Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England

Excerpt from The Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England: Including Rivers, Lakes, Fountains and Springs This collection of traditionary lore connected with the Holy Wells, Rivers, Springs, and Lakes of England is the first systematic attempt made. It has been said there is no book in any language which treats of Holy Wells, except in a most fragmentary and discursive manner. It is hoped, therefore, that this may prove the foundation of an exhaustive work, at some future date, by a more competent hand. The subject is almost inexhaustible, and, at the same time, a most interesting one. There is probably no superstition of bygone days that has held the minds of men more tenaciously than that of well-worship in its broadest sense, "a worship simple and more dignified than a senseless crouching before idols." An honest endeavour has been made to render the work as accurate as possible, and to give the source of each account, where such could be ascertained. That sins of omission and of commission may herein be found it is not denied, but they are, it is hoped, few and far between. No attempt has been made at scientific classification or arrangement other than the placing of the wells under their respective counties. Until those of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland have been collected, such a course would seem premature. Should this work be favourably received, it is proposed to issue at no distant date similar collections of the Holy Wells, etc., in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The writer will be very grateful for any traditions or superstitions connected therewith, also any photographs or sketches illustrating the same for use and incorporation in the collections. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.