As regards Hertfordshire, my research appears to indicate a typical mix.
There is only two apparent local saints: St Alban and St Claridge, as well
as a dedication suposedly to Pope Adrian IV. St Thomas’s Well at Bramfield
could also be considered as a local saint as he had his living in the
community. Interestingly there is only one Lady well, where as there are six
in Essex. Although, there are two St John’s Wells. A rather dubious St.
Chad’s Well, and an oddly dedicated St. Ffaith’s Well.
Hertfordshire is a smaller county than Bucks and less on old routes.
Ickneid way does pass through, and there are springs on it: Ashwell and
Wellhead. Penny well has Roman associations. It is known that pilgrims
travelled through Bishop’s Stortfield to Walsingham. Trade to St Alban’s
Shrine must have been also considerable but there does not appear to have
been any other dedications to the saint as in Kent with St. Thomas, but of
course that focus was a lot deal greater.
The lack of such popish dedications may suggest a strong Nonconformity,
afterall such beliefs do not encourage you to reatin links with the very
reasons for your non-conformity, especially such Popish thoughts as many
well dedications suggest. It may be interesting that Hertfordshire does
boast Holy wells converted to spas, a typical response to popish beliefs in
curative waters: The King’s Well, possibly St Claridge’s and Holy well at
Welwyn.
Just some brief thoughts.
Ross
>From: James Rattue <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Buckinghamshire Wells
>Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 13:03:44 +0100
>
>Here's a thing for you to ponder!
>
>I'm reaching the last stages of my documentary research on wells in
>Buckinghamshire and they produce an interesting conundrum. Taking named
>and notable wells as a whole the county has as high a number per mile as
>anywhere else, over 200 (I haven't totted them up in a while). But the
>number of Christianised wells is low, and the total dedicated to saints
>is piffling. The definite dedications are:
>
>BIERTON, St Osyth
>BRILL, St Werburgh
>BUCKINGHAM, St Rumwald
>CHENIES, St Mary
>NEWTON LONGVILLE, St John
>NORTH CRAWLEY, St Firmin
>NORTH MARSTON, Sir John Schorne
>
>And more dubious ones include:
>CHALVEY, Queen Anne's (St Anne?)
>ELLESBOROUGH, Holewell (St Edburga's?)
>FARNHAM ROYAL, Aaron Well (Biblical figure rather than saint)
>GREAT BRICKHILL, Maiden Well (beside chapel of SS Mary & John Baptist)
>GREAT BRICKHILL, Lady Hole (possibly a well)
>PADBURY, Edwardes Well (no reason why this should be a saint's name)
>TAPLOW, Bapsey Pond (used by St Birinus for baptisms)
>
>Dedications coined by antiquarians are:
>BURNHAM, Britwell/St Brigid's
>EAST CLAYDON, Botyl/St Botulph's
>
>This is a pretty dismal haul, and an odd one too. In the surrounding
>counties, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Northants have quite respectable
>proportions of saints' wells (not enough is yet known about Herts), and
>the usual predominance of sites dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Why only
>one in Bucks? Why so many oddball local saints rather than the biggies?
>Did the apparently early strength of Nonconformity in Bucks mean that
>the saints' names dropped off wells sooner here than round about? Does
>*anyone* have any ideas?
>--
>James Rattue
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