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The well marks the spot where tradition says that the 6th century Celtic Saint Urith ( or St Hieritha in a more Anglicised form)was martyred by local villagers who cut off her head with a scythe; water from ithe well is still used by the church on St Urith's Day 8th July. Unfortunately , the well suffer red badly when it was capped in recent times and is now a rather ugly concrete structure but this is re-dressed somewhat by the ancient top slab which bears the shallow channel and grove which once held water to bless the many pilgrims who came to St Urith's shrine in the church up to the 16th century. St Urith was a local girl and in 15the century writings is portrayed as a devout young virgin who was killed at the instigation of her stepmother; she who was buried in the church and her shrine became the centre for a local cult where many miracles were claimed. An important Devon well which celebrates a truly local Saint who is remembered in the words of a hymn found in Trinity College Library- "Sing, Chittlehampton,sing! Let all Devon's meadows ring with Holy Gladness for our Saint's renown, And thou, Blest maiden pray, that we on this our day, May bear our cross and win our heavenly crown". Devon Sites and Monuments Register.
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