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springs and spas of the Vale Orston spa in 2017. Orston spa According to Andrew Esdaile in his 1851 booklet, Bingham, the spring or spa at Orston was 'much thought of by some, it was considered to contain much fixed air; I saw an account of it which observed it had an intoxicating quality – it does good." (p39) This natural spring to the north-east of the village once produced water containing sulphur, calcareous nitrate and salt which, reportedly, would 'purge those of gross habit of body' and 'turn the throats and tongues of those who drink it perfectly black.' So was considered a cure for 'hydrochondriac melancholy, scurvy, want of appetite, indigestion, stoppage of urine, obstruction of the bowels, ulcers in the lungs, and for spitting of blood.' It was visited by people local to the area but did not attract the wealthy people who travelled to more famous spas. The stone structure was probably erected by the second Earl Manvers, Robert Charles, as he owned the land. He also established a more successful spa at Birley in Derbyshire. In May 1999 Colin Jennings posted to the wells-and-spas email list: I live in Orston […] It is general knowledge within the village that a spring or spa existed somewhere in the area of Spa Lane and that its healing qualities had been described in several old documents. Stories were told of grandmothers who regularly scrubbed the steps of the spa at the weekends and the waters were described as 'bright red'. About three years ago a number of villagers decided to relocate the spa and carry out a dig. An elderly local farmer, Bernard Johnson, confirmed that during WWII the spa had been filled in by German POWs and the land returned to agriculture. […] After several false starts, a number of limestone walls and three stone steps were revealed, leading to the paved floor of the spa. Further excavation revealed something entirely new, this being a capped stone lined well with a vertical opening at one end of the structure. After all debris had been removed and despite the fact that we were then in a period of drought, both the well and the spa filled with 'bright red' water and the following twelve months were spent in draining the area in order to begin reconstruction. Rebuilding of the spa using stone found in the dig, together with a lime-based mortar, has started. Having rapidly come to the conclusion that the original spa would almost certainly have had a wall surrounding it above ground level we would be grateful for any information as to the usual height and finish of these structures. Belvoir Spa Early in the nineteenth century the Dukes of Rutland established a spa in woodland half a mile north-west of the castle. They were presumably hoping to have the same success as the Duke of Devonshire's spa at Buxton. The water was said to be effective in treating numerous disorders, basically similar to those the water of other spas was said to treat.   On OS maps the name 'Saltbeck' is shown north-west of the location of the former priory. However this spa was never a success and lingered on more in memory than actuality. By the first half of the twentieth century it had closed down. Kinoulton's Spa Spring The site of a failed Georgian chalybeate spa is shown on 1:2,500 OS maps on a scarp slope to the west of the village, near the graveyard of a demolished church. Willow Rundle Spring, Elston In the 1980s the Nottingham Hidden History team (Bob Morrell, Sid Henley and Paul Nix) reported that 'In a ditch on the right hand side of Elston Lane about half way to the village can be seen Willow Rundle Spring. The rapidly running cold water comes from a pipe in the side of the ditch and runs into a stone trough, now slightly damaged. Surplus water filters out through a notch in the lip of the trough.' The first published record of the story of this oddly-named spring, which said the waters 'have medicinal properties of considerable merit', was in 1891, but the legend of the spring dates back to the Battle of Stoke Field, which was fought nearby in 1487. The story goes that a soldier mortally wounded in this decidedly bloody conflict called out for water and said to the man who brought him some that if his soul went to paradise a spring would rise at the place he was. This spring, he went on, would never fail. And so it has not failed right up to the present day. The name Willow Rundle is said to have been given to the spring because some rebels who fell in the battle were buried near by with stakes of willow through their hearts. Good story. But I don't believe a word of it to be true, other than the water has continued to flow. Woolsthorpe's holy well While looking for something else I noticed that the 1887 OS map shows a 'holy well' and 'Holywell Wood' to the east of Woolsthorpe. Does anyone know anything about it? If so please email me. Bottesford's Spa Michael Honeybone in his 1987 book The Vale of Belvoir briefly mentions a spa at Bottesford but gives no indication of location. Hickling's Spa Honeybone also mentions a spa at Hickling but, again, offers no further information other than an analysis of the mineral content. Holwell's eponymous well Holwell Mouth in 1989. Despite the obvious 'guess', Holwell is not a contraction of 'holy well' but of 'hollow well' or 'the well in a hollow'. Which is a good description of the chalybeate spring a good distance from the village. It is regarded as the source of the River Smite, although several other springs and streams form the combined headwaters of this watercourse. Cropwell's not a well While there must have been wells in the Cropwell villages the name is a corruption of crop hyll, the 'rounded hill'. Sources unpublished field notes compiled late 1980s by Nottingham Hidden History team. R.W. Morrell, 1988, Nottinghamshire Holy Wells and Springs, Nottingham Hidden History. R.B. Parish, 2009, Holy Wells and Healing Springs of Nottinghamshire, Pixy-Led Productions. M. Honeybone, 1987, The Vale of Belvoir, Barracuda Books. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland