Holy Well

St Edith's Well, Kemsing

St Edith’s Well, High Street, Kemsing TN15 6NB

Save
 to profile
Save
 to profile
St Edith's Well, Kemsing

Local pilgrims gather at this well each September to remember their saint, and it is also situated where the London and Winchester branches of the Pilgrims Way converge

This holy well is named after St Edith of Wilton. Although Wilton is self-evidently in Wiltshire, she was born in this little Kentish village in 961. Her life story is rather sad, but she is remembered with affection in Kemsing and was a much-loved Saxon saint.

Nowadays her holy well is marooned in the middle of a triangular road junction next to the village war memorial. It is at least properly cared for, set in a little grass garden. The only disappointment is the lack of access to the water: a metal grille renders it impossible to reach the holy source. This could easily change, as the well is still celebrated by the church on the other side of the road. The congregation holds a procession here on or around 16 September, St Edith’s saint’s day.

Highlights

  • Holy well by road (water inaccessible)
  • Stained-glass images of St Edith

Should future access be allowed to the water, it is said to be good for eye complaints, and for aiding a large harvest. So if you know a farmer with conjunctivitis, it might be worth making some enquiries around the village: a miracle or two might ease restrictions.

The church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, commemorates St Edith in two stained-glass windows and a banner by the pulpit. It also helped to introduce a well dressing festival in 2011, which takes place on St Edith’s day. A 20th-century statue of St Edith stands outside the village hall.

Soon after St Edith was born here, she was taken back to Wilton by her mother Wulfthryth, who was a novice at the famous abbey there. Needless to say nuns don’t normally take a career break to have children. She had been forced into the arrangement by King Edgar.

St Edith therefore had royal blood coursing through her veins, but never took advantage of it during her short life. Her mother Wulfthryth became abbess of Wilton in due course, but St Edith repeatedly turned down promotion. She even refused to become queen, after her half-brother St Edward the Martyr was murdered. Perhaps embarrassed by her origins, or perhaps just very humble, she preferred to serve as a simple nun. She died in 984 at the age of just 23.

There is little to see at Wilton, so it is fortunate St Edith has her holy well here in Kent. There is another well dedicated to her at Stoke Edith in Herefordshire.

King Canute was sceptical that any daughter of King Edgar could become a saint, and asked for her tomb to be opened when he visited Wilton in 1020. In a scene described by William of Malmesbury, St Edith’s affronted corpse sat up and slapped the impudent royal across the face.  

Directions

St Edith’s Well, High Street, Kemsing TN15 6NB

W3W: cake.chain.baked

GPS: 51:3060N 0.2292E

The well is in the middle of the village opposite The Bell pub, at the top of St Edith’s Road where it meets the High Street. The church is just along the High Street on the north side of the road.

Show more +

Amenities

No items found.

Key facts

1
2
3
4
5
6
/6

Britain’s Pilgrim Places

This listing is an extract from Britain’s Pilgrim Places, written by Nick Mayhew-Smith and Guy Hayward and featuring hundreds of similar spiritually charged sites and landscapes from across Britain.

Proceeds from sale of the book directly support the British Pilgrimage Trust, a non-profit UK charity. Thank you.

Location

Nearby routes

1
2
3
4
5
6
/6
No items found.

Become a Pilgrim to reveal contact details

Contact details are available for Giving Pilgrims

Contact details are available only for the Giving Pilgrims

Organiser:

Organiser:

Discover local food

We know that pilgrims get hungry!

Once you have decided on which pilgrimage route you want to walk, we thought you might like to use our Local Food Map.

Learn more

Comments

0 Comments

Login or register to join the conversation.

Be the first to leave a comment.

Tom Jones

Moderator

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

(Edited)
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Tom Jones

Moderator

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

(Edited)
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Holy Well

St Edith's Well, Kemsing

St Edith’s Well, High Street, Kemsing TN15 6NB

Save to profile
Save to profile

Already visited this place?

Rate this place
Rate this place
Get started

All great journeys begin with a single step

Start your journey
66918631bf1e5ad10f2c5f77
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.