Well well well...

by Feòrag

The North Devon Gazette has an interesting article on Devon's holy wells, which have been neglected by researchers. Holy wells are one of those Christian traditions which seem to build on older pagan ones, and they retained their popularity for a long time:

There used to be nine pubs here to cater for all the pilgrims and the church was known as the 'cathedral of North Devon,' she said. The numbers were such that it was the richest benefice in this part of the world.

Mystery of North Devon's sacred sites - North Devon Gazette and Advertiser, 10th September 2003; Holy Wells in Tarka Country website.