Holy wells of Nottinghamshire

Merry Imbolc

The plan..• About me.• Holy wells a definition• Stages of holy well development• Holy wells the ‘accepted view’.• The pagan connection-is there evidence in Nottinghamshire

• How many holy wells are there in Nottinghamshire? An overview

• A selection of important sites

About me• I’m a teacher• Researching holy wells since the 1980s.

• Started publishing my own books in 2008

• I’m interested and write about folklore and customs as well.

Water, water everywhere!

Every village has or had wells or springs

Many are named after wells. Are they all significant?

The question is: Why are some holy, others not or were they all and we’ve forgotten.

A definitionSounds easy!But it isn’t...A holy well is a spring which is someway culted and thought of as having special properties given to it by a deity or saint.

The stagesPre-historic (including Roman and Celtic)

Dark age period-the term Holy derives from halig a Saxon word for healing or hael for healthy.

Medieval Post-reformation-spa GeorgianVictorianNew age Antiquarianism

The accepted views in Holy well research?

All holy wells have a long pre-Christian history

Every holy well survived throughout the Christian period.

Many holy wells were re-dedicated eg Pagan goddesses such as Epona rededicated to Our Lady, St Ann derived from Santan, St Bride from goddess Breed.

No firm evidence

No firm evidence

No firm evidence

Do any wells have a pagan connection?

Yes

Evidence for pagan continuity

“Tell Augustine that he should be no means destroy the temples of the Gods but

rather the idols within those temples”

Gregory I’s letter to Bishop Mellitus

Where to look for Pagan connections

Those with elemental names – eg Thurstanwell/Drakesholes/Joan Slut’s well

Tribal totems at wells – Wells with animal names/plants eg Hartwell/Hawkeswell/Duck’s mouth

Stone related wells –stonewell?Harewells/Herwell – Army well?Hethewell -Sutton BoningtonSecular healing wells – Why did they not get Christianised? healing spring, Bramcote

Legends/Folklore – eg ghosts

What about St Ann’s Well?

Oswell? Eostre well? A pagan site?

Having said that....Two probable pagan sites

Nottinghamshire holy wells an overview

In Nottinghamshire there are 94 holy and healing wells – 30 true holy wells

This provides a density of 8.8 miles per well

This is on par with related counties such as Derbyshire and Lincolnshire

My top ten important surviving holy wells

Robin Hood’s Well, Hucknall

Friar Tuck’s Well, Blidworth

St John’s Well, Welham

The Hollowell, Newstead

The Hollowell, Newstead

The Hart’s Well, Farnsfield

The Woundheal spring, Upper Broughton

The lady well, Headon

The wells of Southwell

The wells of Southwell

The wells of Southwell

Our Lady’s Well, Mansfield

Keen Well, Calverton

Keen Well, Calverton

Keen Well, Calverton

Significant discoveries?Research continues...Trough hill spring-the Last surviving Nottingham Rag well?

Hollywell Annersley

ConclusionsFragmentaryConfusedSignificantLots to discover perhaps?

Where to go next?Books – Holy wells and healing springs of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

My Blog insearchofholywellsandhealingsprings.wordpress.comMore talks if you’ll have me, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire have a stronger pagan connection with more evidence

Most importantly:Get out there, celebrate the springs, restore and make them significant again.

Any questions?