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| Crop Circles
Archive 2001 |
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published on June 14, 2001 ONE of the biggest and most elaborate crop patterns ever to appear in Wiltshire has ruined about £1,400 worth of corn for Stanton St Bernard farmer Brian Read. THE verbal battle between crop circle makers and researchers into the phenomena has been rekindled with the appearance, rather later than usual, of formations in fields in the area. Circle maker Matthew Williams from Bishops Cannings, the first person to be prosecuted for making crop circles, says the late appearance of crop formations - the first ones appeared at Alton Barnes and Pewsey at the end of last month - vindicates his belief that all crop circles are man-made, though the circle makers claim they are guided by higher powers. He claims the late appearance of the circles was because crop circle makers did not want to risk spreading foot and mouth disease. He said: "A little damage to crops doesn't hurt that much, but the risk of spreading disease and the culling of hundreds of cattle is obviously something we all take very seriously." But researcher Professor Michael Glickman, who lives in Horton, said Mr Williams' claims were ridiculous. He said: "His posturing and that of his cohort deserves no comment. The circles are late this year simply because planting was delayed by the weather. But formations have now appeared and it looks like being a very good year." But Mr Williams hopes to up the ante in the battle of words by introducing an electronic 'double blind' into the proceedings. He said: "There is a scheme in place by circle makers this year to provide details anonymously of some circles in advance on a website." The designs would be encrypted and only after the patterns had actually appeared in fields would the keys to the encryptions be published. Mr Williams added: "Not all the circles will be put up there, because circle makers always want to keep an air of mystery going to keep researchers on their toes." But it is unlikely to settle the argument as circle researchers have always accepted that some circles are manmade. The others, they believe, were not created by men though they are not willing to be drawn on who or what does make them appear year after year. The first crop circle in Wiltshire this year appeared near Pewsey White Horse. Reported on May 25, it is crude compared to the sophisticated and intricate designs that have drawn worldwide attention in the last ten years. A more spectacular feature appeared in Berranburgh Field, Burderop, near Marlborough, on May 27, with one large circle intersected by three smaller ones. Two more primitive efforts were reported at Honeystreet, near Alton Barnes, on May 30. Prof Glickman is planning a free public lecture entitled Silbury Hill and the Crop Circles, which he hopes will take place in Devizes town hall in July. Mr Williams on the other hand, is planning a peaceful protest at conferences being organised by the researchers, including the next one at Cricklade College, Andover in July. Back to 2001 index |
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