The Butler weekly times., 1892-01-06
HOLY WELLS IN ENGLAND.
william the Conquer"r seems to Havs
Known the Wat~r-Cur-.

William the Conquer"r seems to Have
Known the Watrr-Cur-.
There were several holy wells in old
times in London. One was St Chads
well, near Battle bridge, which main
tained its reputation into this century.
II was surrounded in 1924 by garden
with alleys Of clipped hedges, on the
gates Of which was a board with noti-
fication: Health Restored and Pre-
served" There vas another near the
church Of ST. Pancras But the most
famous was Bride we'll, which gave its
name 10 the neighboring hospital and
prison. On the coronation of George
~, Hone tells US, 50 many thousands
Of bottles were filed with the water
from it that the inhabitants Of the pa.'-
ish could not get their usual supply.
The suburbs could also boast Of many
famous wells. SadIcr's we'll was more
a place Of fashionable resort; but Kill
burn wells and Strcathan well we're
esteemed for their ":crtuOus waters"
like the aifAp.c fountains in the Welsh
hills
Probably there were once orna-
mental crosses associated with most
holy wells There IS an interesting
survival Of this com mbination at Gcd-
dington, where the Eleanor cross
stands close To n spring, which Is in
deed AZ the base nf the steps upon
which i. is placed. The well is COW
cred With a stone erection of two
arches, and few Store steps descend
from the Level Of the road t. give ac-
% e :
brave queen look down from their
high place. under their cusped can
opics, upon the drawers of water
who for 50 many centuries have
availc'l thcmsclvc, of this spring.
1t is situated in an open space among
the mellow old houses in the village at
Il short distance from the church. From
an account preserved of the proceed
ings that took place 4t Dunatab.e and
st. Adams on the occasion of the re-
moval of the dead queen, we may as
sumo that her remains rested on the
very spot marked 10y the cross. Says
the chronicler: THE body of the queen
rested in the marked place until the
kings chancellor and the great men
then and there present had marked a
fitting place where they might after
ward erect at the royal expense a cross
of wonderful size, our prior being then
present and sprinkling holy water" In
the case of Geddington the existence of
the spring may have led to the spot be-
ing marked as Il lifting place.
From the DAYS when Abraham's serv-
ants diggcd wells, and Isaac digged
again the wells of water, it is clear
those who have lived before us have set
the highest value upon them. The
numerous spas-or spaws as they were
,,ritten when Sir Walter Scott wrote
''St. Romans WELFARE on a more i'm
posing scale than the little wells here
mentioned. but scarcely more appreci-
ated. The water cure advocated in
our own times seems but another phase
OF the same feeling that took William
the Conqueror to St. Winifred's well or
set Robert of Gloucester writing of
"wclles swcte and colde" And though
we look ut them with new lights, and
sanitary science bids MS analyze water
and examine its surroundings with
close scrutiny and otherwise treat it
with suspicion before we accept it un-
rescrvedly as fit for consumption, we
must all feel nature has bestowed few
greater boons on mankind than springs
Of pure water or, to use the old term
which some of them so long enjoyed,
our holy wells. Journal