Editing Well dressing

{{Short description|English tradition of decorating wells}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
[[File:Well Dressing Tissington Derbyshire UK 2007.jpg|thumb|Well dressing in [[Tissington]] in the [[Derbyshire Dales]], 2007]]
'''Well dressing''', also known as '''well flowering''', is a tradition practised in some parts of rural [[England]] in which wells, springs and other water sources are decorated with designs created from materials such as flower petals.{{sfn|Ditchfield|1896|page=186}} The custom is most closely associated with the [[Peak District]] of [[Derbyshire]] and [[Staffordshire]].{{sfn|Ditchfield|1896|page=184, 186, 188}} James Murray Mackinlay, writing in 1893, noted that the tradition was not observed in [[Scotland]]; W. S. Cordner, in 1946, similarly noted its absence in [[Ireland]].{{sfn|Mackinlay|1893|page=206, 212}}{{sfn|Cordner|1946|page=33}} Both Scotland and Ireland do have a long history of the veneration of wells, however, dating from at least the 6th century.{{sfn|Cordner|1946|page=25-26}}{{sfn|Moore|Terry|1894|pages=215–216}}

The custom of well dressing in its present form probably began in the late 18th century, and evolved from "the more widespread, but less picturesque" decoration of wells with ribbons and simple floral garlands.{{sfn|Jewitt|1863|page=40}}{{sfn|Simpson|Roud|2000|page=385}}

==History==

Well dressing was celebrated in at least 12 villages in Derbyshire by the late 19th century, and was introduced in [[Buxton]] in 1840, "to commemorate the beneficence of the Duke of Devonshire who, at his own expense, made arrangements for supplying the Upper Town, which had been much inconvenienced by the distance to St Anne's well on the Wye, with a fountain of excellent water within easy reach of all".{{sfn|Norman|1993|page=138}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Buxton well dressing of 1856|date=28 April 1858|work=[[The Derby Mercury]]|location=Derby}}</ref> Similarly, well dressing was revived at this time in [[Youlgreave]], to celebrate the supplying of water to the village "from a hill at some distance, by means of pipes laid under the stream of an intervening valley.".<ref>{{cite news|title=Well dressing|date=10 August 1842|work=The Derby Mercury|location=Derby}}</ref> With the arrival of piped water the tradition was adapted to include public taps, although the resulting creations were still described as well dressings.

The custom waxed and waned over the years, but has seen revivals in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, [[South Yorkshire]], [[Cheshire]], [[Shropshire]], [[Worcestershire]] and [[Kent]].<ref>{{citation|title=Malvern Well Dressing History|publisher=Malvern Spa Association|url=http://www.malvern-hills.co.uk/malvernspa/well-dressing/welldressing.html|access-date=12 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804140039/http://www.malvern-hills.co.uk/malvernspa/well-dressing/welldressing.html|archive-date=4 August 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.hargate-hall.co.uk/well-dressing-history.php|title=The History of Well Dressing|year=2008|work=Hargate Hall|access-date=20 April 2010}}</ref>

In [[Tissington]], Derbyshire, well dressing may have begun as a pagan custom of offering thanks to gods for a reliable water supply; other suggested explanations include villagers celebrating the purity of their water supply after surviving the [[Black Death]] in 1348,<ref>{{cite web |title=Well Dressing |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Well-Dressing/ |website=Historic UK |access-date=22 March 2025 |quote=Tissington was the first village to re-introduce well dressing in 1349, after the village managed to escape a terrible outbreak of the Black Death that swept through England at this time.}}</ref> or alternatively celebrating their water's constancy during a prolonged drought in 1615.{{sfn|Christian|1976|pages=206–207}} The practice of well dressing using clay boards at Tissington is not recorded before 1818, however, and the earliest record for the wells being adorned by simple garlands occurs in 1758.{{sfn|Shirley|2017|page=653}}

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180 caption="[[Tissington]] well dressing">
Hands Well Tissington 2006 - geograph.org.uk - 179997.jpg|Hands Well, 2006
Dressing of Children's Well - Tissington 2010 - geograph.org.uk - 1875293.jpg|Children's Well, 2010
File:Fitzherbert School Well dressing - Tissington 2010 - geograph.org.uk - 1875310.jpg|Fitzherbert School Well, 2010
File:Hall Well Tissington 2013 - geograph.org.uk - 3457394.jpg|Hall Well, 2013
File:Tissington handswell blessing 2015.jpg|Blessing of Hands Well, 2015
</gallery>

==Process==

Wooden frames are constructed and covered with [[clay]], mixed with water and [[salt]].  A design is sketched on paper, often of a [[religious]] theme, and this is traced onto the clay.  The picture is then filled in with natural materials, predominantly flower petals and [[moss]]es, but also [[bean]]s, [[seed]]s and small [[conifer cone|cone]]s. Each group uses its own technique, with some areas mandating that only natural materials be used while others feel free to use modern materials to simplify production.

