Disappearance at Stonehenge 1971

I came across the story below in a book I was reading a couple of days ago, unfortunately it was not referenced. Being intrigued by it, I set about searching for more info on the net but all I can find is the same account repeated, practically verbatim, across numerous websites, with no further info and no proper referencing. The only source I have found quoted is something called 'Only The Stones Know'. Expecting this to be the title of a book, I googled it expecting a page from Amazon or something to turn up but nope, couldn't find it - I begin to suspect that the phrase is not a title of any work but is meant to be taken literally and what looked at first like a story that might have started life on the inner pages of a newspaper begins to smell like an urban legend. Reportedly, it took place at 2 am one night in August 1971...

The mysterious standing stones of Stonehenge in England was the site of an amazing disappearance in August, 1971. At this time Stonehenge was not yet protected from the public, and on this particular night, a group of "hippies" decided to pitch tents in the center of the circle and spend the night. They built a campfire, lit several joints of pot and sat around smoking and signing. Their campout was abruptly interrupted at about 2 a.m. by a severe thunder storm that quickly blew in over Salisbury Plain. Bright bolts of lightning crashed down on the area, striking area trees and even the standing stones themselves. Two witnesses, a farmer and a policeman, said that the stones of the ancient monument lit up with an eerie blue light that was so intense that they had to avert their eyes. They heard screams from the campers and the two witnesses rushed to the scene expecting to find injured - or even dead - campers. To their surprise, they found no one. All that remained within the circle of stones were several smoldering tent pegs and the drowned remains of a campfire. The hippies themselves were gone without a trace.

paranormal.about.com...

So what I'm hoping here is that maybe someone has come across this story or it's supposed source 'Only The Stones Know' before and could maybe help with further info, publication data or an original source. Also, I'd be greatly interested if anyone has heard of other tales of a similar nature.

Thanks in advance
Juls

Well I found this claiming it was just a story as far as the author could tell.

Link

Thanks for that link Darthorious. If she has investigated the story and found nothing then it does look very much as I suspected, an urban legend.

I think it may just be a story from what ive searched and what Darthorious has.

It probably is an urban legend like the hippies did go there but then went somewhere else and the light was just a torch?

It is a good story though?

Originally posted by OMFGitsJack
It is a good story though?

Aye, I think it makes a pretty good urban legend - it has all the right ingredients - not too long or elaborate, plausible witnesses, nicely mysterious, reads like a newspaper filler story. If there were a real occurrence, even a mistaken one, then I would have expected there to have been reports from the time but I haven't found anything to suggest there was.

The 'source' that some of the websites carrying the story have given, I'm intrigued to find if such a source does exist or if it too is part and parcel of the legend - 'Only The Stones Know' lol..

Even without the link by Darthorios thestory doesn't name any definite, no names are mentioned.

Without that information, it's pretty much a urban legend, though a neat one.

Originally posted by skjalddis
I came across the story below in a book I was reading a couple of days ago, unfortunately it was not referenced. Being intrigued by it, I set about searching for more info on the net but all I can find is the same account repeated, practically verbatim, across numerous websites, with no further info and no proper referencing.

Thank you, Skjalddis, for starting this thread.
I came here to do just that.

I've been hearing and reading about this story - or, more accurately, this story, the same one, repeated over and over again, just as you say - for ages now, and for the life of me couldn't unearth the original source of it.
(And, frankly, I am somewhat aghast and surprised that Stephen Wagner of all people - such a fine mind - would just recycle old stories without even trying to reference them or at least to point the lack of references.)

So, in Skjalddis' name and in my own... if anyone knows about, or happens to find, the original account, would you, please, post it here?

Thanks!







[edit on 6-1-2010 by Vanitas]

Originally posted by skjalddis

Originally posted by OMFGitsJack
It is a good story though?

Aye, I think it makes a pretty good urban legend - it has all the right ingredients

Another right ingredient for a good urban legend is 2 seperate witnesses, out in a storm, in the middle of nowhere, at 2am?

i just read this tale today i know its an old post but did anybody find any evidence for this story?

Diana Gabaldon wrote a series of fictional books based on the notion that standing stones, like Stonehenge, mark areas where certain people can slip through time. The books are hugely popular and known as the Outlander series.

While her books are fictional, Gabaldon does a lot of research into the history and lore of the area in her stories. She based her work on an old legend, that if a person went into a faeries circle they would travel back or forward 200 years.

The Tu'uath de Dannan (I know I spelled that wrong), or the Fey in Scottish lore, we're often credited with stealing people away if they entered a standing stone circle. Another ancient urban legend?

So perhaps your story was simply a retelling of the stories, or perhaps a new one to add.

S&F!!

The story seems to be very similar to the first episode of the 1970s british sci fi series Quatermass titled Ringstone Round where he sees a bunch of hippies disapearing in a flash of bright light in a stone circicle. I wonder if they based the show on the story or visa versa?

Wow lol I'd forgotten about this thread - strange to see it resurrected after all this time.

No, I never found much else about it and never managed to trace a source. I haven't read the Outlander books so can't really comment on those although they sound like something I would enjoy so I might take a look at them, thanks for that.
I do however remember the Quatermass series, 'Ringstone Round' from the late seventies - it does sound like a plausible origin but I couldn't say any further than that.
If I ever do find anything I will post back on it, but I don't really expect to now.

peace
J

reply to post by skjalddis


Keep on digging (not at stonehenge though you would get into trouble!)

reply to post by skjalddis

Mr. skjalddis i came round some more similar disappearance incidences in a tabloid....i could give you some of their detail if you kindly gave me your e-mail address......please

reply to post by halfblood


Why not share it with all of us?

reply to post by halfblood


What about all the other people who have been following this thread. Can't we see the rest of the tale.

Originally posted by halfblood
reply to post by skjalddis

 

Mr. skjalddis i came round some more similar disappearance incidences in a tabloid....i could give you some of their detail if you kindly gave me your e-mail address......please

Hi

Ditto the other posters above - would be nice if you could share it with everyone - besides, sorry but I ain't giving my email out - no offence mate but you only just joined.

peace
J