St. Chad's Well - Romiley, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 24.545 W 002° 05.533
30U E 560343 N 5918163
This well dedicated to St. Chad is in the Chadwick estate not far from Chadkirk Chapel.
Waymark Code: WM10EYK
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/26/2019
Views: 2
Chadkirk is a small estate originally owned by the Davenport family from the 14th Century but is now owned by Stockport Council. The estate includes St. Chad's well, Chadkirk Chapel and a nature reserve. There is a self guided trail around the estate that takes in both the well and the chapel.
The well is in an opening in a dry stone wall next to road that runs through the estate and a notice board next to the well has the following information.
St Chad's Well
This ancient holy well may have had its origins in Celtic times but has come to be associated with St. Chad, the 7th century Bishop of Lichfield whose missionary work in spreading the gospel may have brought him to this remote corner of his diocese.
St. Chad is regarded as the patron saint of wells and springs. In the Middle Ages, a well dedicated to him at Lichfield was said to have medicinal qualities and its waters to bring about miraculous cures.
Ancient Celtic sites were often associated with water in the form of sacred pools and springs, where offerings were made to the gods.
As part of the process of conversion to Christianity, places where pagan worship had taken place were often adopted by missionaries for Christian worship. This may be the way that our well came to be associated with ST. Chad.
In nearby Derbyshire, Well dressing is the ancient custom of decorating springs and wells with images made up of living materials such as petals, leaves, bark and stone.
Since 1998 as part of an annual July Chadkirk festival this well is dressed in a similar manner. The notice board has a picture of one of these events.