Yorkshire Holy Wells

St Helen's & St Peter's Wells - Barmby on the Marsh
(Approx TA 690 284 & TA 688 285)

The rev. Smith notes that there where originally 2 holy wells in this village, but in the early 1800's both of them were 'wantonly filled up'. St Helen's well was located just to the south of the church yard, but the rev could not find any trace of it. Luckily the spring that supplied St Peter's well had continued to flow and he found the well/pool in an orchard near the church. These wells had a widespread reputation, as one 19th century writer records ( Allen 1800?)......
"In this village are two extraordinary springs of sulphuric and chalybeate water, denominated St Peter's and St Helen's; the former possesses the rare virtue of curing scorbutic eruptions by external application. Both of these wells, within the last 6 years, have been wantonly filled up, and the site is only known to a few of the villagers."

St Peter's well was so effective that people traveled long distances to use the water for curing scurvy and sore eyes. This popularity is said to have led to one attempt to destroy the well, when a local doctors family had the well filled in, because they resented people using the well water instead of the doctors services!
The village church is said to have originally been a tithe barn before its conversion to a chapel dedicated to St Helen, - which explains one of the well dedications. The mother church at Howden is also dedicated to St Peter which probably explains the other well name.

On a brief visit to the village in July 2000 it was not possible to identify either well site. However the wells are marked on the 1850 OS map so with this information a a further visit is planned.

Notes

~Rev Smith's book reads as if he has well sites mixed up?1850 os map shows st helens to south of church + st peters more to west ? need better map details. Smith makes it sound like both wells are sulphur but would school kids drink sulphur water (and not mention it) more like st helens chalybeate st peters sulphur?
p150 Smith reports the village had a st helens well but it no longer exists and its site lost, was to the se of church when grave was dug in SE of church yard sulphur water began to fill hole so spring was nearby this part of church yard was originally a garden belonging to school master, the well was in this garden and school children washed + drank from it + poor houses used it until they were knocked down and school house built on site.
Smith says Barmby HAS a well to st peter (+ had a to st helen) St peters is in orchard about 100 yds se of church and is reached by going through 3 fields it is a pool about 8ft deep by 15ft in diameter the spring now rising several yards from its original site, strong and clear flow although several attempts to block it up always reapears, never freezes soft water containing sulphur,

Old map not very clear but shows st peters to west of church at approx TA 688 285 and shows St Helen's well on southern edge of churchyard at approx TA 690 284 (looks to be just in inside church yard?)