For centuries, intricate patterns in fields have captivated the human imagination, sparking debates about everything from extraterrestrial messages to elaborate hoaxes. As a resident of Wiltshire—a county known as a global hotspot for these formations—the mystery of crop circles is more than just a passing curiosity; it's a part of life. Let's delve into the history and folklore of these enigmatic designs.
Folklore and Early Accounts
The idea of mysteriously flattened crops is older than the term "crop circles" itself. The earliest known account comes from a 1678 woodcut called the "Mowing Devil," which tells the tale of a Hertfordshire farmer who, in a fit of rage, declared he'd rather have the devil mow his field than pay a laborer a fair wage. The next morning, his crop was found to be perfectly and eerily mowed in a way no mortal could have done. A few years later, in 1686, English naturalist Robert Plott proposed that rings of flattened crops and mushrooms were caused by airflows, an idea that resurfaced a century later when amateur scientist John Rand Capron attributed similar formations to "cyclonic wind action."
As the UFO craze took hold in the mid-20th century, the connection between mysterious objects and flattened crops became even stronger. In 1952, a "dehydrated ring" of vegetation appeared in Missouri after a reported UFO sighting. In 1966, a farm worker in Queensland, Australia, discovered a circular barren area known as a "nest" after witnessing a saucer-shaped object spin rapidly and speed away. Closer to home, a 1963 incident in a potato field near Shaftesbury, Dorset, involved an eight-foot crater that a policeman claimed was left by a glowing ball of orange light he saw descend into the field.
The Hoaxers and Modern Theories
While many early accounts leaned on folklore and natural phenomena, a new era began in 1976 when two friends, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, began making circles with a simple plank and a length of rope. They were inspired by a report of a UFO landing in Australia and soon started their own local campaign near Winchester. Over a decade, the pair claimed to have created hundreds of circles, even successfully fooling a "seriologist," an advocate of paranormal explanations, who had declared one of their formations authentic.
The duo would often listen to what experts said about "genuine" formations—such as the way the stalks were bent or the absence of ground depression—and then incorporate those features into their next creations, further adding to the mystery. While the two eventually confessed, the art of crop circles continues. It's a testament to the ingenuity and community of the people who make them. A recent insider tip even suggests that an injury to a key figure is the reason there have been fewer formations this season, proving that even with human involvement, the creation of crop circles remains a fascinating and highly secretive subculture.
Personal Encounters and Local Legends
For those living in a crop circle hotspot like Wiltshire, the mystery is up close and personal. A few years back, a circle appeared in a field right outside my village, with a pattern resembling the COVID vaccine symbol.
Nearby, the Crop Circle Museum in Honey Street provides a central hub for the community, located just opposite the famous Barge Inn, which was once a known UFO hotspot. Local rumors even suggest that the pub's previous owners paid people to make crop circles to attract tourists. Whether the stories are of celestial origins, the Mowing Devil, or clever human hands, the mystery of crop circles continues to capture the imagination of people around the world.