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<< Our Photo Pages >> The Running Well - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Essex

Submitted by DavidCWoods on Thursday, 20 April 2006  Page Views: 25032

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: The Running Well Alternative Name: Our Lady's Well (Runwell)
Country: England County: Essex Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Southend  Nearest Village: Runwell
Map Ref: TQ7510096562
Latitude: 51.640601N  Longitude: 0.529102E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

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The Running Well
The Running Well submitted by DavidCWoods : On the left was a dell with a pool at the bottom. About fifteen feet below the field level, there was no obviously simple way of getting down, although the simplest access was from the western end of the dell. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Holy Well or Sacred Spring in Essex

The village was noted as Runewell c.940 and Runewella in the Domesday Book, the name derives from the Old English for “a secret, a mystery, a council” and well.

I visited with a friend in April 2006, taking the footpath to the east of the Running Well Equestrian Centre. The footpath is muddy, obviously much used by horses and runs down the east side of the Centre. After a while, the path forks – we took the right hand, along the edge of the paddocks. Eventually the path comes to the end of the wooded section and follows the edge of a field. After about a hundred yards the path (and the field boundary) we turned to the right. About half way along this field edge my friend found a gap in the hedge between the field and the paddock. We crossed a ditch and scrambled up the opposite bank, emerging on a path used by the Riding School. Turning left we carried on to the south west corner of the paddock and here, on the left was a dell with a pool at the bottom.

This well is also featured on The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) - see their entry for Our Lady’s Well, Runwell, Essex, which gives directions for finding this site together with a photograph, a brief archaeology & history and some fascinating local folklore.
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The Running Well
The Running Well submitted by DavidCWoods : Once beside the pool, considerable evidence of human intervention could be seen – the pool lies in a horseshoe shaped recess in the slope, with a concrete slab forming the western bank. A further slab. forming a second step, is visible a few inches below the water level. The southern bank of the pond was occupied by a hollow tree stump. (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Running Well
The Running Well submitted by DavidCWoods : From ground level a set of concrete steps is visible in the northern slope, leading from the pool to a point halfway up the slope. Investigation of the top step seemed to show that the step contained a stone base beyond the concrete. (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
TQ7596 : The Running Well by terry joyce
by terry joyce
©2011(licence)
TQ7596 : The Running Well by simon
by simon
©2007(licence)
TQ7596 : Running Well stables by Glyn Baker
by Glyn Baker
©2006(licence)
TQ7596 : Runwell Footpath by terry joyce
by terry joyce
©2011(licence)
TQ7596 : Warren Road, Rettendon by Roger Jones
by Roger Jones
©2015(licence)

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"The Running Well" | Login/Create an Account | 24 News and Comments
  
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Wednesday, 08 September 2021
I noticed on the old maps that there's a Right of Way to the well, apparently a lot of these paths have not been added to current maps, the Ramblers Association are running a campaign at the moment

https://www.ramblers.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/dont-lose-your-way-2026.aspx

I was wondering if this is still a Right of Way, does anyone remember it being closed? The earlier comments suggest people might no be welcome (though photos have recently been posted on googlemaps), I'd rather know before I go wandering around there, thanks.
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    Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Friday, 27 January 2023
    Hello, has anybody been here recently?
    Thank you.
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      Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 05 February 2023
      Hello, I’m going to try and find it today, so will let you know.
      Daniel.
      [ Reply to This ]

Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Monday, 27 July 2020
Is this still there does anyone know please
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Wednesday, 27 November 2019
I know how to get to the well. I go there often to perform rituals and celebrate the sabbets and Esbats.

This a magical wonderous place. Full of faerys, elementals and the mother Goddess

Blessed be

Xxx
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    Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Saturday, 23 January 2021
    Oh so you know...
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      Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Monday, 25 January 2021
      A wonderful place ....I miss it dearly !
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    Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 22 May 2022
    Hi,

    If you were willing to give more precise directions how to get there (by email, if you prefer - heliobastet99@icloud.com), I would be most grateful.

    Walked along the edge of the paddock of the Equestrian Centre until I got to a hedge. No obvious way through. According to Google Maps, ‘I had arrived’, though!

