Dupath Well
Encyclopedia
Dupath Well is a nearly intact wellhouse, constructed of local granite
, built over a spring
. Built of Cornish granite ashlar, it has a steeply-pitched roof, built from courses of granite slabs that run the length of the building. There are badly weathered pinnacles at each corner and a small bell turret, with a highly elaborate canopy, over the entrance. Next to the well house is a medieval, circular trough that collects the spring water.
The small chapel-like building was probably built in about 1510 by the Augustinian canons of the nearby priory of St Germans
, to whom the site belonged. The architecture of the well-house is typical of the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
At one time the spring at Dupath was believed to cure whooping cough, and it has been suggested that, in addition to its role in healing the sick, the spring may have been used on occasion for baptisms. One grim tale associated with Dupath recounts that two Saxons – Colan (Cornish for heart or courage) and Gottlieb – fought a duel there for a lady’s hand. But the maiden went unmarried: Colan was killed outright and Gottlieb fatally wounded, though some versions say he died later of ‘impatience’.
It is located at just outside the town of Callington in east Cornwall
, United Kingdom
.
Dupath Well is under the guardianship of English Heritage, and managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, built over a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. Built of Cornish granite ashlar, it has a steeply-pitched roof, built from courses of granite slabs that run the length of the building. There are badly weathered pinnacles at each corner and a small bell turret, with a highly elaborate canopy, over the entrance. Next to the well house is a medieval, circular trough that collects the spring water.
The small chapel-like building was probably built in about 1510 by the Augustinian canons of the nearby priory of St Germans
St German's Priory
St German's Priory is a large Norman church in the village of St Germans in south-east Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.-History:According to a credible tradition the church here was founded by St Germanus himself ca. 430 AD. The first written record however is of Conan being made Bishop in the...
, to whom the site belonged. The architecture of the well-house is typical of the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
At one time the spring at Dupath was believed to cure whooping cough, and it has been suggested that, in addition to its role in healing the sick, the spring may have been used on occasion for baptisms. One grim tale associated with Dupath recounts that two Saxons – Colan (Cornish for heart or courage) and Gottlieb – fought a duel there for a lady’s hand. But the maiden went unmarried: Colan was killed outright and Gottlieb fatally wounded, though some versions say he died later of ‘impatience’.
It is located at just outside the town of Callington in east Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Dupath Well is under the guardianship of English Heritage, and managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.