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The Henge Monuments of the British Isles: Myth and Archaeology

The Henge Monuments of the British Isles: Myth and Archaeology

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<< Text Pages >> St. Osyth's Well (St. Osyth) - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Essex

Submitted by DavidCWoods on Monday, 07 February 2005  Page Views: 10504

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: St. Osyth's Well (St. Osyth) Alternative Name: St. Ositha's Well
Country: England County: Essex Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Clacton  Nearest Village: St. Osyth
Map Ref: TM11651670
Latitude: 51.808851N  Longitude: 1.068798E
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
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data 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.
1 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
5

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Holy Well or Sacred Spring in Essex. This well is situated on private land within the estate of St. Osyth Priory. St. Osyth was a Mercian princess (although others say there was more than one St. Osyth) who founded the church of St. Peter and Paul, and instituted a nunnery, supposed to be the most ancient monastic establishment in England in the village that now bears her name.

She was beheaded by the Danes, and the legend runs that "at the place of her martyrdom a fountain sprang up, which continues to this day as a sovereign remedy for many diseases; her head was cut off; the body rose, and taking the head in her hand walked – guided by angels – to the church. Here it knocked at the door, and then fell to the ground". The stream was afterwards collected by monks in a long pipe.<

Having written to the local Vicar, I received a reply from the History Recorder for the church. The well site is apparently still extant in Nun’s Wood, about a mile and a half from the Priory House. It is a spring with a brick culvert feeding a pond (named on the 1880 OS map as Dolphin Pond) close to what may be the ruin of the original nunnery.

The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) features a page for this site - see their entry for St. Osyth’s Well, St. Osyth, Essex, which gives the same description as above plus local folklore.

Pastscape Monument No. 387739 records a nun's conduit house at TM 1165 1670, which describes one wall left of the south gable of this structure, which are probably the remains of the small stone building which covered the well.
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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
TM1116 : Field and Creek by terry joyce
by terry joyce
©2008(licence)
TM1116 : View from the layby by terry joyce
by terry joyce
©2008(licence)
TM1116 : Howlands Marsh SSSI by Glyn Baker
by Glyn Baker
©2023(licence)
TM1116 : View of the grid by terry joyce
by terry joyce
©2010(licence)
TM1117 : Gates on Footpath 19 by Glyn Baker
by Glyn Baker
©2023(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 1.1km N 9° Flag Inn (St Osyth) Cairn (TM11771777)
 5.8km N 350° Great Bentley Henge (TM104224)
 6.2km ESE 123° Clacton Cursus Cursus (TM170135)
 6.4km NW 306° Alresford Hill Cairn (TM06282022)
 7.5km NNE 13° Little Bentley Henge (TM130241)
 9.1km ENE 78° Great Holland Cursus Cursus (TM205189)
 9.3km ENE 79° Great Holland Cursus (TM207189)
 9.3km ENE 78° Frinton and Walton Cursus Cursus (TM20731898)
 9.7km W 262° West Mersea* Artificial Mound (TM021149)
 10.9km NNW 348° Little Bromley Henge (TM089273)
 11.8km WSW 251° St Peter's Well (West Mersea)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TM006124)
 12.1km NW 311° Annan Road Bronze Age Barrow Cemetery* Barrow Cemetery (TM0215024164)
 12.1km SW 227° Othona Roman Fort* Early Christian Sculptured Stone (TM031081)
 12.3km WNW 299° Tamworth Mound Misc. Earthwork (TM0065922209)
 12.5km NW 313° Greenstead Stones* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (TM021248)
 13.0km WNW 296° Berechurch Dyke Misc. Earthwork
 13.6km N 352° Lawford Cursus (TM093301)
 13.7km N 353° Lawford 2 Long Barrow (TM095302)
 13.7km N 354° Lawford Cursus (TM097303)
 13.8km N 353° Lawford C Cursus Cursus (TM095303)
 14.4km N 351° Lawford Timber Circle (TM088308)
 14.4km NW 306° St John's Green (Colchester) Cairn (TL99642468)
 14.6km NW 308° Colchester Castle Museum* Museum (TL998253)
 14.9km NNW 346° Lawford B Cursus Cursus (TM075310)
 15.0km NNW 346° Lawford 1 Long Barrow (TM074311)
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