Hallikeld Springs - Melmerby
(SE 3428 7515)

The OS map marks an area called 'Hallikelds' to the south of Melmerby, and a little further south there are two Hallikeld springs marked on the map. One spring still exists as a small pond with an old hawthorn growing alongside it on a field boundary. The pond may have been dug so as to fill up with the water from the spring, however the site is now rather overgrown and neglected.
The other Hallikeld spring (SE 3404 7557 - 500m to the north) was located on the edge of a small wood, but the adjoining land has been cleared (for industrial use?) and the spring seems to have disappeared under a large concrete chamber and manhole cover, (this was full of dirty stagnant water in March 1999). However the spring water used to flow into a nearby ditch and there is still a good flow of clear water being piped into the ditch from some source. It would appear that several springs rise in that location as the wooded area is very wet and boggy.

These two holy springs are in a rough alignment with two prehistoric henge earthworks to the south and there are burial mounds nearby, so perhaps this area of natural springs has had a long history of ritual significance. The importance of the 'Hallikelds' area appears to have continued with the Anglo-Saxon and Norse settlers, as Melmerby is located at the centre of the 40 parishes which formed the ancient Hallikeld Wapentake.