Journal of Geomancy vol. 3 no. 4, July 1979
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Alfred Watkins’s last book, published three years before his death at the age of 80, was Archaic Tracks Round Cambridge, published in 1932. In it, Watkins published no less than 61 leys which are reproduced below.
Watkins was an elderly man when he published this book, and there is internal evidence that the leys were done from mapwork only. Certain idioms, for example “Petty Cury crossroads”, hint at map-only work. Petty Cury does not form a crossroads, though the site referred to is very important, being the site of a former city gate and a crossing-point over the King’s Ditch which acted as a defensive city boundary.
Although these leys were published 47 years ago, little research has since been carried out on them, and they have not been adequately checked.
The I.G.R. is setting up a project to study these leys. Titled The Cambridgeshire Ley Project (CLP), it will begin this summer with map and fieldwork co-ordinated by JOG editor Nigel Pennick. The I.G.R. welcomes any offers of assistance, especially with the large amount of fieldwork which is necessitated. A fund has been set up to buy maps etc., and any donations towards this are more than welcome. The results of this work will be published by the I.G.R. at a future date, and progress reports will appear in future issues of the JOG.
The complete list of Watkins’s leys is appended below. It will be seen that some of the lines are not ‘good leys’ in the accepted sense, being based only upon road alignments, or even, as in ley 47, only 2 churches. There may be other important points which were not covered, and so fieldwork on all these lines is imperative. If anyone wishes to help this project in any way, please contact Nigel Pennick at Phone (STD).
1/ Coldharbour Farm – Scotland Farm – 2 miles of the Madingley Road – Magdalene Bridge – Butts Green – footpath across Coldham’s Common – Six Mile Bottom crossroads.
2/ Fenstanton church – 4½ miles of the Huntingdon Road – ancient cemetery at Girton – Cambridge Castle Mound.
3/ Longstanton Church – 1 mile straight road – east vallum of camp – St. Clement’s – Round Church – Petty Cury crossroads – Hills Road.
4/ Belsar’s Hill camp – Woodhouse Farm – Mount Pleasant (Roman rampart) – Mill Pit and footpath – Great Shelford church – Strethall church.
5/ Roman camp south of Ely – 2 miles of Akeman Street – Mount Pleasant – Barrington ch.
6/ Milton moat – Chesterton moat – Petty Cury xrds – Mill Pit (2 boundary stones) – Haslingfield ch – tumulus beyond Morden Grange.
7/ ½ mi road at Horningsea – Horningsea ch – Midsummer Common – St Clement’s (orientated) – Barton moat and ch – Thorn Hill.
8/ Whaddon ch – Hoback Farm – Harston road junction – camp at Shelford – Fulbourn ch – Great Wilbraham ch – ch in Newmarket. {88}
9/ Moat near Guilden Morden – Wendy moat – Wimpole circular pond – Orwell ch – Harlton ch – part of Newmarket Road – Barnwell St. Andrew’s – Fen Ditton ch.
10/ Ancient ch at Malton Farm – Little Shelford ch – Great Shelford ch – centre of Wandlebury – Six Mile Bottom crossroads – Cheveley Castle.
11/ Tadlow moat – Fox Hill – Trumpington church – Cherry Hinton church – Beacon farm –2 miles of the Icknield Way.
12/ Great Eversden ch – Little Eversden ch – north vallum of Shelford Camp – Copley Hill tumulus – The Tower – road at Weston Colville – xrds and ch at Carlton.
13/ Little Gransden ch – Kingston ch – Comberton ch – Barton ch – Fulbourn ch – Fulbourn moat.
14/ Caxton Gibbet xrds – Hardwick moat – Great St. Mary’s – Market Hill – Petty Cury xrds – Teversham ch – Little Wilbraham churchyard – centre of circular enclosure at Allington Hill – fiveways crossroads at Stetchworth – Stetchworth rd jncn.
15/ Rd jncn at Papworth – Boxworth ch – Noon Folly Farm – Oakington ch – Landbeach moat – Waterbeach xrds.
16/ 4 miles of Ermine Street – Caxton Gibbet – Kingston moat – Melbourn Bury – Munsey Farm – Barley church.
17/ Conington ch – moat at Lolworth – (possible alignment of trees at Bar Hill, now cut down – N.P.) – Girton ch – Arbury camp – 2¼ miles of the F1eam Dike – Six Mile Bottom xrds – The Chantry.
18/ Noon Folly Farm – Goffer’s Knoll – Noon’s Folly Farm nr. Royston – high point nr. Barley.
19/ Exning ch – the Abbey, Swaffham Prior – Anglesea Abbey – mile of Chesterton Road –Cambridge Castle mound.
20/ West Wickham moat – Mark’s Grave (also known as The Middle of the World – N.P.) – ½ mile field path – Linton ch – Chrishall Down – Barley Hill.
21/ Sturmer ch – moat at Horsham Hall – Ashdon Hill – Elmdon ch – Chrishall xrds – Great Chishill ch.
22/ Stream crossing at Steeple Bumpstead – Helions moat – Goldstones – Heavy Hill – Burloes – tumuli – the Bury, Ashwell.
23/ Shudy Camps ch – Hildersham ch – ½ mile of field road – Trumpington ch – Grantchester ch.
24/ Latchley’s Farm moat – Helions moat – Castle Camps moat – Castle Camps ch – Bartlow ch – Linton ch.
