SPRINGS MEDICINALL : SEEND. 21 



At Draycott Cerne (the seate of my ever honoured friend Sir James Long, Baronet, whom I 

 name for honour's sake) the waters of the wells are vitriolate, and with powder of galles doe turne of 

 a purple colour. [I have a delicate, cleare, and plentiful! spring at Upper Deptford, never dry, and 

 very neer the river Ravens-horn ; the water famous for y 6 eyes, and many other medicinal purposes. 

 S r Rich. Browne, my father-in-lawe, immur'd it, w th a chaine and iron dish for travellers to drink, 

 and has sett up an inscription in white marble. JOHN EVELYN.] 



Stock-well, at Rowd, is in the highway, which is between two gravelly cliffs, which in warm weather 

 are candied. It changed not colour with powder of galles ; perhaps it may have the effect of Epsham 

 water. The sediment by prsecipitation is a perfect white flower, like nitre. The inhabitants told 

 me that it is good for the eies, and that it washes very well. It is used for the making of 

 medicines. 



At Polshutt rises a spring in a ditch neer Sommerham-bridge, at Scenes townes-end, in a ground 

 of Sir Walter Long, Baronet, which with galles does presently become a deepe claret colour. 



At Polshutt are brackish wells ; but especiall that of Rich. Bolwell, two quarts whereof did yield by 

 evaporation two good spoonfulls heapt of a very tart salt. Dr. Meret believes it to be vitriolish. 



Neer to which is Send (vulgo Seene), a very well built village on a sandy hill, from whence it has 

 its name ; sand being in the old English called send (for so I find writ in the records of the Tower) ; 

 as also Send, in Surrey, is called for the same reason. Underneath this sand (not very deep), in 

 some place of the highway not above a yard or yard and a half, I discovered the richest iron oare 

 that ever I sawe or heard of. Come there on a certain occasion,* it rained at twelve or one of the 

 clock very impetuously, so that it had washed away the sand from the oare ; and walking out to see 

 the country, about 3 p.m., the sun shining bright reflected itself from the oare to my eies. Being 

 surprised at so many spangles, I took up the stones with a great deale of admiration. I went to the 

 smyth, Geo. Newton, an ingeniose man, who from a blacksmith turned clock maker and fiddle 

 maker, and he assured me that he has melted of this oare in his forge, which the oare of the forest 

 of Deane, &c. will not doe. 



The reader is to be advertised that the forest of Milsham did extende itselfe to the foot of this 

 hill. It was full of goodly oakes, and so neer together that they say a squirrill might have leaped 

 from tree to tree. It was disafforested about 1635, and the oakes were sold for Is. or 2s. per boord 

 at the most ; and then nobody ever tooke notice of this iron-oare, which, as I sayd before, every 

 sun-shine day, after a rousing shower, glistered in their eies. Now there is scarce an oake left in the 

 whole parish, and oakes are very rare all hereabout, so that this rich mine cannot be melted and 

 turned to profit Finding this plenty of rich iron-oare, I was confident that I should find in the 

 village some spring or springs impregnated with its vertue ; so I sent my servant to the Devizes for 

 some galles to try it ; and first began at Mr. J. Sumner's, where I lay, with the water of the 

 draught-well in the court within his house, which by infusion of a little of the powder of the galles 

 became immediately as black as inke ; that one may write letters visible with it ; sc. as with hike 

 diluted with water, wliich the water of Tunbridge will not doe, nor any other iron water that ever I 

 met with or heard of. I tryed it by evaporation and it did yield an umberlike sediment : I have 

 torgot the proportion. I gave it to the Royall Society. 



* At the Revell there, An". D. 1666. 



