This year's offering is a seven-pointed star within a ring.  To our knowledge, this is the first geometrically seven-fold formation Sussex has received.  The overall diameter is around 163ft.  The width of the ring is around 10ft, and the length of each point of the star around 45ft.  We did not have measuring tools when we were unexpectedly called to survey the pattern on our way back from The Glastonbury Symposium, and had to pace it out.  The points of the star flow outwards from a large central circle.  The circle and ring are laid clockwise.

Within the ring to the south stand two small 6ft x 5ft diameter blobs, a 'signature' which has been seen in many Hampshire formations over the years, and one or two Sussex ones, like this, which have appeared very near the Hampshire border.

The lay is generally neat, with some curious features.  The central circle, for instance, gives the appearance of having been laid AFTER the points of the star, as the base of each one is slightly overlaid by the circle flow.

Most interestingly, the south east side of the ring unexpectedly merges to become a long patch of 'wind lodging' which tapers off down the fairly steep slope of the field.  This lodging is NOT where the wind has battered down the edge of the ring, but instead is clearly an integral part of the formation, as the lay begins to sweep outwards as the ring approaches the patch (abandoning its clockwise lay), and then goes on to become fully-fledged 'lodging'.  This effect is demonstrated in two other places in the design.  One area of the southern star point is made up from lodging which begins in the standing crop between points and then sweeps into the flattened point to become proper circle lay.  It does not overlay any pre-existing floor - there would be no pattern in-fill here without this lodging.  A small part of the western edge of the ring, conversely, sweeps in from proper lay to become lodging, but again, the lay can clearly be seen to anticipate this motion and it is not where the wind has just flattened an edge.

This connection with lodging appears to be a strange 'answer' to a conundrum set the week before.  Allan Brown, Andy Thomas and Helen Sewell examined lodging in an oat field near Hartfield in East Sussex a week before and were impressed with the similarity between the flow of the lodged lay and that found in circles.  Discussions were held (as they have been by a number of researchers for several years) as to the connection between 'non-geometric' areas of downed crop and 'proper' formations.  This design at North Marden undeniably marries the two as if to make a point that there IS a connection.

It's worth noting, as several others have made the link between weather, natural electrical activity, lodging and crop formations, that several trees at the western edge of the field show evidence of lightning strikes and this field is at a very high point.  This doesn't reveal the hand behind what might create such complexity of design, but natural forces may well play some role in the process of circle-creation as many have suggested, and this formation appears to demonstrate this.

Photos and diagrams will be available on the July 2003 section of