stretching about 180 metres vertically, with doubling at sunrise and sunset for overground leys. He questions whether the ley system is the 'saving work' that keeps the Earth together, and that weakening it could cause severe disruption.

A Northumberland Network

Another section details a week-long exploration in Northumberland, focusing on a network of ley centres. The church in Kirkwhelpington was noted for converging roads and tracks. The author's house was found to be on a previously identified ley, with a brook and a well. The 13th-century church at Kirkwhelpington has a ley running along its path and continuing to Horncastle and Ray Fell. In the other direction, it goes through cross-roads, earthworks, Rothley Castle, and Swanhill.

A ley from Steng Cross is described, prominent on the map and ground, with a straight road leading to Harwood Gate. This ley runs through Manside Cross and Gunner's Box earthwork. Steng Cross itself has a stone base of a Saxon cross and a replica of Winter's Gibbet. Another stone nearby may be an ancient markstone.

A ley from Manside Cross leads to Rothbury church, passing through various peaks, clumps, and earthworks, including Edlingham Church and Castle. The author notes that some of these sites were visited in 1983 during a Northern Earth Mysteries Group moot, where they met Derrick and AnThea Wilbie-Chalk, who run the SPARK project. Well Close, where they live, is on the Manside Cross - Rothbury Church ley, and they feel their garden has two significant ancient sites.

Rothbury Church, a 19th-century reconstruction with a 13th-century chancel, is described as having an interesting font stand. Edlingham Church and Castle, visited in 1983, were found to be more powerful at the west end. Lordenshaw fort and settlement, also visited in 1983, is famous for its cup-and-ring marked stones. A standing stone near the roadside at Coldrife is mentioned, with a ley running through it and along a track leading into the woods. This ley passes through a cairn, peaks, and roads, including a house called Blackpool.

The final discovery in Northumberland was a markstone in Morpeth's high street, aligning with Steng Cross. Other points along this alignment include a spotmark near Nunriding Hall and where the Devil's Causeway crosses a road.

My First Ley-Hunt

Written by Allen Watkins, son of Alfred Watkins, this piece recounts his first ley-hunting experience in 1931. Following his father's indications, he walked across country near Cambridge. He encountered a field labourer who, without prompting, mentioned an 'old Roman road' that was not visible on the ground but could be seen by the poorer crop growth in cornfields. This unsolicited evidence was seen as a significant 'beginner's luck' and a prime example of 'coincidences' accumulating in ley hunting.

Letters and Notes

Letters: Norman Darwen from Lancashire reports the cancellation of the traditional Good Friday walk due to Foot and Mouth disease, contrasting it with a successful Easter-egg rolling event. He also describes a visit to Ladywell, a pilgrimage site.

• Notes and News:
• Ley tour in Holland: Rienk Noordhuis reports on the popularity of leys in Holland, with tourist boards organizing ley tours that include dowsing rods.
• London Earth Mysteries Circle: Upcoming events are listed, including talks on Templars, witch-hunters, psychometry, UFOs, and sacred sites.
• TEMS: Information on upcoming events in Hampton, including talks on Minoan Crete, Atlantis, and Megalithic Art.

Other Articles and Items

• Sunday 9th December - TEMS Christmas Party: Booking essential.
• Sunday 27th January - UFOs and Swirled Circles: Talk by John Sayer.
• Sunday 24th February - Geography of Celtic Myths: Talk by Ken Rees.
• SEMG member injured by tree branch: Charles Refoy of SEMG was injured by a falling tree branch during a protest.
• English Heritage repairing Silbury: Repair work is being done on a hole in Silbury Hill caused by treasure hunters.
• Magical Mystery Tor: An advertisement for a property described as being on a 'Michael layline' near Glastonbury.
• Reply to SETI: A discussion of a crop formation near Chilbolton, described as a human face and a binary pattern pictogram, possibly a reply to a NASA message. The article references Alan Watts' book 'UFO Quest'.

Book and CD-ROM Reviews/Promotions

• The Hidden Unity and Beginnings: A booklet by Jimmy Goddard exploring subconscious ley siting, worship, and discoveries in earth energy, antigravity, and solar transition effects. It concludes with an account of Alfred Watkins' discovery of leys.
• Earth People, Space People: A booklet by Tony Wedd detailing extraterrestrial contact claims, the STAR Fellowship, and evidence for life in the Solar System.
• The Legacy of Tony Wedd: A CD-ROM based on Tony Wedd's exhibition on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology.

Touchstone Subscription: Information on subscribing to the newsletter.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are ley lines, their energetic properties, and their connection to ancient sites, places of worship, and historical landscapes. The Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, through its newsletter Touchstone, promotes investigation into these phenomena, encouraging the reporting of personal experiences and field observations. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into earth mysteries, with a particular focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of ley hunting and the interpretation of unusual phenomena like crop circles and potential extraterrestrial contact.