Monument record 10640/14 - Abbey of St Werburgh - Abbot's Well

The site of Abbots's Well is just outside the current boundary of Chester, but is an important site relating to the medieval abbey in the heart of the city. This was the main source of water supply to abbey. In 1282 Philip and Isabel Burnell of Malpas granted to the abbey a spring in their field at Christleton, a plot of ground round it and its easements for the pipes carrying the water to the monastery (1). They also gave a cistern, 20ft square, connected by pipes to a cistern located in the cloisters (2). The Abbot's Well was described as being situated c 100 yards from the dining room window of a house called Christleton Bank, south of Whitchurch Rd. When the builder of the present house removed clay for his building operations, the 'Fountain' was revealed, which when, unfortunately, touched fell to pieces. An aqueduct, formed from the hollow tree trunks was also discovered, which continued to the Abbey (this was reported in the Cheshire Sheaf, no other information is available (3). Burne reported that a small muddy pit or pond was found in 1962 with blocks of tooled sandstone around three sides (1). OS report a pond with continuous bubbling in the surface of the water, which probably marks the position of the spring (4).

<1> Burne, R. V. H., 1962, The Monks of Chester. The History of St Werburgh's Abbey, /40-41 (Book). SCH3213.

<2> Morris, Rupert H (Rev.), 1894, Chester in the Plantagenet & Tudor Reigns, /121 (Book). SCH946.

<3> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, 7/69-70 A O 1909 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ46NW21 1986 (Index). SCH2487.

<5> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, 31/77 R S B 1936 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

<6> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions (Book). SCH6522.