Touchstone

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 72
Date: January 2006
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group
Focus: Earth Mysteries, Ley Lines, Folklore, Archaeology

The E-Line in to Hampshire

This article details the discovery and investigation of the E-line, a wide and powerful ley identified by Eileen Roche and Gordon Millington in 1990. The ley runs through west Surrey and Hampshire, and the authors explore various sites along its path. Eileen Roche mentioned a potential henge on the ley near Bordon, Hampshire. Investigating this stretch revealed several other points of interest, including a 'worm' legend commemorated by local Morris dancers on May Day.

Hambledon Church was visited in 1990 and dowsed as being on the E-line. Eileen Roche also picked up the ley on a minor road near Hydons Ball. While the ley does not pass through the summit of Hydons Ball, it runs along a sunken track skirting the hill. This phenomenon, where points are off the theoretical line but on it in reality due to the ley's width, is noted as common for wide leys. Hydons Ball was historically known as Cup Hill, possibly due to a crater used for lime digging, though it is now flat with a concrete-capped water reservoir. Scots pines are present, along with a stone seat.

The article mentions Olivia Hill, a founder of the National Trust, whose Cuphill Morris group performs the play "The Worm of Wormley Hill, or the Luck of Hydons Ball" on May Day. This play shares themes with the St. George and the Dragon legend. The 'worm' legend is compared to the more famous Lambton Worm in Yorkshire. The 'worm' is described as wingless, scaly, snake-like, with poisonous breath and the ability to regenerate after being cut. The article notes that dragons in folklore are often associated with guarding treasure, sacred wells, hillocks, springs, and deep caves, possibly linking to ancient religious beliefs and chthonic forces.

Moving westwards from Hambledon Church, the E-line passes through Wormley Hill, identified by earthwork terraces. The house on the hill is called "Findings". A footpath curves around the hill, becoming a sunken lane coincident with the ley. The ley then goes through Wormley Church and continues to the Devil's Punchbowl at Hindhead, where it was picked up in April 1991. It then proceeds through The Beacon at Hindhead, Grayshott Hill, and Walldown Enclosure south of Bordon. Walldown Enclosure is described as a spectacular earthwork used as fieldworks during the English Civil War (1642-1645), with possible earlier origins.

The Effra Road Ley

This section discusses a ley found near Effra Road in Wimbledon. The author, while early for a TEMS meeting, discovered a ley centre among trees opposite the top of Effra Road. This narrow ley runs up Effra Road and passes through eight churches. It also goes through Streatham, a Roman road crossing, a church in Wimbledon, and continues towards Hampton Court Palace, Molesey, Shepperton, and Chertsey. The article notes the Catholic church in Chertsey, Lyne Church, and Staple Hill on Chobham Common. Queen Victoria reviewed troops near Staple Hill before the Crimean War. Additionally, a Hindu temple dedicated to Ganesh, originally the Churchill Halls, is mentioned as being converted in 1979.

More Leys to the Blackdowns

While travelling between the Blackdown Hills and Wells, the author noticed a mark point clump of Scots pines on Pedwell Hill, near Street. This location has several interesting leys running to points in the Blackdown Hills. One ley links the church at Othery to Churchstanton church. Another goes through Burrow Mump and Orchard Portman Church. A third ley comes from St. Cuthbert's Church, Wells, through Pedwell Hill and Corfe Church. These leys are described as moderately wide, with measurements of 20 to 24 paces.

Churchstanton church is noted as being far from any settlement today. A legend associated with the Blackdowns suggests a great city existed there a thousand years before Arthur Pendragon, which possessed a secret of hardening iron. This secret was revealed by a chieftain, leading to the city's destruction. The great city gates were taken to Brussels, and only the sword Excalibur was saved. The Church at Churchstanton is said to be built on the city's holy site. The legend also mentions the devil appearing as a giant Calf and that touching large stones in Churchstanton brings ill luck.

The Pedwell-Churchstanton ley passes through a church at Haybridge near Wells, skirts Hay Hill, and continues to Pedwell Hill and Othery Church. It then proceeds through a crossroads south-east of Stoke St. Mary, and places named Winter Well and Witch Lodge. It goes through Holman Clavel and reaches Churchstanton Church. Another ley from Pedwell Hill to Corfe goes through St. Cuthbert's Church, Wells, skirts Hay Hill, and continues to Glastonbury Lake Village, then Pedwell Hill, and a multijunction at Knapp. It passes close to Stoke St. Mary and Thornfalcon churches. This ley also goes to a trig point at Ridgewood Hill and a crossroads at Windsor Farm. The Pedwell to Burrow Mump ley runs parallel to a road in Coxley, then through Glastonbury Heath, Pedwell Hill, and Burrow Mump. It continues along the A361 and goes to a crossroads north of North Curry, Orchard Portman Church, and Poundisford Park. A Roman road ley runs south-west through Pawlett and Puriton Churches, and eventually to Ilchester. It then goes through Pedwell Hill and Wickham's Cross.

Letters

Norman Darwen from Bolton, Lancashire, provides information on St. Anne's Well in Buxton, noting its reputation for good tea and its potential to help women conceive.

Gordon Harris from Frodsham, Cheshire, shares his thoughts on wide leys, referencing his previous writings for Northern Earth. He suggests that leys are former courses of straight tracks, often radiating from nodal points, and are found internationally in various forms, such as ancient roads and alignments.

Notes and News

This section includes announcements for London Earth Mysteries Circle meetings and TEMS meetings, featuring various talks and field trips. A special mention is made of a Time Team program investigating Durrington Walls, where a large henge site and a Neolithic road were discovered. The sandjar ley power detector is reported to be working again after replacing the sand. The article also discusses a Roman road bank near Egham, noting its flat top supports the idea that it is part of a road, with a ley running along it.

Circular leys in Wiltshire, plotted by Tony Emery, are presented, showing precise diameters and a line drawn through their centers parallel to the St. Michael Line.

Publications

Several publications are advertised:

• The Hidden Unity and Beginnings: Explores subconscious siting of ley points and the prevalence of worship sites on leys. It investigates the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking and the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Scunthorpe, with an appendix on Pagan religion. It costs £2 plus 30p p&p.
• Beginnings: A series of discoveries by Jimmy Goddard over twenty years, including earth energy detection, natural antigravity, subconscious siting, ley width, and cognitive dissonance. It concludes with an account of Alfred Watkins' ley discoveries. It costs £2 plus 30p p&p.
• Earth People, Space People: A booklet by Tony Wedd detailing extraterrestrial contact claims, the history of the STAR Fellowship, evidence for life in the Solar System, and extraterrestrial language. It costs £2 plus 30p p&p.
• The Legacy of Tony Wedd: A CD-ROM of Tony Wedd's travelling exhibition on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology. It costs £12.

Touchstone newsletter is available for £2 for four quarterly issues from J. Goddard.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of Touchstone are the investigation of ley lines, particularly the E-line, and their connection to ancient sites, folklore, and earth energies. The magazine promotes a perspective that integrates archaeological findings with esoteric and historical research, encouraging readers to explore these phenomena through dowsing and field trips. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into earth mysteries, presenting findings from various researchers and inviting reader contributions, as evidenced by the 'Letters' section and the detailed event listings.