    Beautiful place, felt very peaceful there.

    Many thanks.
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Thursday, 13 November 2014
we opened Runningwell equestrian centre in approx 199o and were there for ten years....Just to let everyone know there is also access to the well through the field to the south ,owned by Flemings farm,Traditionally lots of people go there on boxing day morning...We loved it there, NO bad ghosties...some odd things,,but a peaceful feel.Our young daughter helped with a history of the well whichis kept in one of the local libraries...Wickford ,possibly...Good luck with your research!! ...Jacqueline and Alfred BOWMAN!
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Thursday, 14 August 2014
Hello
I know this is an old post but I'm doing some research in to the running well and have a few questions hopefully some of you can help
In Andrew Collins book there's a Mention of the runningwell brook does any one know the location ? It says it runs south towards the church ?
Also a mention of another well does any one know where ?
Someone posted about the horse goddess epona how does this link in ?
And lastly I visit the well often and only ever get a peaceful vibe from it it feels special do people get bad vibes
I feel it is a lovely place
Hope someone will see this post and reply :)
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Re: The Running Well by HOLYWELL on Tuesday, 16 April 2013
(User Info | Send a Message)
Hi
Shame about the access problems. I wonder what the inappropriate objects were. There is a book holy wells and healing springs of Essex which covers this and other sites. Look it up if you're interested in such sites.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: The Running Well by Andy B on Saturday, 14 July 2012
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The Roots of Runwell and the Running Well Mystery

Andrew Collins writes: The oldest reference to Runwell comes from the Cartularium saxonicum, an Anglo-Saxon document which dates to AD 939. It takes the form of a grant made by King Athelstan to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's cathedral church, London , of 12 mansions, or farms, to the principal manor of 'Runewelle'.( Cartularium saxonicum, 737, ed. Birch, London, 1885-93)

It has often been suggested that the place-name 'Runewell' derives from two components - 'rune' and 'welle'. The latter is the Old English word for a spring or stream, while the first element, run, refers to a 'secret', 'mystery' or place of 'secret council'.(Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, s.v. 'Runwell', p. 397.) As Professor Ekwall, the accomplished Scandinavian etymologist, observed in this respect, the prefix alludes to 'a spring or stream at which a meeting-place was, or rather to a wishing well.'(Ibid.) In other words, there is evidence in the parish as early as AD 939 of a notable water source that gave its name to the Saxon settlement of Runwell.

There is, however, another possible solution to the origin of Runwell's name. The Essex historian and noted etymologist P. H. Reaney proposed in 1935 that the first element might stem from the 'lost OE [Old English] hruna "tree-trunk".'(Reaney, The Place Names of Essex, s.v. 'Runwell', pp. 265-6). This is an interesting proposal, for in Anglo-Saxon myth and legend trees were associated with wells. However, since the original Anglo-Saxon form of the Old English run is spelt with an 'e', the way it appears in various early documents mentioning Runwell, I believe that this line of enquiry is flawed, and that Ekwall's more obvious solution is adequate.

More at
http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/articles/Runwell.htm
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Tuesday, 28 June 2011
By the way - most of the tales about St Mary's and the Running Well (and the Abbess) were created by Fr Bazille-Corbin who was Rector of the Parish for many years.

The stories are completely without historical evidence and mere superstition. A classic example is the story about the "Devil's Handprint" which is on a door that was put in about 200 years after the priest who was chased had died!

Andrew told me a while ago (and spoke about it at a meeting in Wickford) that he felt a little foolish publishing some of the unfounded stories in his book.

It was a pity that a beautiful medieval Church became known for a silly tale rather than the excellent work it has achieved.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: The Running Well by Andrew_B_Collins on Thursday, 17 August 2023
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    Hi, I want to reply to this anonymous person's post stating that as the author of The Running Well Mystery (1983) I said I felt "foolish" for publishing within it the legends of the Running Well recorded by the Rev. Bazille Corbin. I did not say this, nor would I. Indeed, the truth of the matter is that Bazille-Corbin simply fictionalised existing legends he heard about when he took up residency at the church. This was confirmed to me by his late son Christopher, who said that his father only wished to bring these stories to the public's notice. Sadly, his book on Runwell and the Running Well which contained the "Runwell legends" was never published, but can be viewed in the Essex Records Office at Chelmsford.

