Good Well Hunting

The title shamelessly grabbed from one of Spots of Time’s many wonderful well entries. Yes, International Holy Well Month is sadly drawing to a close but what a great crop. Wells have been pouring in from: Westmorland, Cumberland, Northumberland, Norfolk, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, the Borders, Lincolnshire, Scotland, Wales (Holywell itself), Spain, Holland, Skopelos in Greece, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and the most glamorous of all was spotted in New Zealand.

We’ve had wells that are good for eyes, good for warts, poisons of the body and somewhat alarmingly those that can sort out vomits and purges and slipperiness of the bowels!! From wells where you’re no longer allowed to drink the water but wells where you’re still allowed to throw yourself in! Tiny wells, big wells, forgotten wells, neglected wells, even wells that have disappeared and been rediscovered.


Saints have been very well represented – Saints Oswald, Michael, Kentigern, Non (stormborn), Cuthbert, John, Margaret, James, Bridget, ternan, Quernan, Anne, Baldred, Abbán, Gilbert, Francis, Brone, Oswald, Anthony, Winefride, Gobnait, Helen, BVM, Cooey (!), Blessed Archangel, Waltson, Gilbert, Edmund, Ninian and my favourite St Haralambos (Skopelos); and St Willibrordus (Holland)! Robin Hood, Jimmy Lettuce,  and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople also feature!


A magnificent 65 entries but I have to say special thanks to Spots of Time for her tireless pursuit of wild and wonderful wells – she bagged 14, closely followed by PaulaJ , both in Cumbria; and Tivoli for her devotion to shrines and nymphs on the delightful Skopelos.


I think most people have just been amazed that there they are all hiding in plain sight and a little bit of exploration and all is revealed. Many seem to be very ancient, many now neglected, some pretty difficult to find but all exerting a huge charm. Thank you to everyone who took part. Don’t feel you have to stop now – I’ve another 330 to go in my hunt for wells in Cork! All entries can be seen here: here  or here.



Talpa and Soletrader, can you tag yours IHWM too please then they’ll pop up here as well.


Lovely to have an extra day in the year, but what a miserable one weatherwise. My entry today is Toberanore; well of the cold spring. It's recently been restored, a little well house made around it. The water might be good but that's a very large cupful! You should be well sorted out after that - ho ho!