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180 caption="Well dressings in counties around England">
File:Endon - Well Dressing - geograph.org.uk - 22352.jpg|[[Endon]], [[Staffordshire]], 2005
File:Dore Well Dressing 19-07-05.jpg|Dore, [[South Yorkshire]], 2005
File:Sutton Well Dressing 2007 - geograph.org.uk - 503979.jpg|Sutton, [[Cheshire]], 2007
File:Taddington Well Dressings 2009 - geograph.org.uk - 1461524.jpg|[[Taddington]], [[Derbyshire]], 2009
File:Hayslad Spout, West Malvern.jpg|Hayslad Spout, [[West Malvern]], [[Worcestershire]], 2016
File:Booths Well 2022 - geograph.org.uk - 7233596.jpg|Booths Well, [[Greater Manchester]], 2022
File:Whitwell well dressing display 2022 2.jpg|[[Whitwell, Isle of Wight]], 2022
</gallery>

Amongst the natural materials, [[lichen]]s play a role in well dressing due to their durability. Unlike flower petals that fade quickly, lichens maintain their colour and structure throughout the week-long display period. ''[[Parmelia saxatilis]]'', collected from [[gritstone]] walls, is commonly used in two ways: either with its undersurface exposed to create a velvety black effect, or with its upper surface visible to produce a dull grey tone for backgrounds and lettering. ''[[Xanthoria parietina]]'', gathered from [[limestone]] walls, is sorted to provide a range of colours from bright orange through yellow to green. Well dressers often have their own nomenclature for these materials; in some villages ''Xanthoria'' is known as "golden lichen" or "bronze moss", while ''Parmelia saxatilis'' is referred to as "grey lichen" or "silvery lichen". In villages such as [[Wormhill]] and [[Eyam]], lichens have been recorded as a component in depicting buildings and architectural details in the decorative scenes.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vickery |first=A.R. |title=The use of lichens in well-dressing |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=7 |issue=2 |year=1975 |doi=10.1017/S0024282975000254 |pages=178–179}}</ref> 

[[File:Well Dressing Wirksworth 1860s.jpg|upright|thumb|Well or tap dressing in [[Wirksworth]] in the 1860s.]]

[[Wirksworth]] and [[Barlow, Derbyshire|Barlow]], both in Derbyshire, are two of the very few village well dressings where the strict use of only natural materials is still observed. In Wirksworth, the dressings use "only natural materials, e.g. flower petals, moss, lichen, fruit skins, [and] seeds", with no "manufactured" decorations.<ref name="Wirksworth 2011">{{cite web |title=Wirksworth Carnival: Well Dressing |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902124213/http://wirksworthcarnival.co.uk/index.php/well-dressing |website=Wirksworth |date=2011}}</ref> In Barlow, three wells (the main well around the village pump, the small or children's well, and the commonside well) are dressed, with scenes "made up of flowers, seeds, grasses (anything that grows really!)".<ref>{{cite web |title=Well Dressings |url=https://www.barlowcarnival.co.uk/what-s-on/well-dressings/ |website=Barlow Carnival |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>

==In literature==

[[John Brunner (author)|John Brunner]]'s story "In the Season of the Dressing of the Wells" describes the revival of the custom in an English village of the [[West Country]] after [[World War I]], and its connection to the [[Goddess]].<ref>{{cite web |title=After the King |work=[[Tolkien Gateway]] |date=19 October 2012 |url=http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/After_the_King |access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Greenberg|1992|pp=106–150}}
 
[[Jon McGregor]]'s novel ''[[Reservoir 13]]'' is set in a village where well dressing is an annual event.{{sfn|Hadley|2017}}

==See also==

* [[Clootie well]]
* [[Osterbrunnen]]

