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 The ancient custom known as Well Dressing is
peculiar to England, and Derbyshire and Staffordshire in particular.
When did well dressing begin and why did it
begin in Derbyshire?
Well dressing is actually a bit of a mystery. Perhaps we can look
to the location of Derbyshire as a reason why the custom developed
here and nowhere else. Derbyshire is a very beautiful but
remote county, even nowadays with modern road infrastructure.
The Derbyshire hills and dales make it difficult to pass easily from
place to place. If the practice of well dressing dates back to
the Celts, then perhaps the remoteness of the Derbyshire dales
prevented the succeeding Roman, Saxon, Danish and Norman invaders
from imposing their customs on the local people.
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The early Christians were not happy with
the
custom of dressing wells - they considered it water worship
and promptly put an end to it!
But the tradition refused
to die. Tissington was the first village to re-introduce
well dressing in 1349, after the village managed to escape a
terrible outbreak of the Black Death that swept through
England at this time. Many villages began to dress the
new water taps when piped water first came to the villages.
What
exactly is well dressing and how is it done?
Well dressing involves the decoration of springs and wells
with pictures made from living plants and flowers, and
usually happens in the summer and early autumn. Some
villages allow visitors to watch the preparations - details at
the end of this feature
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So how is a well dressed? First take a wooden board, perhaps 4 feet
wide, and over an inch deep. Some dressings take several
boards, of different shapes and sizes. The board(s) are taken
to the local river or pond and soaked for several days to ensure
that they are really wet. Then they are covered with a layer of
soft, wet clay onto which the artist etches the design. |
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The outline
is the first thing to be done, followed by the 'colouring in'.
The materials used vary from village to village and depend also on
the time of year that the dressing takes place. For instance,
a village that dresses it's well in May may use blossoms and flowers
whereas later in the year, seeds and berries are used as these are
more plentiful. How long does it take? A
well dressing can take up to 7 days, involving a team of local
people. Unfortunately, it may then only last a week or so until the
clay dries out and the flowers die. Then all is put away until next
year.
Where can I see Well Dressing? Well
dressing starts in May - Tissington and Endon are two
villages who dress their wells early in the year. There are a number
of places outside Derbyshire that dress their wells - this year
well dressing is taking place in Cheshire at Chadkirk Chapel (see below)
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Here is a
list of some of the places you can see well dressing this year
2007:
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2007 DATES |
PLACE |
BLESSING
SERVICE |
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JULY
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7 - 9
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Wessington (on A615 Matlock-Alfreton
road)
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10.00 am
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7 July
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8 -12
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Tansley (nr Matlock)
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11.00 am
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8 July
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7 - 14
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Chapel-en-le-Frith
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12 noon
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8 July
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13 - 20
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Dronfield Woodhouse
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6.30 pm
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13 July
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7 - 11
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Pleasley (nr Mansfield)
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3.00 pm
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8 July
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14 -20
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West Hallam (nr Ilkeston)
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1.30 pm
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14 July
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7 - 12
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Aston-on-Trent (nr Derby)
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11.15 am
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7 July
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8 - 16
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Buxton
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2.00 pm
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8 July
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15 - 23
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Bamford (on A6013 nr Ladybower
Reservoir)
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6.30 pm
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15 July
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13 - 20
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Pilsley (nr Bakwell)
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7.00 pm
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12 July
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13 - 23
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Holmesfield Children's Well
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3.15 pm
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13 July
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14 - 22
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Cutthorpe (nr Chesterfield)
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6.30 pm
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13 July
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21 - 29
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Ault Hucknall, Glapwell,
Rowthorne
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2.00 pm
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21 July
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21 - 22
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Heage Windmill (nr Ripley)
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1.00 pm
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21 July
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21 - 25
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Barlborough (nr junction 30 M1)
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7.00 pm
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20 July
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21 - 30
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Stoney Middleton (on A623 nr
Calver)
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3.00 pm
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21 July
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28 - 3 Aug
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Bonsall (off A5012 nr Matlock)
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2.00 pm
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29 July
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AUGUST
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9 - 20
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Great Hucklow (off A623)
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7.00 pm
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9 Aug
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15 - 21
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Barlow (nr Chesterfield)
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6.30 pm
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15 Aug
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18 - 25
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Taddington (off A6 Bakewell-Buxton
road)
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2.30 pm
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18 Aug
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23 - 30
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Holymoorside (nr Chesterfield)
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7.00 pm
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23 Aug
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25 - 2 Sept
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Foolow (off A623 nr Eyam)
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1.00 pm
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25 Aug
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25 - 1 Sept
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Eyam
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3.00 pm
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25 Aug
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SEPTEMBER
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1 - 8
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Longnor (on B5053 nr Buxton)
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6.00 pm
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1 Sept
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1 - 9
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Wardlow (off A623 nr Tideswell)
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2.15 pm
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2 Sept
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8 - 15
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Chesterfield
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10.00 am
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8 Sept
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Please note: You are advised to check on dates
and times if you are making special plans to attend. Historic-UK.com
take no liability for errors or subsequent changes or
cancellations.
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