Monument record MDO706 - St Augustine's Well, Cerne Abbas

A natural spring now enclosed within a rectangular hollow with possible medieval rubble walls on the north and east sides. The well formed the focal point for the Benedictine Abey of St Peter at Cerne Abbas. William of Malmesbury claimed that St Augustine himself had created the well and that St Edwold, a 9th century hermit, had his hermitage there. Also known as Silver Well or St Austin's Well.

Natural Spring now enclosed within a rectangular hollow with possible medieval rubble walls on the north and east sides. The well formed the focal point for the Benedictine Abey of St Peter at Cerne Abbas. William of Malmesbury claimed that St Augustine himself had created the well and that St Edwold, a 9th century hermit, had his hermitage there. <2>

On the south side of the churchyard at Cerne Abbas is a well traditionally connected with the visit of St Augustine. It forms a rectangular pool with a late masonry enclosure and on the west side are two 17th or 18th century stone supports of a former bench or table. Bounding the well on the north and east sides are rubble walls of medieval date (ST 60 SE 41). <3>

St Austin's Well (known locally as St Augustine's Well). The pool measures 3.0m by 2.0m and is enclosed on the south and west by laid flagstones of late date, with a pair of bench supports at the west end. An overflow on the south side directs the water into a channel running south, again bordered with flagstones. The water comes from a strong natural spring. There is no evidence of antiquity about the well. The Medieval walling on the north and east sides of the well is from 2.0 to 3.5m in height. Published 1:2500 survey correct. <3>

"... near the church was a small pond fed by an active spring (that described as St Augustin's (sic) Well)". <4>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1891 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 66630138) St Austin's Well (NR)

<2> Page, W (Ed), 1908, The Victoria History of the County of Dorset 3, 53-4 (Monograph). SWX3.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 77 (Monograph). SDO97.

<3.1> Squires, G, Oral: Mr G Squires (local historian), 8 Springfield, Cerne Abbas (Verbal communication). SDO18893.

<4> Gibbons, O A, 1962, Cerne Abbas, 19 (Monograph). SDO18892.

<5> Phillips, A S, Various, Field Investigators Comments ASP, F1 ASP 15-JUL-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 2K/08661 (Index). SDO14738.

ST AUGUSTINES WELL

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF110930 (Index). SDO14738.

England's Landscapes

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199107 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 25 2022 9:01AM