THE HOLY WELLS OF WALES

Francis Jones

Holy Wells have been objects of absorbing interest from time immemorial, and this book, now published for the first time as an attractive paperback, provides a reliable collection of material relating to those of Wales culled from a wide range of published manuscript and oral sources. In the first part of his work the author stresses the unity of the well-cult, and offers an interpretation of the beliefs and rituals that have survived to our times. The second part is an inventory of individual wells listed alphabetically in counties to facilitate reference. The six maps illustrate the position and main features of the wells, and a select Index is also provided.

`. . . Jones' work is simply inescapable. And its methodology renders it necessary reading for well-researchers everywhere, not just in Wales. It is a seminal work, which no-one seriously interested in holy wells can afford not to read.' (Source)

`. . . a mine of information . . . ' (Archaeologia Cambrensis)