St.Gyles Holy Water

This holy water has been gathered from the Royal Well near Matlock Bath, within the boundaries of the St.Giles Parish. The water is used for healing, cleansing and fulfilment.

This well has been used as a healing spring since the 1600s, but the worship of St.Giles dates back to the 700s.

Who is St.Giles?

St. Giles is a hermitage saint who lived much of his life in France. He was particularly popular with the working Class of the UK, and had many areas and churches dedicated to him. He is the patron saint of arrow; crosier; hermitage; hind (Red Deer); beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people;  epilepsy; noctiphobics; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; outcasts; poor people; rams; spur makers; sterility; healing, spiritual cleansing and confession.

He lived in solitude in the woodland, accompanied by his sacred Deer, who in legend gave him milk to sustain him. In myth, the deer was later spotted by the King’s Hunters- who chased the deer to the Hermits abode. They try to shoot the deer, but hit the Saint instead. It’s this arrow that makes him physically disabled.

His feast day is on the first of September, and is considered to be one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers as his intercessions are so potent. His miracles include:

• Healing people with his cloak. Using the cloak to cover a person, as though it were a cave and then healing them with prayer.
• He prays and cleanses the venom out from snakes.
• Saved those lost at sea and helped them find shore.
• Brought abundance and fertility to the land in which in he had his hermitage.
• Raising the dead.
• The more he gave in alms, the more spiritual gifts were bestowed upon him. This is what originally drove him into hermitage- as he didn’t want the applause and fame.

His symbols are the deer and arrow. The cypress trees also feature within his legends. He works with prayers that are necessary- and those that do not ask for more out of greed.

St.Gyles is the regional variation of the name, as seen in the prayer at the bottom of the page. We use this name of his to represent the local worship and folklore that he has in the UK.

More information about this specific well …

The spring- as well as two others in Matlock bath- were discovered in the 1600s, and were quickly utilised into healing spas. This Well is the oldest, and has been known by many names, including Old Bath Spring and Wolley’s Well- and used to emerge from Matlock Woods before the spa town was built. This Well is just over a mile SSW of St Giles’ Church, and gains it’s modern name from the Spa Hotel that used to rise above it on the hill. The Royal Well is a thermal spring, residing at a constant 20 degrees C.

The well is under the area of St.Giles’ church- of which there is one in Matlock, and one in Hartington- both of which were used in the consecration of this holy water. The medieval church in Matlock is on an old Corpse Road, with a fully functional lych gate.

You can use this water to bless your candles, add to cleansing water, drop some on spirit pouches, wash down doorframes and much more!

 

PROPERTIES OF THIS HOLY WATER

This water specifically is known to be particularly gifted for working healing and cleansing magic. It is seen as a water to wash away illness, sins and more. It is also used as a devotional water, and so can be used for the other patronages and miracles of St.Giles.

 

WAYS TO USE THIS HOLY WATER

There are many different ways to use Holy Spring Water.

• As a surface cleanser- diluted. Not only for your traditional items, such as doorframes and floors- but also wiping down the outside of novendialia candles.
• Dropping water on to a spirit pouch. If you have a spirit pouch or a another contained working working towards something like justice- this water would be great to sprinkle a couple of drops on.
• Adding it to asperging water mixtures- including perfume sprays.
• Mixing it into a little bit of salt to have on the altar.
• Can be used as a consecration water, to consecrate an item to St.Giles.
• Can be used to bless a space, or an object.
• Can be used as an offering to St.Giles, or as a portal through which to give the offerings.

(And many more ways of working)

 

HOW THIS WATER WAS COLLECTED

This water was collected as part of a pilgrimage Tarn went on around the Peak District.

An appropriate offering and blessings were left to pay the spirits the use of their well for workings. Blessings were placed upon the grotto surround of the well. Bottles were submerged into the water with a prayer, and consecrated salt and spar stanes were added later to the individual bottles. All rituals were made in accordance with the Indigenous Fairy Faith, and animistic beliefs of the land.

 

“O gracious Gyle, of pore folk chef patroun,
Medycyne to seke in ther dystresse,
To alle needy sheeld and proteccyoun,
Reffute to wrecchis, ther damages to redresse,
Folk that were ded restoryng to quyknesse,
Sith thou of God were chose to be so good,
Pray for our synnys, pray for our wikkidnesse,
To Crist Iesu that boughte us with his blood,
Cast vp-on us thy goodly pitous yee,
To our requestis thyn eris doun enclyne,
For the love of Iesu and Marye,
Born in Bedlem, she a pure virgyne,
And as thou were tryacle and medycyne
To kyng Charlis, whan he in myschef stood,
Teche us the weye by thi gostly doctryne,
To love that lord that bought us with his blood.
Geyn our enemyes wich ben in noumbre thre,
The flessh the world the dredful fel serpent,
Of thy grace and mercyfull pyte,
To thi servauntis that serve the of entent
Ageyn al trouble be with hem present,
Maugre the fend and his furious mood,
Gracious Gyle, be neuer from us absent
For love of Iesu that bouhte us with his blood.
We putte our trust and our affeccyoun
In thi most feithful prudent gouernaunce,
Be thow our sheld, our pavys and sheltroun,
That were so famous by myracles in substance,
Wrought by thy merit in Germanye & Fraunce,
Maugre leviathan, mankyndes fo moost wood,
Ageyn whos werre haue us in remembraunce
To-fore that lord wich bouht us with his blood.”
John Lydgate (c. 1370 – 1451)

To see how people use these in action, visit our Instagram Page. If you want to learn more about our products, go to our ‘Learn More’ Page.

This water was gathered from the Royal Well, Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, and has added salt for preservation and cleansings, as well as holy spar stanes. This water is undiluted, but can be diluted again by 2 parts, according to tradition. 

This product comes in a 30ml Glass bottle with a Stopper Cap.

 

 Under UK law I have to state that this should not be used internally or externally. This Product is intended for magical use only, Curio only. Use at Own risk.