Stevington
Holy Well

Places > Stevington > Wells

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The Holy Well is to the north of the Church and has never been known to freeze or to fail in times of drought.

In the Middle Ages various miraculous powers were ascribed to the waters, particularly in respect to curing ailments of the eyes.

It has been suggested by some researchers that the waters may have been the site of earlier veneration, possibly dating back to the Iron Age.

The area around the well is protected as there is a proliferation of Petasites Hybridus, a plant commonly known as Butterbur, so named because its leaves were commonly used to wrap butter in times past.

Sources:

• Church guides in Bedford Central Library
• The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Stevington by A.J. Fleming in the Archaeological Journal No. 139, 1982

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Stevington Holy Well by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2006

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Page last updated: 4th February 2014