==References==

===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|24em}}

===Bibliography===

{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |title=The Peak District |first=Roy |last=Christian |publisher=David & Charles|year=1976 |isbn=0-7153-7094-4}}
*{{Citation|last=Cordner|first=W.S.|title=The Cult of the Holy Well|journal=Ulster Journal of Archaeology |volume=9|year=1946|pages=24–36}}
*{{Citation|title=Old English Customs Extant at the Present Time|last=Ditchfield|first=Peter Hampson |location=London|publisher=George Redway|year=1896}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Greenberg|editor-first=Martin H.|year=1992|title=After the King: Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien|publisher=Tor|location=New York|isbn=0312851758 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EpppWqIOPOgC&q=%22In%20the%20Season%20of%20the%20Dressing%20of%20the%20Wells%22&pg=PA106 |access-date=31 December 2013}}
*{{cite news|last=Hadley|first=Tessa|author-link=Tessa Hadley|date=15 April 2017|title=Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor review – a chilling meditation on loss and time|work=The Guardian |access-date=23 January 2018 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/15/reservoir-13-by-jon-mcgregor-review}}
*{{Citation|chapter=Some Additional Notes on the Tissington Well Dressing|year=1863|title=The Reliquary and Illustrated Archæologist|first=Llewellynn|last=Jewitt|author-link=Llewellynn Jewitt|pages=37–48 |location=London |publisher=John Russell Smith |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015065584859 |volume=3|hdl=2027/mdp.39015065584859 }}
*{{Citation|title=Water and Well-Worship in Man|first1=A. W.|last1=Moore|first2=John F.|last2=Terry |journal=Folklore|volume=5|issue=3|year=1894|pages=212–229|doi=10.1080/0015587X.1894.9720224 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1811852}}
*{{Citation|first=James Murray|last=Mackinlay|year=1893|title=Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs |chapter=Offerings at Lochs and Springs|location=Glasgow|publisher=William Hodge & Co.}}
*{{Citation|title=Aspects of British Calendar Customs|year=1993|editor-first1=Theresa|editor-last1=Buckland |editor-first2=Juliette|editor-last2=Wood|first=Charlotte A.|last=Norman|pages=137–146|chapter='Annual Well Dressing—Another Brilliant Success—Finest Work For Many Years' (By Our Own Correspondent)' |isbn=1850752435 |location=Sheffield|publisher=Sheffield Academic Press}}
*{{Citation|first=Rosemary|last=Shirley|year=2017|title=Festive landscapes: the contemporary practice of well-dressing in Tissington|journal=Landscape Research|volume=42|issue=6|pages=650–662 |doi=10.1080/01426397.2017.1317725 |s2cid=148877261|url=https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/617618/3/symplectic%20Revised%20Article%20%284%29.pdf}}
*{{Citation|title=A Dictionary of English Folklore|first1=Jacqueline|last1=Simpson|first2=Steve|last2=Roud |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2000|isbn=978-0-192-10019-1}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}

*[http://welldressing.com welldressing.com] Listing of dates and sites, with galleries of photos and historical information
*[http://www.stoneymiddletonwelldressing.org Official website for the Stoney Middleton Well Dressing Committee]
*[http://www.buxtonwelldressing.co.uk Official website of the Buxton Wells Dressing Festival]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111111115349/http://www.thepeakdistrict.info/fast/html/well_dressings.html Short history of well dressing]
*[http://solareclipsewebpages.users.btopenworld.com/Tissington/Tissington.htm Tissington Hall's guide to producing welldressings] {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=BlevintronBot}}
*[http://www.storyofwirksworth.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=2359 Well dressings in Wirksworth Derbyshire] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605063414/http://www.storyofwirksworth.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=2359 |date=5 June 2008 }}
*[http://www.wirksworth.net/ Community site for Wirksworth Derbyshire]
*[http://www.barlowwelldressing.co.uk Well Dressings in Barlow, Derbyshire. Dressed year on year for at least 150 years]
*[http://www.hargate-hall.co.uk/well-dressing-history/ A history of well dressing in Wormhill]
*[http://www.strettonhandley.derbyshire.sch.uk/welldressing.html Well dressings in Brackenfield]
{{English festivals}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Well Dressing}}
[[Category:Culture in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:English folklore]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions of the Peak District]]
[[Category:Water wells]]
[[Category:English traditions]]