The Clerks' Well gave its name to the district of Clerkenwell and has a long history in this area of London. It was the scene of medieval miracle plays performed by the parish clerks of London and it was mentioned by William Fitzstephen in his description of the city as early as 1174.
Until the dissolution of the monasteries, the well was located in the boundary wall of St Mary's Nunnery. After the nunnery closed and Ray Street (now Farringdon Lane) was built, the well was accessed through the basement of a building in this road.
In 1800 a pump was placed at pavement level to allow public use of the well but by the middle of the 19th century the well was closed.
For many years, the exact location of this important site was uncertain, until it was rediscovered in 1924 during building work in Farringdon Lane.