    In my opinion there are kernels of truth in all his "Runwell legends," whether it be the nuns tending the well under the control of a prioress or the legend of the Devils Claw in the church of Runwell St Mary. The devil was closely associated with the church long before Bazille-Corbin's incumbency, and there are references to prove it (see my book). Whether this be the story of running around the church nine times to invoke His Satanic Majesty or the origins of the Devils Claw; all Bazille-Corbin did was romanticise them.

    It is clear that the Running Well, and through it the parish of Runwell, has been associated with religious traditions both Christian and pagan since Roman times. Evidence of the site's Roman occupation comes from in situ Roman pottery found next to the well right alongside a Roman coin. Plus large pieces of a Gothic medieval structure have also been retrieved from the site. All finds are today in Southend Museum and have been catalogued by myself.

    For a full account of the well and its history see my article "The Roots of Runwell and the Running Well Mystery at http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/articles/Runwell.htm And if that wets your pallet try for a copy of my book "The Running Well Mystery," although you might need a pay check for that!

    For your interest, I still live local to the well and visit it on occasions. Access is possible via existing footpaths, although a sneaky stray from the track along a field boundary is necessary at the southeastern edge of the Running Well Equestrian Centre. However, as a path, this is used now by all visitors to the well.



    A
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Interesting - there is also a well in the Churchyard at the south-east end (now under a small shed). This is not a natural well - but very old all the same.

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    Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Thursday, 14 August 2014
    Do you know what church ? And it's location from the well
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Thursday, 05 August 2010
Hello all

I asked the owners of the Runningwell Equestrian Centre if I could have access to the Well but they refused and said no one is allowed access to the Well because 'inappropriate' items have been left which have frightened the children! Whilst I think children should be protected and looked after, it seems a shame to be barred access as the well should be looked after. In this health and safety conscious age, I'm surprised children are allowed access to such a site but not adults? In Cornwall sacred springs and ancient sites seem open to the public without restriction, how different in Essex.

Maysie
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Monday, 07 September 2009
Your horse will probably protect you. Horses are avatars of the horse goddess Epona. The first time I went to the well other followers of pagan practice had left little offerings in the form of "dollys" woven out of rowan twigs and scraps of cloth and beads hanging above the sacred pool. (very Blair witch) If you look deeply in to the pool as twilight falls and look behind your reflection you will be interested to see what you see!
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 06 September 2009
i ride at running well equestrian centre and keep my horse their ive been down to the well but i diddent know it was haunted i ride past their all the time its scary knowing its haunted
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 06 September 2009
I have been there. Awesome vibes. You should read Andrew Collins book "The Black Alchemist" which mentions this site and some of the freaky things that have gone on there!
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    Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 31 January 2010
    Hi

    I can see you posted your notice last year. but I was wondering if you could tell me the directions to get to the Well. Many thanks for your help
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Thursday, 03 September 2009
i ride at runningwell equestrian centre and ive been down the well with my friends its freaky knowing its haunted down their!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Monday, 02 February 2009
as a keen earth mysteries follower i and a group i was a member of researched the location of the holy well and found that an ancient chantry house was built near the original source of the well..and that a flint lined heart shaped pool surrounded by seven trees had existed. we found a mullion keystone that was verified as medieval and we found the original flint lined pool site as well as many devotional offerings..also the site produce many flint scrapers from the mesolithic era.research continues at the well. we have the name of the lady abbesss charged with overseeing the day to day work of the pool of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Runnynge Welle as it was called.
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    Re: The Running Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 31 January 2010
    Hi

    I live on the runwell road , and I'm facinated by the sacred well, my friend and I went to try and find the well. We asked for direction at the eqestrian centre but no-one could help us. Can you tell me how to find. I have obtained the book The Running Well Mystery by Andrew Collins and I m looking forward to reading it. Has there been sighting at the well? If you have any information on the Well I would appreciate it.

    many thank to anyone with info
    [ Reply to This ]

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