What is a Ley Line

What is a Ley Line? 

The term Ley Line refers to a geometrical alignment of ancient sites. These alignments form straight lines, some across massive distances, marked by neolithic monuments, hill tops, churches, cathedrals and even modern buildings. 

The term Ley Line was first used by Sir Alfred Watkins in his books, Old British Trackways and The OId Straight Track, following his discovery of Ley Lines in 1921. Although Watkins is famed for coining the phrase Ley Line although it is probably a term used well in advance of his discovery. Watkins himself chose this term for his discovery because he noticed that many of the settlements that these lines passed through had the word Ley, Lea, Leigh in their name. So I am sure you would agree that he rediscovered this term.  

Alfred Watkins himself did not see any any mystical purpose to the Ley Lines. His conclusion was that Neolithic man had erected these structures and taken advantage of natural peaks and features in order to create track ways that could be navigated by eye and line of site. This network of track ways would have been neolithic mans road network and map in one. 

At the time of Watkins publishing his books the main argument against his Ley Line theory was that the neolithic man was not sophisticated enough to implement such a system. This argument has long since been dismissed as a greater understanding of neolithic society has been discovered and indicates that the people in this age were capable of such feats. A second argument, something Watkins himself was cautious of, is that if you have a sufficient amount of monuments and markers this will inevitably result in straight lines. Watkins inspired people to go Ley Line hunting and he created a point system so that the validity of a Ley Line could be measured and tested. He concluded that a true Ley could only be confirmed if it passed through at least 4 significant sites and peaks, to act as view points. Here is his points system...

Mounds 1 Point 
Stones 2  Point 
Circular Moats 1 Point
Castles 1 Point
Beacon's 1  Point 
Traditional Wells 1 Point 
Churches 3/4 Point (some later ley hunters have given churches a full point)
Crossroads (if named ancient) 3/4 Point 
Road Alignments (higher value if 1-1/2 miles or over) 1 Point  or 1/4 Point 
Fords (higher value if notched) 3/4 Point or 1/2 Point 
Tree Groups (higher value if on hilltop with ancient name) 3/4 Point  1/4 Point 
Single Trees (only if ancient and named) 1/2 Point 
Notches 1/2 Point 
Track Junctions 1/2 Point 
Camps 1/2 Point 
Ponds 1/4 Point Square Moats 1/4 Point     

The total points would test the validity of one Ley Line compared to another. Although I greatly admire Alfred Watkins initial discovery and his scientific dedication to his theory I feel that time and technological advances have taken the theory of ley lines to a greater and more interesting place. An example of this would be churches. I have discovered through research that after the Roman's introduction of Christianity in the UK the pagans were easier to convert if the churches were built in the center of their sacred site. It would seem it was the location that revered. To me Churches on such sites should be given a greater significance. This is information that can now be readily found on the internet, a luxury that Watkins himself did not have. 

The research following Watkins findings have resulted in what would appear as a disjointed network of ancient sites in an undoubted linear fashion. However I feel that this is the result of a variety of factors such as misguided research and an incomplete survey of the lines. The UK is a prime example of this and we can see from the UK Ley Line map that there does not appear to be an easily identifiable pattern or logic behind the lines as a collective. 

  

I believe that if we can identify a Ley Line that spans between cultures that would have had no interaction it adds significance to the Ley Line and also raises significant doubt over Watkins' theory that these sites were used as navigation tools. Even if different societies used this technique the statistical chances of these lines aligning is such that this can not presented as a rational theory. Lines like these have been identified world wide and there is very strong argument being presented that ancient sites are in fact all connected by a world wide network of geometrical alignments. If we believe this is the case it raises a variety of interesting points. One being that this would disprove Alfred Watkins hypothesis that these were used exclusively as line of site paths for navigation. If you have discounted this then it leaves you with the interesting conundrum of how these "man made" alignments that clearly include natural features of significance. It could be then argued that the existence of world wide Ley Lines implies a global initiative, world wide co-operation or mutual understanding between man and nature. All of these would of course suggest a very different prehistoric culture to that currently perceived.