The files that are mentioned below concerning historic Dutch crop circles are taken from Terry Wilson's book 'The Secret History of Crop Circles' (see crop circle books). The PTAH Foundation received permission from Terry Wilson to use these files for the Dutch Crop Circle Archive. We are very greatful to Terry for this.

Wilson did a great job writing this book because it shows that the crop circle phenomenon isn't only from recent years, but goes way back to 1590 or even beyond.

Single ring in grass.

This case is from Robert Plot's investigations into fairy rings and ground traces. On August 18, 1590, men and women were observed dancing in a circle, some of them apparently with cloven hooves, presumably like the depiction of Robin Goodfellow in a later woodcut. Indeed Plot seems to mention Goodfellow indirectly ('Petter Gross-Petter') as one of the spirits involved. lt seems that some people, who were therefore eye-witnesses, also took part in the dancing and later, where they had been was found a ring of grass 'trodden down'. This clearly indicates a flattening effect, and it might be worth noting that a whirlwind was included in the original account. The time of year is consistent with the appearance of modern crop circles.

However the case is not entirely clear-cut. The location is obtained from logical deduction and the actual flattening is only presumed. The original text reads, 'There was found in the place where they danced a round circle wherein there were the manifest marks of the treading of cloven fleet, as plain as are made by horses that run the ring ... (the) circle remained from the day after ... till the next winter when the plow cut it out'.

The suggestion of a ring of flattened grass, or perhaps even crops, is strong, if a little ambiguous.

Source TW: Plot, 1696; Journal of Meteorology.

The circles in question are recalled by a witness with a vague memories that one consisted of a dumbbell pictogram. The others are described as ring-shaped impressions, which may indicate rings or circles. Actual locations of the formations are though to be Megen, Haren, Dieden, Demen and other towns in the North Brabant area.

Source TW: Paul Fuller files.

Correspondence from Wim van Utrecht to Paul Fuller revealed that rumours exist of circles in the Low Countries, probably dating to the 1950s. Actual details are not known but it is not unlikely that some of the formations appeared given the records of previous circles in Holland and Belgium. In fact cases indicate a succession of formations between 1933 and 1965, which may conceivably encompass some of the circles in question here.

Source TW: Paul Fuller files.