Fairy Circles in Staffordshire

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fairy ring

And here perchance by the way it may be no great digression, to enquire into the nature and efficient cause of those Rings we find in the grass, which they commonly call Fairy circles. Whether they are caused by Lightening? Or are indeed the Rendezvouzes of Witches, or the dancing places of those little pygmy Spirits they call Elves of Fairys? And the rather, because I. a Question (perhaps by reason of the difficulty) scarce yet attempted, and 2. because I met with the largest of their kind (that perchance was ever heard of) in this County: one of them shewed me in the grounds betweed Handsworth Church and the Heath being near forty yards Diameter; and I was told of another by that ingenious Gent. (one of the most cordial encouragers of this work) the Worshipful Sir Henry Gough Knight, that thwere one in his grounds near Pury-Hall but few years since (now indeed plowed up) of a much larger size, he believed near fifty, whereas there are some of the not about two yards Diamater, which perhaps may be near the two extremes of the Magnitude. Robert Plot 9-10

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