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   Details of the Holy Well

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Location

 

Bradstone

 

Holy Well Name

 

St Nonna's Well

 

Map Reference

 

SX382 808  Public access

 

Date Visited

 

Mar-03

 

The church here is dedicated to St Nonna who was the mother of St David ( there is some dispute about the dedication as the church patron saint has been variously recorded as Christopher, Matthias and Nonna). However which  ever of these dedications is the original, the location of this isolated tiny church and hamlet, lying adjacent to the river Tamar boundary with Cornwall is suggestive of a Celtic site and this is further enhanced by an most unusual carved stone head set into the wall inside the church. The site was important in Saxon times ( a manumission of slaves is recorded here during the illness of a visiting Saxon lord to Bradstone) and it  is recorded in Domesday.  Baring- Gould notes that " a former rector here, told me the unfailing spring on the glebe was a holy well"; at the time of my visit in 2003, the spring adjacent to the road near the church, was indeed still running from remains of  well house which still retained a fine capstone of slate or local stone. The final stage in the decay of the well was the result of very recent landscaping work on the adjacent field and hedge but I understand that the landowner has plans to restore the well and the cobbled path to it. The well has been used in living memory as a water supply to nearby cottages and as a butterwell but its location close to the church supports its claim to be the well of St Nonna ( this Saint has another  more famous well and church dedicated to her a few miles away at Altarnun).

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