Samhain blessings to you all ✨🖤✨ #Samhain #Halloween #Witchsky #Pagan #animism penelopetrappes.bandcamp.com/album/ternum

A little medieval character I found lurking in St Mary's church Nercwys yesterday

Visiting the fascinating colourful Hundertwasser Haus in Vienna this afternoon

Just picked up a copy of Alice Vernon's Ghosted for my weekend reading. Dark nights and autumn coming on quickly now.

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Call them corpse roads, coffin lanes, funeral walks. Call them procession paths, lych lines, wraith ways. Just as long as you remember they are the arterial routes of the dead. The long cicatrix of grief carved into the land. – Dr. Michael Benn, 1981

At the Silver Well, a petrifying well, in West Cheshire this morning

Gorgeous morning walking along the River Weaver in West Cheshire this morning in search of the Silver Well, a petrifying well near Kingsley.

Malbury parish council has a budget for padlocks for St. Edwold's holy well. They've decided people immersing themselves for reasons of healing or wild baptism is too dangerous to be permitted. Such is the strength of folklore they have to replace a lock every couple of days. #FolkloreThursday

Today is the feast day of Christina the Astonishing. During her funeral she levitated through the church. The priest ordered her to come down. She explained that she had been to heaven, purgatory, and hell. She continued to live many years and avoided people as she could smell their sins.

Ffynnon Gorad This well lies on the Anglesey Coastal Path to the north of Valley. Local belief is that it was once associated with a local small monastic settlement connected to the monastery at Holyhead. More recently it was been used as a local water supply.

Ffynnon Sadwrn / Ddu (both have been used) is close to St Mary's Church Llanfair PG Anglesey. Once a copious spring feeding a duck pond, it was destroyed in the 1840s during the building of the new railway. now only a small stone chamber covered by a grill remains, though water still flows.

At the beautiful St Peulan's church Llanbeulan this afternoon with @friendlesschurches.bsky.social and @angleseyhistory.bsky.social

"of natural springs there were none...but wells had been sunk. Their waters were clear & cool enough, but one never knew to what purpose these wells were sometimes put. They were deep & had the merit of keeping their own secrets. Rev T J Jones in John Ellis History of Abergele. 1948

Had a great evening on Thursday looking at the fantastic work @friendlesschurches.bsky.social have done restoring St Doged's church at Llanddoged. Fascinating C19 update to a medieval church. Also took the chance to revisit the well Ffynnon Ddoged. wellhopper.wales/2025/05/02/f...

A short blog post on Ffynnon Ddoged - Saint Doged's well, following on from my visit to Llanddoged yesterday. wellhopper.wales/2025/05/02/f...

Ffynnon Ddoged, St Doged's well at Llanddoged, Conwy. Subject of a late 15th century ode claiming the well had healing powers but now covered by stone and locked tight shut

Looking forward to visiting Llanddoged tomorrow. A few years since I was last there to find the once curative well Ffynnon Ddoged, now lost under brick and concrete

Latest copy of @helleborezine.bsky.social journal arrived this morning. Always a joy to receive it. That's Saturday morning sorted

Very much looking forward to seeing & hearing Penelope Trappes tonight

A trip down to the Llandudno copper mines gave an unexpected treat that had this folklorist doing a little dance of excitement

A selection of Late Bronze Age swords on display in the National Museum of Ireland. The impressive sword in the centre was found in the River Inny, Westmeath. It dates to c.900-700 BC. The length and leaf shaped blade hint that it was possibly designed to be used by a warrior mounted on horseback.

For more information about the free talk at St Doged’s, Llanddoged, please follow the link below: friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/event/the-fu...

