PE571

Well, south of Rhos-y-Cribed  

14/07/2017  

Designated  

Pembrokeshire  

St. David's and the Cathedral Close  

173938  

224255  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Holy Well  

Medieval  

The monument comprises a holy well known as Pistyll Dewi or Ffynnon Dewi. A stone built, squared off wellhead around 1.5m across, covers a spring and the issuing water runs along a stone-lined channel to the southeast. According to tradition, the spring arose miraculously at the baptism of Dewi (St David) by St Elvis, and the waters restored the sight of Dewi’s blind godfather who held the baby for the baptism. The well is repeatedly associated with the remains of a chapel, with some accounts saying that the water is sanctified by running under the chapel’s altar. However, the undergrowth is so dense that no trace of the chapel can currently be seen. The structure has been truncated and was originally covered either by slabs or a vault. The well is of national importance for its association with St David, and as a manifestation of the early church’s links with Ireland through St Elvis (known in Ireland as Ailbe or Ailbhe). The strength of legend and tradition associated with the well lends it significant communal value, whilst the stone structure itself is likely to originate in the medieval period and retains the potential to inform us about medieval religious structures and rites associated with them. The Scheduled area is a circle 10m in diameter, covering 0.01 hectares.