Alfred Watkins (27 January 1855 – 15 April 1935) was an English author, self-taught amateur archaeologist, antiquarian and businessman who, while standing on a hillside in Herefordshire, England, in 1921 experienced a revelation. He noticed on the British landscape an apparent arrangement of straight lines positioned along ancient features. For these he subsequently coined the term "ley", now usually referred to as ley line, because the line passed through places whose names contained the syllable "ley".[1]
Alfred Watkins
Alfred Watkins
Born
(1855-01-27)27 January 1855
Imperial Hotel in Widemarsh Street, Hereford, England
Watkins was born in Hereford to an affluent family which had moved to the town in 1820 to establish several businesses including a flour-mill, a hotel and brewery. Watkins travelled across Herefordshire as an 'out-rider' representing the family businesses and so got to know the area intimately.
Watkins Exposure Meter with timing chain, manufactured by R Fields & Co, Birmingham. Note: this is not the later, pocket-watch shaped, Watkins Bee Meter. Photo: Tony French
Watkins was active in the Photographic Convention of the United Kingdom and served as its president when it was held in Hereford in 1907. In 1910 he was awarded the Progress Medal of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS).[3] Instituted in 1878, the medal honours any invention, research, publication or other contribution resulting in an important advance in the scientific or technological development of photography or imaging in the widest sense. It also carries with it Honorary Fellowship of the society.[4] Over 3,000 photographs, taken from Alfred's original glass negative plates are held by Hereford Library.
In photography, Watkins began with a primitive pinhole camera made from a cigar box. He devised an "exposure meter" after exploring the mathematical relations of light, lens size and exposure period. He published findings in the April 1890 edition of the British Journal of Photography and patented his exposure meter. The Watkins Meter Company was active for over 40 years and exported all over the world. The device contributed much to photography's emergence as a mass-market art form. His Watkins Manual of Exposure and Development (1900), ran to eleven editions.[5]
On 30 June 1921, Watkins visited Blackwardine in Herefordshire and had the idea that there was a system of straight lines crossing the landscape dating from Neolithic times. He presented his ideas at a meeting of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club of Hereford in September 1921, and published his first books Early British Trackways in 1922 and The Old Straight Track in 1925. Thereafter he spent a major part of his life developing his theory. He published a further book on leys and participated in the Old Straight Track Club from 1927 to 1935. (Its papers are also in the Hereford City Museum.)
Archaeologists in general do not accept Watkins' ideas on leys. At first they regarded the ancient Britons as too primitive to have devised such an arrangement, but this is no longer the argument used against the existence of leys. More crucially, there are so many ancient features that finding some in approximate alignment is highly likely. Watkins was sensitive to such arguments and argued for caution. He also drew up a list according to which landscape features could be given values between 1⁄4 and 1 point, five points or more being required as evidence of a ley.
Watkins' work resurfaced in popularised form from the 1960s following the publication of John Michell's book The View over Atlantis in 1969. Michell merged Watkins' ideas with mystical concepts not present in Watkins' own work.[6] In 2004, John Bruno Hare of the Internet Sacred Texts Archive (ISTA) wrote:
Watkins never attributed any supernatural significance to leys; he believed that they were simply pathways that had been used for trade or ceremonial purposes, very ancient in origin, possibly dating back to the Neolithic, certainly pre-Roman. .. He was an intensely rational person with an active intellect, and I think he would be a bit disappointed with some of the fringe aspects of ley lines today.
Alfred Watkins's Herefordshire in his own Words and Photographs, Logaston Press, 14 November 2012. A previously unpublished manuscript, written in 1931
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfred Watkins, 1855-1935.
^Clive L. N. Ruggles, Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopaedia Of Cosmologies and Myth, p. 224 (ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2005). ISBN1-85109-477-6
^"Trove". trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^, Royal Photographic Society, archived from the original on 22 August 2012, retrieved 2 August 2011
^"The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55540. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
, www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk, Hereford Sites and Monuments Record, 2 March 2015, archived from the original on 2 December 2008
Alfred Watkins, A Herefordshire Man by Ron Shoesmith Logaston Press, 1990
Biographical introduction to Alfred Watkins' Herefordshire in his own words and photographs by Ron & Jennifer Shoesmith; Logaston Press; November 2012
Herefordshire Then & Now: A photographic journey with Alfred Watkins by Jim Wood – 20 April 2015
March 03, 2023
alfred, watkins, welsh, footballer, alfred, ernest, watkins, sound, engineer, watkins, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, ci. For the Welsh footballer see Alfred Ernest Watkins For the sound engineer see A W Watkins This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations March 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Alfred Watkins 27 January 1855 15 April 1935 was an English author self taught amateur archaeologist antiquarian and businessman who while standing on a hillside in Herefordshire England in 1921 experienced a revelation He noticed on the British landscape an apparent arrangement of straight lines positioned along ancient features For these he subsequently coined the term ley now usually referred to as ley line because the line passed through places whose names contained the syllable ley 1 Alfred WatkinsAlfred WatkinsBorn 1855 01 27 27 January 1855Imperial Hotel in Widemarsh Street Hereford EnglandDied15 April 1935 1935 04 15 aged 80 NationalityBritishOccupation s Photographer authorKnown forLey lines The Old Straight TrackSpouseMarion Mendham CrossChildrenAllen MarionParent s Charles Watkins Ann Watkins Contents 1 Life 2 Legacy 