Nature & Environment
A 'Cursed' Medieval Well Once Believed To Be A Holy Well Unearthed In England
Elaine Hannah
First Posted: Nov 04, 2016 05:37 AM EDT
A medieval well known as St. Anne's Well, believed to be as a holy well has been found and excavated on a private farm near Liverpool in the UK. People said that the well hold sacred healing powers yet it was also linked with a ghastly curse.
The well, which was named after the mother of Virgin Mary, would likely no more than 600 years old. It has been said that it was a famous pilgrimage site for the devotees of the holy figure. It had about 4-foot pit with three stepping stones that led to the 6.5 foot by 6.5-foot sandstone pool. People would bathe and submerged themselves into the water for a cleansing of sins and healing of eye and skin diseases. Some people said that it was a cult of St. Anne, which dated around 550 CE, according to Mental Floss.
On the other hand, the well was then linked with a horrible curse. Legends said that the holy well was the cause of a property dispute between a neighboring estate in the 16th century, in which Hugh Darcy, the estate's landowner, and the local monastery. Darcy had the monastery and well sequestered by the king's commissioners after having the conflict with the prior of the monastery. Meanwhile, the prior had cursed Darcy out of revenge.
After the curse on Darcy, his son died of a strange disease and suffered financial losses. He was then "plunged recklessly into dissipation." One night, he just vanished after being drunk at a tavern. The St. Helens leader said that the search began for Darcy until they came to the well and found Darcy lying dead and his head crushed in, according to Live Science.
Meanwhile, after that gruesome legend, pilgrims did not stop from bathing in the well until the 1800s. The modern-day archeologists continue as well from excavating it. Finally, after so many years, they found evidence of the historic site with a few stones over the ground. The England Heritage cleaned and protected it by putting wooden edging. "We have worked with the farmers to ensure this important holy well survives long into the future," said Tamsin Cooke, a Historic England Heritage at Risk representative.
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First Posted: Nov 04, 2016 05:37 AM EDT
A medieval well known as St. Anne's Well, believed to be as a holy well has been found and excavated on a private farm near Liverpool in the UK. People said that the well hold sacred healing powers yet it was also linked with a ghastly curse.
The well, which was named after the mother of Virgin Mary, would likely no more than 600 years old. It has been said that it was a famous pilgrimage site for the devotees of the holy figure. It had about 4-foot pit with three stepping stones that led to the 6.5 foot by 6.5-foot sandstone pool. People would bathe and submerged themselves into the water for a cleansing of sins and healing of eye and skin diseases. Some people said that it was a cult of St. Anne, which dated around 550 CE, according to Mental Floss.
On the other hand, the well was then linked with a horrible curse. Legends said that the holy well was the cause of a property dispute between a neighboring estate in the 16th century, in which Hugh Darcy, the estate's landowner, and the local monastery. Darcy had the monastery and well sequestered by the king's commissioners after having the conflict with the prior of the monastery. Meanwhile, the prior had cursed Darcy out of revenge.
After the curse on Darcy, his son died of a strange disease and suffered financial losses. He was then "plunged recklessly into dissipation." One night, he just vanished after being drunk at a tavern. The St. Helens leader said that the search began for Darcy until they came to the well and found Darcy lying dead and his head crushed in, according to Live Science.
Meanwhile, after that gruesome legend, pilgrims did not stop from bathing in the well until the 1800s. The modern-day archeologists continue as well from excavating it. Finally, after so many years, they found evidence of the historic site with a few stones over the ground. The England Heritage cleaned and protected it by putting wooden edging. "We have worked with the farmers to ensure this important holy well survives long into the future," said Tamsin Cooke, a Historic England Heritage at Risk representative.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone