541 



ST. CLETHER CHAPEL AND HOLY WELLS. 



By the Rev. A. H. MAI,AN. 



When some tentative digging was commenced in 1897, 

 in a certain quagmire about a quarter of a mile South West of 

 St. Clether Church, where were known to be submerged vestiges 

 of a building, there was no idea that the outcome would be the 

 complete restoration of a chapel, and the rescue from oblivion 

 of an unique arrangement of holy wells in connection therewith. 



It came about thus. The situation is romantic! — many a 

 young raven has been hatched among the bold, terraced rocks, 

 and many a trout caught in the serpentine Inney just below ; 

 some fox-cubs were born and grew up last spring within a 

 stone' s-throw, and young hawks were reared hard by. Here 

 had been St. Clether's cell, in an ideal spot, — open to the south, 

 sheltered from the north ; here was the well, perhaps pagan, 

 that he blest, and also, no doubt, his baptistery. And this 

 combination of wild nature and early ecclesiastical association, 

 so whetted the antiquarian zeal of Eev. S. Baring-Grould (to whom 

 all that has been done entirely owes its inception), that he put 

 himself into communication with Mr. T. Spry, of Witherdon, 

 the landowner, and was granted permission to ascertain what 

 remains existed. 



Whatever building there might have been, had obviously 

 almost buried up its surviving traces amid its own ruins. The 

 front-edge, indeed, of the altar-top could be detected, and a 

 faint tradition existed in the parish that " the water came up 

 from under the altar; " but anything like inspection was quite 

 impossible, in the general tangle of weeds and brambles. In 

 fact all that any visitor could do, when taken by the Vicar, the 

 Eev. F. Partridge, " to see St. Clether's Chapel," was to stand 

 afar off, and catch a glimpse of a bit of wall sticking up in a 

 swamp, or have pointed out to him a hole in the ground whence 

 issued a stream, flowing away into what might possibly be a 

 doorway, and then dispersing in all directions. 



