How did John Aubrey and William Stukeley help create the popular link between druids and Stonehenge?

The popular association between Druids and Stonehenge was largely established by the work of 17th- and 18th-century antiquarians, specifically John Aubrey and William Stukeley.12

These scholars promoted the theory that Stonehenge and other Neolithic stone circles were temples constructed by the ancient Druids for their religious ceremonies. While Stukeley was a skilled field archaeologist whose surveys remain valuable, his interpretations were heavily influenced by romantic, speculative theorizing.34

This connection became deeply embedded in the popular imagination during the 18th century, despite being historically inaccurate. Modern archaeological evidence has established that stone circles like Stonehenge were built approximately 2,000 years before the Iron Age Druids recorded by Julius Caesar, and there is no evidence that Druids used these sites as ritual centers.142