User:Matdumont/Cleley Well Line

The Cleley Well line (sometimes spelt Cheley Well) is an accurate alignment of prominent churches covering a distance of over 16 miles across South Northamptonshire.

Running in a north-westerly direction, the line consists of four churches, an iron age hill-fort and terminates at an ancient well. When extended north into Staffordshire, the line also has the interesting feature of passing through the birthplace and place of death of St. Werburgh, a Saxon Saint who had connections to Weedon and Stowe-Nine-Churches, both of which fall on the ley line.

The alignment was discovered by Matthew Dumont and is one of a collection of Northampton ley lines soon to be published. The Cleley Well line is thought to be the first alignment of historic monuments to be revealed in the county.

Points on the line (north-west to south-east).
Borough Hill, Daventry. 200m above sea level and one of the highest points in Northamptonshire. A former Iron Age hillfort.

St Mary the Virgin Church, Dodford. Founded by the Normans in 1066 and rebuilt in 1100.

St Michael's Church, Church Stowe, Stowe-Nine-Churches. Saxon tower.

Geese Bridge. A named river-crossing joining Watling Street. The 'geese' refers to a miracle performed by St. Werburgh of Weedon.

Holy Cross Church, Pattishall. A Norman church.

St Margaret's Church, Alderton. A norman church on a former Saxon settlement. A former Norman castle stands next to the church.

Cleley Well (sometimes spelt Cheley). The former meeting place of the Cleley Hundred.