Holy Well

James Bird’s Volume 8 of the Survey of London, Shoreditch, indicates that there were two wells on the property of Holywell Priory, one in the orchard and one in the middle of the inner court (Bird 153-187). In a footnote, Bird indicates that the well in the orchard is most likely the one from which the priory and the district took its name (Bird 153-187n204). This is because Stow, in 1598, identifies Holy Well as being much decayed and marred with filthinesse, purposely layd there, for the heighthening of the ground, for garden plots and while it is possible that the orchard land was used for gardening plots, the inner court was never put to that purpose.(Bird 153-187n204 Stow 14)). By this reasoning, we assume that the well in the orchard of Holywell Priory is the one that bears the name Holy Well. Agas coordinates are based on the description in Volume 8 of the Survey of London.

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