Dave Chorley
Dave Chorley (1935–1996) was a British artist and the co-creator, with Doug Bower, of the crop circle phenomenon that captured global attention between the 1970s and early 1990s. The two men spent approximately fifteen years making crop formations across southern England before publicly confessing in 1991. Chorley died of cancer in 1996.
| Role | Crop circle hoaxer |
|---|
Involvement
Chorley and Bower began creating crop formations around 1976, working at night with simple tools: a plank of wood, lengths of rope, and a wire sight fitted to a baseball cap for navigating straight lines. Over the course of their activity they produced hundreds of formations, starting with simple circles and graduating to increasingly complex geometric designs as public interest and media scrutiny grew.
In September 1991, the two men demonstrated their technique to journalists and revealed the mundane tools behind formations that had prompted serious academic discussion, paranormal tourism, and international media coverage. The confession deflated much of the credibility surrounding crop circle phenomena, though it did not eliminate the broader subculture — by 1991, independent hoaxers worldwide had adopted the practice.
Legacy
Chorley did not live to see the crop circle phenomenon fully resolve into the art-form subculture it became. His role alongside Bower established that elaborate, geometrically precise formations could be created overnight by two people with basic tools, undermining the extraterrestrial hypothesis that had driven much of the public interest.