St Hilda’s Church and Well, Hinderwell

St Hilda’s Way is a 43-mile pilgrimage walk, starting here and following a circuitous route to Whitby Abbey, paying homage to the great church leader St Hilda

Highlights

• Holy well of St Hilda

This holy well is one of the earliest with a named patron saint, recorded as Hildrewell in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is only 8 miles in a direct line from Whitby, where St Hilda served as abbess from 657–680. She might have visited here, perhaps on retreat or as part of her missionary work, but we do not know for certain. The church is mostly Victorian, with no fabric earlier than the end of the 12th century.

The village name still refers to this holy well, which is easily accessible next to the parish church. It was restored in 1912 by a local woman who was also called Hilda, as an engraved stone records. She was presumably named after the patron of this church and honored her namesake by building a solid stone wellhouse. It still flows with the source blessed by St Hilda, one of England’s most influential saints.

The well is set in a small, mown area in an otherwise wild churchyard. The wellspring itself arises in a closed chamber and is inaccessible, but the flow emerges to fill a small stone trough at the front, with a shelf above used for candles.

St Hilda began life in the Celtic tradition but ended up switching to Roman practice after the Synod of Whitby in 664, which she organized personally. Celtic saints are often associated with holy wells used for baptism, but this well has been reconstructed as a source of drinking water only.

It was a local tradition on Ascension Day to flavour the well water with liquorice, a celebration referred to locally as Spanish Water Day. Other wells have a similar tradition, but the name is unique to Hinderwell.

Directions

St Hilda’s Church

Off the A174, Hinderwell TS13 5JZ

W3W: gong.albums.buddy

GPS: 54.5425N, 0.7785W

The church is just off the main village road, the A174. Either of the two turnings signposted to Port Mulgrave lead to the church after about 100m. The well is on the north side of the church, which was locked when I visited.