History
LEGENDS OF THE SILVER WELL Cindy Chant & John Drabik
T
here is something very special and reassuring about the gift of water, the giver of life, rising from the depths of Mother Earth. Just as the Cerne Abbas giant is a symbol of male fertility, so the gently flowing spring nestled at the base of the hill, is considered a symbol of feminine energy and has become a peaceful place for ritual and healing. For centuries this sacred well has attracted a variety of pilgrims and is still used as a sanctuary for prayer, meditation, petition, or prophecy. Some visitors maintain the old traditions while others toss a coin into the mystical waters and make a wish. The spring, known as ‘St Augustine’s Well’ or ‘Silver Well’, gives the impression of a natural outdoor chapel. It is guarded by two solemn upright stones which may have come from the ruins of St. Catherine’s Chapel once standing high on the nearby hill. One has a clearly visible eight-spoked St. Catherine’s wheel neatly carved on it. Tradition has it that maidens placing their hand on this stone on May Day, or Midsummer Day, while partaking of the water, would be delivered a suitable husband. Others would pray to St. Catherine, donate a gift of scented petals and rotate three times, both 68 | Sherborne Times | August 2021
clockwise and then counter clockwise, and await their husband to be. ‘St Catherine, St Catherine O lend me thine aid And grant that I never May die an Old Maid A husband St Catherine A good one St Catherine But ar-a-one better than Nar-a-one, St Catherine’ St. Catherine is also considered a healer for eye complaints, so it is customary for those suffering to take some laurel leaves to the well, use them to create a cup and scoop up some water to bathe the eyes. It is said that St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, once visited here. He was sent by Pope Gregory in 596AD to convert the Saxons to Christianity. While taking their rest and to quench the thirst of his band of missionary monks, he dug his staff into the ground crying ‘Cerno El’, and up sprang a fountain of crystal-clear water. Another legend states,
