Summary of Report on Rollright Stone Circle Investigation
Part Two: On Site
Investigation Conducted by Richard Haraldsson, Abraham Van Hasding, Carmilla Van Hasding: 28 August, 1899
Report submitted by Richard Haraldsson: 4 September, 1899
The Cross and Crowl Inn
c/o General Post,
Drakesheath,Gloucestershire,
England.

The Stones

The name "Rollright" has nothing to do with any tendency towards motion that the stones may have, but is derived from Hrolla-landriht (literally: "Land Belonging to Hrolla"), and by means of natural linguistic changes became "Rollright." On the other hand, we know from Sir Norman Lockyer's sketches of the site that between 1872 and 1890 several of the stones actually have moved. One possible explanation can be found in the legend which holds that on special nights of the year the King's Stone wanders down to the stream for a drink. But the same legend demands that he make his trip unaccompanied and return to the exact position from which he started. Another possibility is that there were errors in Sir Lockyer's sketches. This, however, seems even less probable since Sir Lockyer, in his position as Astronomer Royal, has the responsibility of tracking millions of stars. A few dozen rocks in the middle of a field should pose no problem — even if the exact number of these rocks remains a mystery. In all, the most probable explanation is that tourists and caretakers have straightened up those which have fallen.

Two of the stones have distinct carvings on them. One, located on the tallest stone, appears to be of a heraldic shield. The second, very indistinct, could be Ogham letters and are best seen before midday.

The Investigation

One of the aims of our investigation was to obtain a pictorial overview of the stones. something not done previously since there is no high ground in the vicinity. To this aim, the research team (which consisted of myself, Professor Van Hesding, and his daughter, Carmilla) attached one of our cameras to a large kite. From the shutter mechanism was hung a long pneumatic tube with a bulb to allow the operator on the ground to squeeze off a photograph when the camera appeared to be facing in the right direction, a difficult moment to judge. I am pleased to bequeath to the SPR almost a dozen photos of the sky and horizon around Rollright. Along with these I include one of the actual circle itself. Fortunately, this photo is of excellent quality and shows the stones from a dramatic new viewpoint.

Using the magnetometer, we then set about examining the stones to see if any possessed an anomolous electrical field. Such fields are not unusual in themselves, especially if there is iron ore to be found, but we hoped to discover stronger than normal fields which may, by acting upon the brain, explain some of the feelings of dislocation that visitors frequently report. While no strong fields were found, we did discover that in three of the stones the fields varied strongly over a period of time — a phenomenon not easily explained. The gradient, which should have remained constant, went through wild fluctuations during the course of 35 minutes, then settled down. The exact measurements will be included in the formal report to be sent later this month. Enclosed are some chippings from the rocks, which we obtained with permission of the caretakers, in hopes that laboratory analysis will provide some clues.

We next attempted to further explore the varying fields by inducing an electrical flow and measuring it by the gausmeter. Like many experiments in science, however, this one fell prey to insufficient attention to side variables (specifically, a water puddle and an electrical source). The results were less than satisfactory.

More interesting, and by far less dangerous, were the personal observations. While I was attempting to retrieve the camera from a nearby tree during our second (and unsuccessful) attempt at aerial photography, a stranger from a group of tourists called out to ask if I could see where the carriage had gone. Having no idea what he was talking about, I climbed down to seek clarification. According to the man (a Mr. Herbert Kendell of Whitechapel, London), he and his companions had been watching a carriage approach from the direction of Long Compton when suddenly it disappeared. During our later enquiries in town we discovered that such odd appearances and disappearances around the stones are far from infrequent. Gypsy caravans have been reported, only to vanish. Others have seen strange, hairy animals that walk behind a stone and then vanish.

One disappearance that is not so mysterious, however, is that of our Empire State Camera which served so well in capturing the aerial view of the circle. During my conversation with Mr. Kendell, the kite succeeded where I had failed and untangled itself from the tree, vanishing (somewhat triumphantly, I thought) over the horizon. We have two more cameras in stock, so the loss of this one will not hamper our major investigation of Drakesheath, but I will of course refund the cost.

Conclusion

While all involved agree that the Rollright Circle exudes an uncanny atmosphere, we could detect nothing measurable aside from the electrical anomoly. On the other hand, if (as both Sedgwick and Crookes believe) abnormal electrical fields have the ability to afect the workings of the human mind, this alone may explain much of the phenomena. There is nothing to disallow the possibility that electrical impulses are capable of temporarily disrupting the brain's function, possibly even to the point of creating a sudden and temporary hallucination -- such as that of a carriage or strange beast.

It is not within the scope of this investigation to explore the circle with any greater degree of detail, since our primary purpose lies elsewhere.

As for the damage to the gausmeter, I will see what can be done to fix it once I have regained full use of my right hand.