I haven't previously seen a discussion of the differences between
waters that were drunk and those used for bathing, but clearly
there were mineral differences between those suited to each of these
purposes. I imagine springs high in calcium carbonate would be suited
to drinking ? and certainly you couldn't drink the highly sodium
chloride waters at Droitwich!
Bea
On 1/11/01 10:18 AM [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
>This is what we in the Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate have always
>understood to be the origin of the word 'spa' in the English language:
>
>In 1571, one Mr William Slingsby discovered a spring in the then wild
>moorlands that were Harrogate. He recognised the medicinal properties of
>these waters from his experience of the wells in Spa(w) in the Ardennes.
>Mr Slingsby enclosed and paved the well, and recommended its waters to many
>medical practitioners in the Yorkshire area. These appear to have been the
>first waters to be taken internally for their medicinal purposes in England,
>as opposed to
>the use of springs for bathing.
>
>In 1596, Harrogate was dubbed 'The English Spaw' by Dr Timothy Bright,
>(sometime rector of both Methley and Barwick in Elmet, near Leeds), based on
>the similarity of the waters to the Continental Spa(w). This appears to be
>the
>beginning of the use of the word 'Spa' as a generic description, rather
>than the place name of the town on the Continent.
>
>In 1626, Edmund Deane MD, a physician from York, published 'Spadacrene
>Anglica', which is the earliest published source for the history of
>Harrogate's waters, and which promoted their beneficial qualities for
>medicinal purposes.
>
>Mary J Kershaw
>
>Head of Museums & Arts
>Royal Pump Room Museum
>Crown Place
>Harrogate
>North Yorkshire HG1 2RY
>[log in to unmask]
Beatrice Hopkinson 73071,327@compuserve
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