Touchstone - No 094 - 2011 07

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 94
Date: July 2011
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group

This issue of Touchstone, a newsletter from the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, focuses on the 50th anniversary of Tony Wedd's first STAR Rally at Chiddingstone. The articles explore the connections between ley lines, ancient sites, and UFO sightings in the Surrey area and beyond.

Return to Chiddingstone - 50 Years On

The main article revisits Chiddingstone, fifty years after Tony Wedd's STAR Rally. Philip Heselton, Hilary Byers, and the author returned to the village and Tye Cross, Tony Wedd's home, to investigate ley points mentioned in Wedd's booklet "Skyways and Landmarks." This booklet proposed a link between leys and flying saucer sightings, inspired by Aime Michel's work on UFO concentrations in France in 1954.

Upon entering Chiddingstone, the steep bank west of the church was noted and found to be a rectangular banked enclosure. A ley passing through the church was dowsed as 16 paces wide, heading eastwards through Hever Church, Chiddingstone Church, The Grove, a track south of Leigh, and Tonbridge Castle.

The article describes the historic Tudor village centre and mentions that while some shops are old, they cannot claim to be the oldest, as some on Watling Street are on Roman foundations. After coffee, the group visited the Chiding Stone, a large outcrop where two leys meet. A smaller stone nearby with a depression was theorised to be a libation bowl. Both leys meeting at the Chiding Stone were dowsed as 16 paces wide. One ley leads to Trottiscliffe long barrow, and the other to Saxonbury hillfort.

Ley Lines and UFO Sightings in the Area

Two specific leys originating from the Chiding Stone are detailed:

1. The first ley passes through "The Grove" west of the village and continues through Wilderness Farm clump, over Mark Beech hill, through the Chiding Stone, to "The Grove" west of the village, then a coincident road at Ivy Hatch, and finally the Trottiscliffe long barrow. This ley was dowsed as 16 paces wide. It was also identified by Paul Devereux as a significant ley.
2. The second ley starts at Piggots Cross, continues through Bough Beech, Chiddingstone Church, and the Chiding Stone. It then proceeds through The Grove near Penshurst, a crossroads near Smart's Hill, a multijunction at Eridge Green, and Saxonbury hillfort. Saxonbury hillfort is described as a defended enclosure occupied as a permanent settlement with a 1st-century BC ditch and rampart.

The Chiding Stone is noted as a prominent landmark, and Tony Wedd had envisioned a Space Festival there with George Adamski speaking.

Another ley, Tony Wedd's Mark Beech to Chiddingstone Castle ley, passes through a sharp bend on the road to Gilwyns. This ley appears to have more points than Wedd mentioned, starting at a Roman road junction, passing through Mark Beech clump, Wilderness Farm clump, and Chiddingstone Castle. It then goes through Chested clump, Fletchers Green, a crossroads on the A21, One Tree Hill, a church in Stone Street, and finally Oldbury Hill hillfort east of Sevenoaks, where it meets the E-line. This ley was dowsed as 20 paces wide.

Mark Beech is highlighted as a significant point for Tony Wedd's flying saucer connection, with a sighting in 1960. The article quotes Wedd from "Skyways and Landmarks" describing a UFO sighting at Keston on August 16th, reported to Gavin Gibbons and the Kent Area Investigator (Tony himself). Another sighting at Mark Beech by Mrs. Everest, a pulsating white light, was also reported. This sighting returned to Keston on August 26th, seen by Mrs. Clark and her mother. These marks align on Beacon Hill, Crowborough. Mark Beech is described as a striking hilltop, significant for its triangulation station and a clump of mixed trees, including Scots Pine, which Alfred Watkins also noted as marking ley points.

Further Ley Investigations

Continuing towards Gilwyns, the ley from Chiddingstone Castle to the Sevenoaks Bypass clump was dowsed as 20 paces wide. This ley passes through Chiddingstone Hoath, the Castle, and the Sevenoaks Bypass clump. It crosses the E-line at Cold Arbour. Tony Wedd reported a UFO sighting hovering over Chiddingstone Hoath in 1967 by Miss Ginnie Lockhart and a friend.

Finally, the road to Tye Cross was taken, where the first STAR Rally was held. A ley to the Valence clump goes through this area and was found to be another 20-pace ley. This ley passes through Rotherfield, Sandhill Farm, Burrswood, Stone Cross, Lew Cross Farm, Chiddingstone Castle, Bough Beech, and Outridge Farm clump, and the Valence clump. It may cross the E-line near Outridge Farm clump.