25/ Helions moat – Carlton Green road jncn – Carlton xrds and ch – moat below Burrough Green – moat – 1/3 mile village road at Stetchworth.
26/ Pen Hills – south end & ¼ mile road at Bassingbourn – Kingston Wood moat– Bourn rd jncn – tumulus north of Bourn.
27/ Cold Harbour – Hatley Gate – 1¼ mile track – Little Gransden ch – Great Gransden ch – moat below Eltisley – Papworth St Agnes ch.
28/ North edge of Arbury Camp – tumulus near Morden Grange – 2 tumuli – Royston ch – 2 miles of the Icknield Way – Noon’s Folly Farm – Bartlow Hills.
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29/ Melbourn tumulus – Little Trees Hill – centre of Wandlebury – Fulbourn moat – Great Wilbraham ch.
30/ Hatley Gate – Hoback Farm – Newton ch – dogsleg in road at Newton – ¼ mile of road at Sawston – Sawston ch – Little Abingdon ch – West Wickham ch.
31/ Bridge crossing River Cam – Northend place and piece of road – 326′ hill point – crossroads near Pampisford Station (nodal point) – North Hills.
32/ Mortimers – Ashdon ch – centre of Allington Hill – tumulus – gap in the Devil’s Dike – road jncn nr Burwell.
33/ Ashwell ch – 1 mile of Ashwell St. – 1 mile of field track – the Spike rd jncn.
34/ North edge of Arbury Banks – 1¼ miles of Ashwell Street – Newton ch.
35/ Site of cemetery south of Littleton – 2 miles of Ashwell Street – Fowlmere ch – ¾ mile field road past Thriplow – Spike rd jncn.
36/ Boxworth ch – ½ mile straight road at Dry Drayton – Wrangling Corner – 1½ miles of Via Devana.
37/ 2 miles of Icknield Way through Thetford Road jncn – Beacon Farm – Cherry Hinton ch – Trumpington ch – Tadlow moat.
38/ 2 miles of Icknield Way – field road – rd jncn – road through Whittlesford – Thriplow tumulus – Goffer’s Knoll.
39/ 3 miles of Icknield Way – Fleam Dike at the Bedford Gap – Elmdonbury – Chrishall ch
40/ 2 miles of the Icknield Way – Duxford rd jncn – circular enclosure on hill point – Chishill Down.
41/ West Wratting ch – 1 mile of road nr Pampisford – Pampisford ch – Thriplow rd jncn – Melbourn tumulus – Limlow hill tumulus.
42/ 4 miles straight section of Ermine Street – Caxton Gibbet – Kingston Wood moat – Melbourn Bury – ½ mile road – Barley ch.
43/ Road jncn east of Papworth St. Agnes – moat east of Papworth Everard – 13½ miles of Ermine Street from Caxton Gibbet through Royston.
44/ Road jncn near Pampisford Station (now closed – N.P.) – 2¼ miles of straight road –Heath Farm moat – Pen Hills.
45/ Road jncn near Pampisford Station – Duxford ch – 2 miles of straight road.
46/ West Wickham moat – Mark’s Grave xrds – Linton ch – 1½ miles of straight road – Chishill Down.
47/ Exnal ch – Burwell ch.
48/ Henny Hill – Soldiers’ Hill edge – Impington ch – Coton ch.
49/ Caxton ch – zigzag in road – Toft ch – Caldecote ch – Croxton ch – Hail Weston – Yeldon ch – Yeldon castle hill.
50/ Great Avenue of Wimpole (now cut down, as it was an Elm avenue which suffered in the epiphytotic of Dutch Elm Disease – N.P.)
51/ Hill point – Heydon ch – section of road – boundary, track and tumulus of Valance Farm – Great Chesterford ch – xrds – Hadstock ch.
52/ Soham causeway – Ely Cathedral – Fordham Abbey.
53/ Moat at Manor Farm, Great Eversden – Grange Farm – St. Peter’s Cambridge – Chesterton moat – Biggin Abbey.
54/ Moat near Hatley – tower at Wimpole Avenue – Hauxton road jncn – Great Shelford ch – Stapleford road jncn – straight road and field track for 1¼ miles.
55/ Papworth Hall moat – Knapwell ch – Eye Hall – Swaffham Prior ch (ley parallel to No. 15).
56/ Papworth St. Agnes ch – Caxton Pastures moat – Hoback Farm – Melbourn tumulus – Heath Farm moat – Barley ch.
57/ Arbury Camp – Donkey’s Common (now Parkside Swimming Pool – N.P.) – road jncn at Sawston – Spike rd jncn – 3 mile straight road – Great Chesterford ch – Littlebury.
58/ South edge of Arbury Banks – Gofrer’s Knoll – Road jncn at ‘Coach and Horses’ – Hinxton xrds – Linton moat – West Wickham ch – 397′ high point.
59/ Royston crossroads – ¾ miles of Icknield Way – Noon’s Folly Farm – xrds – 1 mile of track – Ickleton ch – Haws Hill 272′ high point.
60/ Wiggens Green – Wigmore Pond – Goldstones – Byrds homestead – rd jncn – Littlebury ch – xrds near Catmere End.
61/ Tumulus north of Stunner Hall – Wiggens Green – Helions Bumpstead church – Helions moat – road jncn – section of road.