Sancreed Well

There are many sacred wells in Cornwall, from inside sea caverns to corners of forgotten fields. “In Ireland water from holy wells was sprinkled on or fed to sick animals and people; while in Scotland chanted spells assisted in the healing of minor injuries and ailments like sprains and boils.” This was no different from Cornwall where the holy wells, and some megalithic stones such as Men-An-Tol, were believed to cure all manner of ills.

In the Celtic tradition, wells are associated with wisdom, and often hazel trees overhang these liminal places, with hazelnuts being linked with wisdom and poetic inspiration. In Scotland, the goddess “Biera lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. The reason she did not die of old age was because, at the beginning of every spring, she drank the magic waters of the Well of Youth which bubbles up in the Green Island of the West. This was a floating island where summer was the only season, and the trees were always bright with blossom and laden with fruit.”

Sancreed Well is situated in a pretty little hamlet only a few miles from Penzance. Close to Sancreed Church, which has some fascinating carvings, and the beautiful ancient settlement of Carn Euny with its unusual fogou. The well, as with many sacred sites is overhung by a hawthorn tree decorated with rags and ribbons. Known as clouties, the belief goes that as the natural fibre rots, the ailment will ebb away. It is believed that bathing rituals once took place here, and still to this day people leave candles, incense and crystals are left as offerings.

Paul Devereux, who has written extensively on Cornish Folklore and history, explained how “the entrance to the granite passage faces south and so, at certain points in the calendar, the sun shines directly onto the water. In 1990, he found that the recorded energy and radiation levels at the well were 200% higher than the surrounding area, suggesting that could have some bearing on visionary activity here.”