<< Text Pages >> Jacob's Well (Kent) - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Kent
Submitted by HOLYWELL on Tuesday, 29 August 2006 Page Views: 8199
Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Jacob's Well (Kent) Alternative Name: Holy wellCountry: England
NOTE: This site is 2.2 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Kent Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Rolvenden
Map Ref: TQ82703155
Latitude: 51.054229N Longitude: 0.605467E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Described by local antiquarian Igglesden (1901-1946) as: ‘... in the neighbourhood wood is a spring that supplies the house with water. The well in bygone days was supposed to possess healing properties, and the sick and infirm would travel miles from all parts of the Weald to drink the water and bathe their stricken limbs in it.'
According to Mr. Barham, owner of Hole Park, a spring, which supplied the house, via pipes and tanks installed in the early 1800s, was called Jacob's Well. Being its only supply, then it must be the same as that described by Igglesden, although Mr. Barham was unaware that it was a holy well. Its name, Jacob, suggests a vulgarisation of St. James. Despite this, White (1985) believes that the site of the well is a damp dell lined with garden flowers and palms. On reflection Jacob's Well would appear to fit this description more.
Upon visiting this site, one notes that there is little ancient stonework here to indicate a past importance, it consists of a series of derelict and debris filled red brick structures, two deep well cisterns (both dry) and a rectangular structure of probable Nineteenth Century origin, as Mr. Barham suggests. Below these remains, clear water emerges, and forms a small gully flowing downhill through the woods.
Interestingly, Igglesden (1901-46) describes a property of the spring described in a unreferenced letter which would suggest lost powers:
'..a maid drank with a lad the running water of Rolvenden, he and she would be sire and wife before ten more moons were out .'
This indicates that the spring was associated with a fertility rite (pre-Christian in origin perhaps), a property in common with both the St. Edith's Well, Kemsing, Pizien Well, and possibly St. Anne's Well, Maidstone, as well as Tunbridge Wells, and The Gatehouse Well, Minster.
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