Aquilegia, also known as columbine, granny’s bonnet, or doves-at-the-fountain, was in ancient times called ‘Herb Leonis’, and said to be a favourite of lions. Folklore claimed its juice, rubbed on the hands, would empower a person with the courage of a lion! #folklore #flowers

Sul y Blodau or Flowering Sunday (Palm Sunday) before Easter, it was traditional (and still is) in Wales to clean the graves of deceased loved ones and then decorate them with flowers. My late nain would visit my taid's grave to wash his gravestone before placing flowers on it. #LegendaryWednesday

Visiting St Faglan's church Llanfaglan Caernarfon. One of the gems and my favourite of the Friends of Friendless Churches holdings. #FoFC

Walking round Llanbeblig church Caernarfon this morning. Seeing the sorry overgrown state of the churchyard

At Ffynnon y Wrach - the witch's well - this morning for an Open Doors event. Looking forward to discussing the history of the well

St Patrick's cave and well, Ffynnon ac Ogof Badrig. Llanbadrig, Ynys Mon.

St Helen's Well, Ffynnon Elen, Caernarfon. Supposedly named for Elen Luyddog, wife of Magnus Maximus. Naturalist John Ray visited Caernarfon in 1662 & recorded seeing Elen's chapel and well. It's possible the original well was closed in the mid C19 and the name was transferred to this nearby well.

Naturalist John Ray's somewhat sceptical view of St. Winefride's well at Holywell, from his visit in 1658. "The poor and the lame visit the well more to beg and receive alms than to benefit from the use of its waters."

Back to Ffynnon y Wrach, Holyhead on March 21st. Open Doors event.

Handout from St Tudwen's church Llandudwen Gwynedd ca 2012 following the restoration of the holy well. These days it is overgrown and hard to find. Restorations need to be a continuous process.

Really fancied a coffee and a National Trust cake this afternoon. Plas Newydd - closed! Penrhyn Castle - closed! Ended up at home with Tesco scones. V disappointed! #NationalTrustScones

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Very sad to read that Marianne Faithfull has died, always a wonderful singer she went from strength to strength in her later years. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Just framed my favourite souvenir from Istanbul visit - picture detail taken from larger Rorbye painting Turkish Notary Drawing up a Marriage Contract

St Tudwen's Well, Llandudwen, Gwynedd. seen here in better days - I think it has become much more overgrown and inaccessible recently.

It's always "this was to ward off evil spirits" and never "the builders needed a piss"

Sad news. So many incredible films, such a unique style, and an endlessly interesting mind. Forever in my profile pic. Wander well, David Lynch.

In search of Ffynnon Nur on Ynys Mon today, A mid C18 note by Lewis Morris recorded the ruins of a chapel called Chapel Nur "which was probably in ancient times a sanctuary, In this place is a well called ffynnon Nur. They used to offer white hens on account of a dream seen" - some dream

Ffynnon Estyn, Ynys Mon gained a reputation as a cursing well in the late eighteenth century. Pennies that had been used to close the eyes of a corpse were thrown into the well as offerings to enact a curse. Local people refused to drink water from the well as a consequence of its reputation.

Thrilled to have won the chance to give this Mari a new home. Thanks to @skullsandsheets.bsky.social and another successful Mari Lwyd auction supporting domestic violence charities. Diolch yn fawr

The evils that a comet can be held responsible for.... Edward Lhuyd in his Parochialia quoting from Gabriel Hughes - vicar of Gwyddelwern, 1652

tonight

This Wednesday, in Holyhead, should be an interesting talk on the recording local place names project by Rhian Parry, author of the excellent Cerdded y Caeau place name study.

At ffynnon Issui, Patrishow, Powys "..to which was formerly attributed great Virtue."

Ffynnon Fair, St Mary's Well, near St Asaph. A sketch made by poet Felicia Hemans, most probably during the 1820s.

Just reminded of my overseas archaeological experience. Limited to just part of one day! Working in a trench in northern Greece one August alongside Cressida Bonham Carter. I virtually passed out from heat stroke after lunch! Don't remember leaving the finds hut again in the next couple of weeks!

Ffynnon Angoeron at Goetre Fawr, near Pontypool. Also known as the freezing or very cold well. Known as a wishing well in the late nineteenth century and when cleaned in 1890 bent pins, coins and buttons were found. Picture: Cardiff Naturalists' Society Transactions, 1903.