MDE1031 - St Thomas's Well, Parracombe (Building)

SS 6763 4506. St Thomas's Well, near Parracombe church is listed as a holy well. [1,2] "St Thomas' Well" shown on the 1st and 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey maps, with additions on the 1938 Ordnance Survey map. [3-5] SS 6763 4506. St Thomas's Well (NAT). [6] SS 67622 45067. St Thomas's Well, a natural spring, is situated on the southeast side of a stream at the foot of steep slopes in a small scrub-filled gulley. It has been enclosed by a rectangular brick built concrete lined chamber or cistern, about 1 metre square. There are two similar rectangular buildings a few metres downstream and the water appears to have been piped underground to them. Although encased, water still oozes from the base of the cistern. According to Dr Mold [7] this was probably covered over in about 1900. [8] The well is not depicted on the Parracombe Tithe Map. The site is within land parcel 83, recorded in the Apportionment as "Church Close", owned by William Dovell and occupied by Charles Dovell. [9] Monument record reviewed as part of NRHE to HER pilot project. [10,11] Jones refers to a holy well, not dedicated to St Helen, with a burial place which is dedicated to Helen, at Parracombe. However, Parracombe Church was dedicated to Petrock. N.B. The 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map refers to St Petrock's Church as St Helen's Church [3]. St Thomas' well is 175 metres northeast of the site and is possibly the well referred to here. This data was originally recorded in MDE1066, which is another possible well site. The third is Lady's Well (MDE20142). [11, 12] St Thomas's Well is depicted and labelled on 2020 MasterMap data. [13]