A photograph of the front cover of the book "The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context" by James Rattue. The book's title is prominently displayed in bold orange text at the top, with the author's name below. The cover features a black-and-white photograph of an old stone structure- a holy well, surrounded by overgrown vegetation. The image creates a historical and rustic aesthetic, with the title and author contrasting against the moody imagery.

A page from The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context featuring a chart titled "English Wells Showing Possible Pagan Continuity." The chart compares Christian and non-Christian wells, listing various wells with their associated features. These include wells with connections to pagan rituals, such as healing wells, wells associated with fairies, and wells dedicated to spirits or guardians. The section also explores the possible pagan origins of certain wells in relation to historical and archaeological evidence.

A page from The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context titled "The Saxon Settlement." The section discusses Anglo-Saxon minsters and their role in the spread of Christianity across England. It examines how minsters, which were centers of missionary activity and administration, contributed to the establishment of Christian holy sites, including wells. The text also highlights archaeological findings and the importance of minsters in the historical and religious development of the region.

A page from The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context titled "Unam Ecclesiam." This section focuses on various holy wells in England, their origins, and their associations with both pagan and Christian practices. It references specific wells, such as Julian's Well and Brightwell (Oxfordshire), discussing their historical context and transformation, particularly in relation to Christianization and the adaptation of pagan shrines. The page includes a list of wells and their respective dedications. The image is set against a backdrop of wooden planks and ivy.

A page from The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context titled "Unam Ecclesiam." This section delves into the influence of religious houses, particularly how Beauchief Abbey's allegiance to St. Quentin near Premonstratensian influences shaped the development of holy wells, such as St. Mary's in Wokingham and other locations. It also discusses the connections between saints' shrines and the local communities, tracing the religious and social aspects of holy wells through history. The page is photographed on a wooden surface with ivy leaves

A page from The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context titled "At the Heart of the Community." This section explores the social control associated with holy wells, particularly in relation to the English and Celtic experiences. It discusses how the Catholic religious practices at these sites changed post-Reformation, with some local rituals surviving through adaptations. The text highlights the social and political functions of holy wells and their connection to both the church and the community. The page is photographed on a rustic wooden surface with green ivy leaves.

A page from The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context, showing the section titled "The Two Cultures." This page discusses Joseph Childrey's skepticism regarding holy wells, specifically the belief surrounding St. Keyne's Well in Cornwall. It details his thoughts on the spring's purported magical properties and its connection to superstitions. The text also touches on early antiquarians' interest in these wells, including references to antiquarians such as Anthony Aubrey and the customs surrounding holy wells. The page is placed on a rustic background with green ivy leaves.

A page from "The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context," showing the section titled "Hunting High and Low." The text discusses the role of the Church of England's High wing in promoting holy wells, their connection with ritualism in the 19th century, and the influence of high church figures like Bishops Beilby Porteous and Samuel Horsely. The page also covers the views of Reverend William van Notten Pole and his work on restoring holy wells. The text is placed on a rustic background with green leaves.

A close-up image of a page from the book "The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context." The page shows the bibliography section, with several references listed. Some titles include "Troughs and Drinking Fountains," "Britons Folklore," and "Documents of British Superstition in Oxford." The page is surrounded by green leaves, and the text is clearly visible, with a focus on the academic references related to holy wells and folklore studies. The book’s content is scholarly and detailed.

A photograph of the back cover of "The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context." The cover includes a quote by Ronald Blythe about holy wells being a combination of mystery and utility. It also provides a description of the book's subject matter, which includes the history of holy wells, their Christianisation, and their role in medieval society. The author, James Rattue, is introduced as an expert in medieval history and archaeology. The cover image shows a bathing pool at St Mary's Well, with publication details listed at the bottom.

A photograph of the contents page from "The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context." The list of chapters includes topics such as the origins of hydrolatry, the relationship between wells and Christianity, the role of wells in medieval society, and the influence of wells in the Reformation and beyond. The contents page also lists the Addenda, Bibliography, Index of Wells in English Counties, and General Index. The visible page number is "vi."

The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context

Name: The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context - Curated by Bramble & Bone
Price: 20.00 GBP
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (1 reviews)

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 1 customer rating

(1 customer review)

£20.00

A history of holy wells from the pagan cult of water to the Christian wells of the middle ages.

The holy well is the ultimate combination of magic, spirituality, mystery and utility. There are hundreds of them still to be found, some with ease, others with good maps and better wellies. This useful book lists almost all of them, and in so doing takes us into the realm of a still little-studied spiritual area. It also leads us through remote areas of Celtic and English Christian history- with meticulous survey information on pagan ritual continuity, presented both in text and table for easy reference. James Rattue begins the story of the holy well in the ancient world, exploring the archetypal motifs present in the cult of water, then traces the distinctive development of the holy well in England, examining pagan wells and their Christianisation, the role played by ecclesiastical history and institutions, the importance of saints’ cults, and the social functions of wells in the middle ages.

Of interest to our readers,

Geographical survey of saint dedications.
Continuations of Pagan survivals in to the cult of the Virgin Mary.
Well purposes, and the purposes of surrounding ritual buildings.
Highlights some of the traditional travelling routes to wells.
Sections on the reformation, and how the working class kept the faith of the wells.

Written by James Rattue.

192 pages

See why we love it in the description box below!

Availability: In stock

Category: Books Tags: academic, book, books, Culture, Devotional Texts, European, folklore and local culture, history, holy well, Native Fairy Faith, Religion, UK Craft

A history of holy wells from the pagan cult of water to the Christian wells of the middle ages.

Of interest to our readers,

Geographical survey of saint dedications.
Continuations of Pagan survivals in to the cult of the Virgin Mary.
Well purposes, and the purposes of surrounding ritual buildings.
Highlights some of the traditional travelling routes to wells.
Sections on the reformation, and how the working class kept the faith of the wells.

Written by James Rattue.

192 pages

Why we love it

This is easily one of our favourite books on Holy Wells. Even though this book is slightly out-dated, and doesn’t include some holy wells that we’ve personally found (through very niche research and feet on the ground!) this is easily one of the top three books on the cult of holy wells. It covers an exemplary range of wells in great detail. The section on class divide when it comes to the wells, and the eventual upper class-antiquarian-new age-neopagan pipeline chapter is not to be missed when it comes to analysing how wells have changed in modern times, for good and bad.

The survey and table information is incredibly thorough and very useful- as are many of the stories about the various wells. there’s a section on wells renamed by antiquarian speculation, which also helps researchers trying to pry apart the folklore from the fakelore.

It should be noted that the author has a section for ‘demonstrable continuation of tradition’, where he himself says he may have been too strict. Which I’d have to agree with, having witnessed several of these traditions myself (and have heard in first hand accounts from others) still taking place at the wells not mentioned on his maps.

If you’re interested in working magically with Holy water gathered from sacred wells, we do stock a range here!

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.

Weight	0.330 kg
HS_CODE	4901990093
HS_DESCRIPTION	Printed bound book, text content for reading.
ORIGIN_COUNTRY	UK

1 review for The Living Stream: Holy Wells in Historical Context

Rated 5 out of 5

Alex Goddard (verified owner) – 23 March 2025

A fascinating read, the section on the reformation alone is worth buying this book for! It even mentions my local well! (Not a famous one by any stretch!)