An ancient well that legend says carried a miraculous healing power before its waters were cursed has been uncovered by archaeologists.
Religious pilgrims used to flock to St Anne's Well, located near Liverpool, in order to reap the benefits of the well's supposed abilities to free people of their sins, but also to cure ailments such as skin diseases and blindness.
The 6ftx6ft structure is named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, who was heavily worshipped during the medieval period.
Archaeologists find ancient well that provided miraculous cures in medieval times before inspiring a deadly curse
St Anne's Well, found near Liverpool, was also used to wash away sins
Named after the Virgin Mary's mother, it was used in the medieval era
It was supposedly cursed after a feud between a priest and his neighbour
By Paddy Dinham For Mailonline
5 November 2016
An ancient well that legend says carried a miraculous healing power before its waters were cursed has been uncovered by archaeologists.
Religious pilgrims used to flock to St Anne's Well, located near Liverpool, in order to reap the benefits of the well's supposed abilities to free people of their sins, but also to cure ailments such as skin diseases and blindness.
The 6ftx6ft structure is named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, who was heavily worshipped during the medieval period.
Although the rough location of the well was known to Historic England, there was only one photograph of it from 1983 that provided any clues to its exact whereabouts.
An ancient well that legend says carried a miraculous healing power before its waters were cursed has been uncovered by achaeologists
Religious pilgrims used to flock to St Anne's Well, located near Liverpool, in order to reap the benefits of the well's supposed abilities to cure people of their sins
However, Oxford Archaeology North recently given the go ahead by Historic England, spent two days digging before finding the well.
According to a local newspaper report from the 18th Century, a curse was placed on the well after a huge dispute between the local priest, a Father Delwaney, and neighbouring landowner Hugh Darcy.
The legend goes that after Henry VIII came in and closed the well and the monastery it was attached to, just days after Darcy had warned it would not be around for much longer, Delwaney bewitched the spring and told Darcy he would be dead within a year, but immediately died himself.
Although the rough location of the well was known to Historic England, its exact location was not known as it had been covered up
According to a local newspaper report from the 18th Century, a curse was placed on the well after a huge dispute between the local priest and his neighbouring landowner
Despite backfiring on himself the curse proved somewhat effective, as Darcy quickly lost his money and his son before being found lying in the well with his head smashed in.
Now, the farmer who currently owns the land has teamed up with Historic England to replace some of the crumbling stones and add wooden boards around the feature's perimeter in order to ensure it does not get covered up again.
Supervising archaeologist Jamie Quartermaine told Discovery News: 'When we first got to the well we found that there was very little indication of it on the surface, but after excavation it was found to be in reasonable condition.'
He added: 'This well was probably a late medieval foundation as the cult of St. Anne did not become widespread in England until after the end of the 14th century.'
Religious pilgrims used to flock to St Anne's Well, located near Liverpool, in order to reap the benefits of the well's supposed abilities to free people of their sins, but also to cure ailments such as skin diseases and blindness.
The 6ftx6ft structure is named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, who was heavily worshipped during the medieval period.
Archaeologists find ancient well that provided miraculous cures in medieval times before inspiring a deadly curse
St Anne's Well, found near Liverpool, was also used to wash away sins
Named after the Virgin Mary's mother, it was used in the medieval era
It was supposedly cursed after a feud between a priest and his neighbour
By Paddy Dinham For Mailonline
5 November 2016
An ancient well that legend says carried a miraculous healing power before its waters were cursed has been uncovered by archaeologists.
Religious pilgrims used to flock to St Anne's Well, located near Liverpool, in order to reap the benefits of the well's supposed abilities to free people of their sins, but also to cure ailments such as skin diseases and blindness.
The 6ftx6ft structure is named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, who was heavily worshipped during the medieval period.
Although the rough location of the well was known to Historic England, there was only one photograph of it from 1983 that provided any clues to its exact whereabouts.
An ancient well that legend says carried a miraculous healing power before its waters were cursed has been uncovered by achaeologists
Religious pilgrims used to flock to St Anne's Well, located near Liverpool, in order to reap the benefits of the well's supposed abilities to cure people of their sins
However, Oxford Archaeology North recently given the go ahead by Historic England, spent two days digging before finding the well.
According to a local newspaper report from the 18th Century, a curse was placed on the well after a huge dispute between the local priest, a Father Delwaney, and neighbouring landowner Hugh Darcy.
The legend goes that after Henry VIII came in and closed the well and the monastery it was attached to, just days after Darcy had warned it would not be around for much longer, Delwaney bewitched the spring and told Darcy he would be dead within a year, but immediately died himself.
Although the rough location of the well was known to Historic England, its exact location was not known as it had been covered up
According to a local newspaper report from the 18th Century, a curse was placed on the well after a huge dispute between the local priest and his neighbouring landowner
Despite backfiring on himself the curse proved somewhat effective, as Darcy quickly lost his money and his son before being found lying in the well with his head smashed in.
Now, the farmer who currently owns the land has teamed up with Historic England to replace some of the crumbling stones and add wooden boards around the feature's perimeter in order to ensure it does not get covered up again.
Supervising archaeologist Jamie Quartermaine told Discovery News: 'When we first got to the well we found that there was very little indication of it on the surface, but after excavation it was found to be in reasonable condition.'
He added: 'This well was probably a late medieval foundation as the cult of St. Anne did not become widespread in England until after the end of the 14th century.'
Last edited:
