So what's this website all about?

In 2000 i decided to make an effort to visit some of the many holy wells and springs located around the Yorkshire region, however, my interest in this aspect our ancient heritage dates back to the mid 1980's, when i had the good fortune to meet Edna Whelan and Ian Taylor. At that time, Edna and Ian were in the process of gathering information their forthcoming publication - 'Yorkshire Holy Wells and Sacred Springs' (Northern Lights 1989). I was able to join Edna and Ian on some of their numerous 'research trips', and together we spent many a weekend searching out and making a record of the large number of (mostly neglected) holy wells and springs dotted all over Yorkshire. This proved to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Quite a few years have passed since the results of this fieldwork were published, and it seemed appropriate to re-visit some of the wells to see how they have faired over the years. Most of the wells and springs listed on this website are located in North and East Yorkshire, mainly because they were far easier to visit, and did not involve negotiating the built up areas around West and South Yorkshire. Secondly i am aware that Paul Bennett has been researching the surprisingly large number of wells in the West Yorkshire area with the aim of publishing the results in the future. The holy wells of South Yorkshire were investigated by Rob Wilson in the early 1990's; and with his permission i have compiled a list from his book 'Holy Wells and Spas of South Yorkshire' (Wilson 1991). Many of the wells were re-visited in 1999/2000, and this website shows the wells as they appeared then. This was also in the days before everyone had broadband, so the pages and images were kept small - for faster loading. A few more pictures were added in 2006, but otherwise the website has sat quietly in the 'backwaters' of the internet.