Holy wells

A late contribution for freespiral's requests for holy wells.

There are two holy wells in Holyrood Park. St Anthony’s Well and St Margaret’s Well (extra) which is on the site of another holy well.

St Anthony’s Well is near to the ruins of  St Anthony's Chapel lying beside one of the main paths up Arthur’s Seat.  Water used to come out from below the boulder into the carved stone bowl but it seems to have dried up in the 1950s and so the water must be rain water inside. It used to be a tradition to wash one’s face in the dew on May Day and then make a wish at the well, as the 18th century poet, Robert Fergusson says
On May-Day, in a fairy ring,
We've seen them round St. Anton's spring
Frae grass the caller dew-drops wring
To weet their een,
And water clear as crystal spring,
To synd them clean.


St Margaret’s Well  is a well head built above a natural spring with a good steady flow of water flowing from what was originally called The Well of the Holy Rood or St. David’s Well and dating from 1198.   The well head originally stood above St Margaret’s Well at nearby Restalrig but when the site was to be built over by the North British Railway depot it was removed brick by brick and rebuilt over the Holy rood site in 1860.
The spring itself of course is the reason why the park is called Holy rood, for legend has it that King David after mass decided to go hunting in the area and was thrown from his horse by a giant stag which was then carried the king, him holding for dear life onto a cross between its antlers until it stopped at the spring. In thanks for his deliverance he built the Abbey of Holy Rood there