Alfred Watkins

Alfred Watkins, an English amateur archaeologist and photographer, first proposed the concept of ley lines in 1921. He theorized that these were invisible lines connecting significant landmarks across the landscape, which he believed were intentionally created by prehistoric traders for navigation. Watkins named these lines "leys" or "ley lines" after the Anglo-Saxon word for "a clearing in the woods." He also suggested that some ley lines aligned with celestial bodies, like Stonehenge, and that many churches were built on sites of ancient ley line markers. While academic archaeologists do not accept the theory, it gained popularity in New Age thought, with followers believing these lines possess sacred energies.12