The Sevenoaks Bypass clump, a small clump of Scots pine near the A21, is also discussed. This clump is part of the "Healing Lines" system, which Tony Wedd believed was a radial system of alignments centred on Chiddingstone, linked to psychic Mary Long's claims of contact with an extraterrestrial named Attalita. These lines were believed to have healing centres.

A Cornish Church on the E-Line

This article by Bob Shave details the E-line ley in Cornwall. The E-line was dowsed in Surrey and other parts of England, with Jimmy Goddard dowsing its westernmost point in mainland Britain at Cape Cornwall. The ley crosses the Hayle estuary near St. Ives.

The article focuses on Lelant, a sacred site on the E-line. It recounts the story of four siblings (Anta, Ia, Ercus, and Uny) who arrived as missionaries from Ireland around 500 AD. Anta, Ia, and Ercus gave their names to local towns. St. Uny stayed in the Lelant area, and the church there is dedicated to him. The medieval parish of Lelant was known as Saint Eunius-de-Lanante. A document from 1500 mentions a chapel dedicated to St. Anta, while a 1679 reference points to a church near the sea that had been buried by sand. The church of St. Uny, built on higher ground, survives today and is on the E-line.

The author visited St. Uny's church and churchyard, noting the special atmosphere and sanctity. Four Cornish crosses are present in the churchyard, possibly one for each saint. The church is set back from the town on high ground overlooking the estuary.

Inside the church, stained glass depicts the four saints and St. George spearing a dragon. The article questions if the church is built on a pre-Christian sacred site, noting that the tall churchyard cross could be a Christianised standing stone.

The conclusion states that the E-line in west Cornwall has a significant sacred site related to early Christian history, with four missionaries spreading the gospel from the area. The churchyard crosses attest to the site's importance, and it is described as a place of great tranquillity.

A footnote mentions swallows nesting in the church, with a charming notice from 'The Swallow family' apologising for any inconvenience.

Letter by Alfred Watkins on Scots Pine Tree Clumps

This reprinted letter from 1923 discusses Alfred Watkins' observations on Scots pine trees and their connection to prehistoric tracks. Watkins noted that Scots fir (Pinus sylvestris) is characteristic of prehistoric tracks and their high places, often marking sighting points or crossing points of tracks. He observed clumps of Scots firs marking the summits of hills, such as Coles Tump and Coles Hill in Herefordshire. He also noted that an avenue of Scotch firs often forms part of an ancient straight track, and groups of these trees on mounds, sometimes with other trees like wych elm, gather around them.

Watkins states that Scotch firs seem to belong to prehistoric tracks in England, unlike other trees, and their rapid growth suggests many generations have propagated on these spots. He concludes that they do not spread naturally and are not part of general woodland, calling them a "weird survival."

Notes and News

• Merlin's Barrow found to be prehistoric: An artificial mound at Marlborough College, previously thought to be Merlin's burial place, has been revealed by the Marlborough Mound Trust to have been built around 2400 BC, similar to Silbury Hill. This suggests it may be older than previously assumed, and potentially linked to leys.
• Holy Well ley on the Poldens: An investigation into an alignment of three holy wells on the Polden Ridge in Somerset (Chilton Polden, Edington, and Shapwick) is ongoing. The Shapwick well is adjacent to a former church site, and the ley also passes through Shapwick manor house and Glastonbury Tor.

Letter from Norman Darwen

Norman Darwen writes about Overton Church in Lancashire, noting its location on a potential Roman settlement site. He mentions a UFO sighting near Heysham Power Station in June 2011 and a "white disc" reported over Lancaster.

Advertisements

The issue includes advertisements for:

• MEYN MAMVRO: Ancient stones & sacred sites in Cornwall, offering guides and publications.
• The Hidden Unity and Beginnings: Booklets by J. Goddard exploring ley points, Pagan religion, and earth energy detection.
• Earth People, Space People: A booklet by Tony Wedd detailing extraterrestrial contact claims.
• The Legacy of Tony Wedd: A CD-ROM of Tony Wedd's exhibition on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology.
• Touchstone Subscription: The newsletter is available for £4 for four quarterly issues from J. Goddard.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores the intersection of earth mysteries, including ley lines, ancient sites, and prehistoric landscapes, with phenomena such as UFO sightings and unexplained events. There is a strong emphasis on historical research, dowsing, and the work of figures like Tony Wedd and Alfred Watkins. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, presenting findings and historical accounts for the reader's consideration. The increase in subscription price due to postage costs indicates a practical, ongoing operation of the publication.