The ancient and holy wells of Chollerton Part one – the wells of Colwell

The large parish of Chollerton in Northumberland perhaps has more named wells than other – a survey done in the 19^th century recorded the following: Drop well, Level well, Dan well, Deadwood well, Dalla well, Madge’s well, East well, Hollywell, Coppies well, Margaret’s Well, Kate’s well, Crow well, Bank well, Nine wells, Tone well, West well, Bore well, Prickie’s well, Coley well and Robin Hood’s Well. Quite a significant number of wells it appears.

Charles Hope in 1893 in his Legendary Lore of Holy Wells notes of the village or rather hamlet of Colwell:

“This village, in the same parish of Chollerton, derives its present appellation from a well-known spring, not far from the now almost forgotten site of another early capella. With this an interesting relic of primitive worship used to be associated in a popular pilgrimage, and the bringing of flowers, to dress the well on or about Midsummer Sunday.”

It is reported by Northumberland Federation of Women’s Institutes in the 1994 The Northumberland Village Book that:

“where Colwell now stands. There were also three springs – Prickie’s Well, Robin Hood’s Well, and Coley’s Well which was almost certainly the most revered of the three.”

The spring he appears to refer to is Coley’s Well which appears to have associated with a fairly unique custom or rather uniquely named. A report in 1891’s Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne states:

“The well used to be celebrated as the ‘Bridal of Colwell’:”

A name which has a slightly pagan feel to it perhaps, This time the customs is said to have moved to the 4^th, although those familiar to calendar customs will be aware that this is Old Midsummer’s Day, the day it would have been before the calendar change:

“The annual festival was held on or about the 4th of July (St. Ulric’s Day), and consisted of a popular pilgrimage to the well at Colwell and dressing it with flowers. This ‘Bridal of Colwell’ is no longer remembered, but it is probable its observance may have been transferred to the ‘Borewell’ in the same district, a sulphur spring at which the local ‘hoppin’ is still held at the Sunday next after July 4th.”

Thus Peter Binnall and Madeline Hope Dodds in the 1941 -1944 in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, 4th series record that:

“Once called the ‘Bridal of Colwell’, but now ‘Coley’s Well’. It is the only well in Northumberland connected with the custom of well-dressing.”

The custom would appear to have been similar to Spaw Sunday when a certain day was chosen for visiting the well, when the waters were auspiciously more powerful and as a result a social event would develop around it. Interestingly, it appears to have been associated with a significant local history event:

“By the Middle Ages a traditional celebration of one of the wells had been established. This celebration, during which the well was blessed and decorated with flowers, was known as The Colwell Bridal and was held around 4th July on St Ulrich’s day. It was the object of popular pilgrimage and, on one such day in 1534, the good knight Sir Thomas Dacre seized three of the infamous Charlton clan who had travelled many miles to attend the Bridal. The Charltons had attacked Tarset Castle eight years earlier, burnt it and dispatched Sir Ralph Fenwick with his 80 horsemen out of North Tynedale. Their apprehension at the Colwell Bridal not only created local excitement, but also went down in history.”

Why this custom ceased is unclear, perhaps the water failed or the landowner denied access but it would have appeared to have moved to another well called the Bore well, which I shall cover in another future post. Of the Coley Well it still exists. It is noted by a low stone wall which encloses it on three sides and gives access for a large number of individuals and cows (!) suggesting it was indeed constructed for this function. The water flows from one side of the chamber and forms a very muddy pool, but a rectangular basin set into the ground can be seen, however a modern brick building nearby doubtlessly taps the spring.

Of the three other wells very little seems to been recorded other than their names in italics on the early OS map. Pricky’s Well is enclosed in a concrete structure and although flows considerably there is little old remaining and nothing appears noted about its name or traditions other than it was a copious spring. The final well of the three which lay in a line is the Robin Hood’s Well. This is an interesting named site and although modern Robin Hood devotees may visit the area to see the site of the famed Prince of Thieves tree (now sadly gone) few would visit this. But does it have a true association with the outlaw? Probably not, I would suggest that it more likely records an elemental and indeed the springhead, the most undeveloped of all, is very evocative of mysterious water beings. It arises to fill a boggy hole with a single stone to mark it. Again little is know of it but from the pipe leading off it it still has a use.