The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-03-10
ROYAL E!:!!'!!A ss~;*s ss*"rs
y ABSOLUTELY PURE
Makes the food more delicious and wholesome
HOLY WELLS.

An important holy well is the far
famed well of st. keyne. near Loos,
Cornwall, st. keyna, or St. keyne, the
tutelary saint, is supposed to have
cast spell over the spring. Accord
ing to early writers, she was a pious
virgin OF British Blood Royal, being
the daughter o. Bragonus, Prince of
Brecknockshirc, and lived about A. D.
49O. There is popular tradition
concerning this well that whichever OF
newly married couple first drinks
draught from the spring, he OF she, as
the case may be, obtains and holds the
supremacy. An amusing story Coz
nected with this tradition is worth re-
cording. 1t Is said that many years
ago, aftera quiet wedding at the par
ish church (Which, By the way, is
about a mile distant from the well) the
bridegroom was observed to rush hast
lily away. After some little time had
elasped, he returned, looking rather un-
tidy, but nevertheless happy-as if lie
had accomplished some great object.
He met the bride in the porch and she
naturally asked where he had been, to
which he joyfully replied: 'sTo the Well
of st. keyne." The bride had, however,
outwitted him, and after calling him "a
regular dutfer," told him she had taken
a bottle of the water to church!
If tradition may be relied on, George
III. must have had weakness for
visiting holy wells; at least such ap-
peared to be the case when he was
staying at Weymouth. The "Wish-
ing Well' at Tpwey is said to have
been visited 10y him every morning.
The legend concerning this spring is
that to wish" one must first drink of
the water, wish, and then throw little
water over left the shoulder. 1t is
particularly stated that it must be the
left shoulder, but wherefore the writer
does not know. 1t is not on record
whether or not his Royal Hiyhness
carried out these instructions An
other well which is stated to have been
frequently visited by King George
and his family when sojourning at
Weymouth is Fortunes Well,' sit
uate in the village of the same name.
The water of st. Telca's Well, near
Rubin, is famous for the cure OF epi-
lepsy, and numbers of sufferers are
brought thlther at sunset to battle in
clear water. Before leaving the spring
it is usual for the patient to throw 4
coin into the sparkling water, and then
walk away from the we'll backwards,
slowly repeating the Lords Prayer.
He then retires into the church near
by, where he spends the night in pray
er, and 10y day ybreak his cure is sup
posed to be effected.
The most famous of English holy
we'll is said to be st. Winifreds in
Cheshire Certain Christians still
make periodical pilgrimages here, so
that it is sometimes known as the
English Lourdes." Like number Of
the Cornish wells, this one is seen to
be within small chapelry, which was
built over the spring in the fifteenth
century 10y the Countess of Richmond,
mother of Henry VII. Tradition says
that the saint was murdered on this
very spot by rejected lover, about
the year 600 A. D., and that ever since
that time the spring has been found to
work miraculous cures.
The well ut HIarbletlown bears the
name of the black Prince. One is ac-
customed to associate the noble war
rior with all that is best and bravest,
and noblest; it therefore comes as
somewhat of shock to realize that he
was leper 1t was in this well that
he used to bathe in order to cure his
leprosy Hence the waters have al
WAYS been considered to possess Won
drous curative properties, and have
been sought after by all manner of sick
pilgrims. Here, too, the pilgrims
washed their feet before entering the
city Of Canterbury.