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   Details of the Holy Well

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Location

 

Hartland 1

 

Holy Well Name

 

St Nectan's

 

Map Reference

 

SS236 247: Public access

 

Date Visited

 

Jan-03

 

A stone well house situated down a narrow lane close by the parish church of St Nectan at Stoke. Recent work has been done to repair the door to the well and fix a metal grill to prevent access to the interior but the building itself is becoming rather overgrown and the general site rather untidy. This is perhaps the most important holy well in Devon as there is a chain of evidence which links it to the Celtic monastery founded by St Nectan at Stoke sometime between 500-600AD and where a religious community continued until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. More than a thousand and a half years of spiritual history are concentrated on this spot and still it is visited by pilgrims where tradition says that St Nectan carried his head after he had been beheaded by robbers. Tradition of  the spirit of the well being in the form of a great eel. A Grade 2 listed building

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