During the recent excavations by Wessex Water in Bremhill Village to upgrade the water supply a well was discovered in a place that poses a few questions. The main one being ‘Why is it there?’ It is a hand dug well typical of those found in rural locations. Although the well depth to water level is only 2 metres there is evidence that the field stone lining continues to a greater depth beyond the debris that infills it. The lining is of field stones that randomly fit together on top of each other without cut marks or shaping which suggests that the well is of quite an age. The siting adjacent to what is now the church graveyard creates a conundrum, that of possible contamination to the well water. So, could it be that the well was there before the expansion of the church and the graveyard or even prior?

One suggestion that it was a wishing well raises the question of its absence from early illustrations and engravings of St Martins Church and the vicinity, images that were well researched in the compilation of the book about the parish Bremhill Parish through the Ages, published in 2021. It is, however, situated a few yards from the Medieval Cross at the lower end of the village square and could have had appeal to the wayward traveller as a drink stop and a chance to ensure onward fortune by offering a coin to the well water. The first British road atlas compiled by Scottish cartographer John Ogilby in 1675 showed the ‘Plough Road’ from Calne to Chippenham. A plough road was literally a ploughed road harrowed level. Near Stanley the map shows a connection to ‘Bremble’ (Bremhill) which is likely to have passed the medieval village cross and be another good reason for the siting of the well for drovers and their livestock.

Another plausible explanation is also mentioned in the book which is a suggestion that Bremhill origins were established by a thegn (lord) to whom the king had granted an estate in the 900’s. When thegns obtained an estate they often built a manor and founded a church beside it, all within an enclosure. The area around St. Martins and Manor farm (now Bremhill Manor) exhibit the same characteristic demonstrated by early maps of the village. The Anglo-Saxon masonry in the church also supports this theory put forward by Dr Simon Draper. As the village grew it is a possibility that a well was required to the north of the Anglo-Saxon settlement to supplement water from the spring situated on the escarpment to the south of the enclosure. Perhaps we will never know as the well will be documented, capped and the road reinstated, but it adds another element to the fascinating history of the parish. Anyone with any other opinions or comments are welcome to contact the editor (editor@bremhill.com) or hello@bremhillparishhistory.com

John Harris

Location of well- W3W: vocab.lost.twitching