2 1 Books by Alfred Watkins 3 References 3 1 BiographiesLife EditWatkins was born in Hereford to an affluent family which had moved to the town in 1820 to establish several businesses including a flour mill a hotel and brewery Watkins travelled across Herefordshire as an out rider representing the family businesses and so got to know the area intimately Watkins Exposure Meter with timing chain manufactured by R Fields amp Co Birmingham Note this is not the later pocket watch shaped Watkins Bee Meter Photo Tony French Watkins was also a respected photographer He made some cameras himself and manufactured an exposure meter called the Watkins Bee Meter due to its small size and efficiency An example is in the Museum Resource amp Learning Centre in Hereford Frank Hurley used Bee Meters while he was expedition photographer on the Australian explorer Douglas Mawson s Australasian Antarctic Expedition which departed in 1911 and returned in 1914 Hurley also used Bee Meters on Sir Ernest Shackleton s Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition which set out in 1914 The meters sank with the ship Endurance Another accompanied Herbert Ponting and Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole in 1910 2 Watkins was active in the Photographic Convention of the United Kingdom and served as its president when it was held in Hereford in 1907 In 1910 he was awarded the Progress Medal of the Royal Photographic Society RPS 3 Instituted in 1878 the medal honours any invention research publication or other contribution resulting in an important advance in the scientific or technological development of photography or imaging in the widest sense It also carries with it Honorary Fellowship of the society 4 Over 3 000 photographs taken from Alfred s original glass negative plates are held by Hereford Library In photography Watkins began with a primitive pinhole camera made from a cigar box He devised an exposure meter after exploring the mathematical relations of light lens size and exposure period He published findings in the April 1890 edition of the British Journal of Photography and patented his exposure meter The Watkins Meter Company was active for over 40 years and exported all over the world The device contributed much to photography s emergence as a mass market art form His Watkins Manual of Exposure and Development 1900 ran to eleven editions 5 On 30 June 1921 Watkins visited Blackwardine in Herefordshire and had the idea that there was a system of straight lines crossing the landscape dating from Neolithic times He presented his ideas at a meeting of the Woolhope Naturalists Field Club of Hereford in September 1921 and published his first books Early British Trackways in 1922 and The Old Straight Track in 1925 Thereafter he spent a major part of his life developing his theory He published a further book on leys and participated in the Old Straight Track Club from 1927 to 1935 Its papers are also in the Hereford City Museum Watkins was a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings an authority on beekeeping and a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society He was also involved in the preservation of Pembridge Market Hall in Herefordshire Legacy Edit A blue plaque marking Watkins home at Hereford Herefordshire Archaeologists in general do not accept Watkins ideas on leys At first they regarded the ancient Britons as too primitive to have devised such an arrangement but this is no longer the argument used against the existence of leys More crucially there are so many ancient features that finding some in approximate alignment is highly likely Watkins was sensitive to such arguments and argued for caution He also drew up a list according to which landscape features could be given values between 1 4 and 1 point five points or more being required as evidence of a ley Watkins work resurfaced in popularised form from the 1960s following the publication of John Michell s book The View over Atlantis in 1969 Michell merged Watkins ideas with mystical concepts not present in Watkins own work 6 In 2004 John Bruno Hare of the Internet Sacred Texts Archive ISTA wrote Watkins never attributed any supernatural significance to leys he believed that they were simply pathways that had been used for trade or ceremonial purposes very ancient in origin possibly dating back to the Neolithic certainly pre Roman He was an intensely rational person with an active intellect and I think he would be a bit disappointed with some of the fringe aspects of ley lines today John Bruno Hare 17 June 2004 7 In 2002 Watkins had a beer named after him Watkins Triumph brewed by Wye Valley Brewery Ltd 8 Books by Alfred Watkins Edit Early British Trackways Moats Mounds Camps and Sites Simpkin Marshall Hamilton Kent amp Co London The Watkins Meter Hereford 1922 The Old Straight Track its mounds beacons moats sites and mark stones 1925 The Ley Hunter s Manual 1927 Alfred Watkins s Herefordshire in his own Words and Photographs Logaston Press 14 November 2012 A previously unpublished manuscript written in 1931References Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfred Watkins 1855 1935 Clive L N Ruggles Ancient Astronomy An Encyclopaedia Of Cosmologies and Myth p 224 ABC CLIO Inc 2005 ISBN 1 85109 477 6 Trove trove nla gov au Retrieved 14 July 2021 Progress medal Royal Photographic Society archived from the original on 22 August 2012 retrieved 2 August 2011 Server error the Royal Photographic Society Archived from the original on 22 August 2012 The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press 2004 doi 10 1093 ref odnb 55540 Subscription or UK public library membership required Gary Lachman 2003 Turn Off Your Mind The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius The Disinformation Company p 295 Early British Trackways Index Sacred texts com 17 June 2004 Retrieved 22 July 2012 Wye Valley Watkins Triumph Biographies Edit ALFRED WATKINS 1855 1935 www herefordwebpages co uk Alfred Watkins 1855 to 1935 www smr herefordshire gov uk Hereford Sites and Monuments Record 2 March 2015 archived from the original on 2 December 2008 Alfred Watkins A Herefordshire Man by Ron Shoesmith Logaston Press 1990 Biographical introduction to Alfred Watkins Herefordshire in his own words and photographs by Ron amp Jennifer Shoesmith Logaston Press November 2012 Herefordshire Then amp Now A photographic journey with Alfred Watkins by Jim Wood 20 April 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alfred Watkins amp oldid 1108903873, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
