Rev. Win. Procter, jun., on Doddington. 147 



" yea-pointed fern," which died down in winter and reap- 

 peared every spring — much admired by the villagers. When 

 the new farm house and offices were built for the South Farm, 

 the contractor, having leave to get stone from any part of the 

 estate, broke down the Dod Well rock, situated within a few 

 yards of the building. Hence the water, which had before 

 poured over the rock above the level of the road, now sprung 

 up as much helow that level ; and, its natural spout and 

 trough being destroyed, the supply of water for man and 

 cattle was to he sought in the same pool, which was polluted 

 by many impurities. To remedy, in some degree, this 

 barbarous desecration, the present fountain was erected, 

 mainly at the expense of the Earl of Tankerville, in 1846. 

 First, a strong wall was built inclosing a square of 11 feet in 

 the side, within which bubbled up the outlets into which the 

 noble spring had been broken up by the quarrymen ; when 

 the water had been raised to the average height of two feet 

 within this wall, it was allowed to escape by three stone 

 spouts — and then the reservoir was covered over by solid 

 masonry, in the form of a Cross of Calvary, thus substituting 

 an ornament of a Christian character for the fine old fern 

 which had presided over the fountain for centuries before its 

 demolition. There was a song current in the village in days 

 gone by, the burden of which was — 



" The bonny Dod Well and the yea-pointed fern." 

 which is all that is now remembered of the song. 



The Dod Well yields 72 gallons of water a minute — tem- 

 perature, 47° Fahrenheit — never varying in temperature, or 

 in yield, in summer or winter. It is soft, and lathers well 

 with soap. 



About sixty yards east from Dod Well, is Cuddy's Well. 

 It takes its name, as far as can be ascertained, from an old 

 inhabitant of that name, who lived near it and took interest 

 in keeping it clean and pure. It yields about 20 gallons a 

 minute, of water precisely similar to that of Dod Well ; and, 

 doubtless, comes from the same subterranean reservoir. 

 There are two other springs, equal in yield and quantity to 

 Cuddy's Well, near the village — one, the Blunty, or Blintie 

 Well, yielding 24 gallons a minute. There are also several 

 smaller wells ; one of which, the Blind Well, now disused, 

 springs up close to Mr. Eea's pond. This, though a some- 

 what feeble spring, was once considered the best drinking 

 water in Doddington, and that for an unanswerable reason, 

 namely, that it runs to the south. 



