Editing Trellech (section)

===The Virtuous Well===
[[File:Trellech's holy well - geograph.org.uk - 477787.jpg|thumb|The Virtuous Well]]

Sometimes known as [[St Anne]]'s Well, this circular [[Spring (hydrology)|wellspring]], surrounded by a stone wall and seating, is located in a field on the left of the road to [[Tintern]], about {{convert|400|yd}} east of the village.  Local tradition is that it is the only one remaining of originally nine [[holy well]]s in Trellech.  In the 17th century, it was reportedly much frequented, and reputed to cure "the [[scurvy]], [[colic]] and other [[Humorism|distemper]]s".<ref name="newman"/>  Water from the well is rich in [[chalybeate]].<ref name=bradney/>

It is a [[clootie well]], where token offerings are placed around and within the well, and strips of cloth and ribbons are hung from neighbouring trees.  It is also used as a [[wishing well]].  Traditionally, "to make a wish one threw into the water a small metal object.  Many bubbles arising from it meant a rapid granting of one's wish, few bubbles meant that a long period of time would elapse before the wish came true and no bubbles at all meant that one's wish had not been granted.  The young maidens of Trellech anxious to know how long they had to wait until their wedding day, would drop a pebble into the water and every bubble that arose counted for one month."<ref>[http://people.bath.ac.uk/liskmj/living-spring/journal/issue1/dipping/spoutre2.htm#virtuous  Stephanie Poultner, "Wells and Springs around Trellech", ''Living Spring Journal'', 2000]. Retrieved 13 February 2015</ref>