Well O'Spa

Last updated

Well of Spa - 2018 Aberdeen Spa Well-10.jpg
Well of Spa – 2018 Aberdeen

Well O'Spa is the name given to a 15th-century well in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. This mineral well has been known since the fifteenth century. It has been destroyed by water spates from local burns or streams and moved to a new and safer site on several occasions. It is known as Callirhoe in ancient texts. [1] The ferrous mineral quality of the water is due to a geological feature in the NE of Scotland and Aberdeen. Across Great Britain the place name "well" occurs over two thousand times. There are over one hundred occurrences of the name "well" in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In the city of Aberdeen there are 27 wells that have provided drinking water for over five hundred years. [2] Many of the actual wells and places with "well" in their name are associated with the Celtic period of Scottish History. [3] The Well O'Spa is protected as a Category B listed building. [4]

Contents

Location

Spa Well showing inscriptions etc. Well angle.jpg
Spa Well showing inscriptions etc.
Map of the Well of Spa 17th C. Mao Well O'Spa Map.jpg
Map of the Well of Spa 17th C.

The Well O’Spa is situated adjacent to Aberdeen City Library, St Mark's Church and His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen. [5] On the face of the pediment are figures of the rising sun, the thistle, the rose and a fleur-de-lys. In addition, the following inscriptions:

.. Renovatum est opus Anno MDCCCLI [..] As Heaven Gives to me so I Give to thee..[..] Spada Redivivera 1670…

[6]

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the well was located adjacent to what was known as the "Playe Green". [7] It now lies in a peaceful square overlooked by a modern car park and an elegant granite building. The well is marked by a red sandstone and granite monument – part of which is from the seventeenth century. It carries the following inscription on its pediment " ..HOC FONTE DERIVATA SALUS; IN PATRIAM POPULUMQUE FLUAT..". This is carved on sandstone blocks. Over time the well has been rebuilt several times and moved to sites within the Woolmanhill area of Aberdeen before reaching its present position. Any water at the site now comes from the mains water supply of the city.

History

Map of "Royal" Aberdeen c.17thC. Well O'Spa, Jamesone's House and Garden, Alexander Skene' House. Wyness Composite 2.jpg
Map of "Royal" Aberdeen c.17thC. Well O'Spa, Jamesone's House and Garden, Alexander Skene' House.

The first written record of the well and its curative properties can be found in a monograph published in 1580 called "Ane Breif Descriptioun of the Qualiteis and Effectis of the Well of the Woman Hill Besyde Abirdene". The author was Gilbert Skene who was "Mediciner" or Professor of Medicine at King's College, Aberdeen. Woman's Hill is better known to-day as Woolmanhill and the site of a local hospital. It is likely that the name "Spa" comes from the Belgian town Spa, Belgium. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Aberdeen [8] had a lively trading relationship with Europe – especially "The Low Countries". [9]

A key figure in looking after the well in the seventeenth century was an Aberdeen landowner and Bailie. In 1670 Bailie Alexander Skene of Newtyle applied to the Council to re-build and refurnish the well. At the same time, he had re-published at his own expense, the tract by William Barclay on Callirhoe. [10] This tract was intended to support the medicinal claims made foe the well. Skene's structure was not completed until 1685. A contemporary account relates the benefits of the mineral water:

[..] the solicitous desire of some diseased citizens who did find renewed experiences of its powerful virtues in the cure of tormenting gravels, deadly colicks and desperate hydropsies [..]

Scottish Notes and Queries, (1896) IX, p.159

In his application to the Town Council, which was readily agreed to, Skene wrote a letter referring to Jamesone [11] the painter to attract the attention of Council members.

[..] There is the well of Spa, that healthful font,

Whose yr’ne-hewe’d water coloureth the mount. Not far from thence a garden’s to be seen, Which unto Jameson did appertain, Where in a little pleasant house doth stand,

Painted (as I guess) with its master’s hand…[..]

Skene, A (1685). [12]

In it, he recalls an earlier spate that had destroyed the well :

[..] …the well had been adorned with a long wyde stone which conveyed the waters of the spring with the purtraicture of six Apolsles hewen upon either side thereof which being very old and worne, a virtuous citizen George Jamesone .. did built it of new and put a Tomb of hewen stone over it .. [however] a violent torrent of waters falling into that stream running by it did suddenly overturn it and buried the spring in the ruins so much of the hill having fallen therewith [..]

Scottish Notes and Queries, (1896) IX, p.159

The stream was the Den (burn) or the Gilcomston Burn.

Skene sums up the benefits of the well thus:

[..] We have a choice Medicinall Spring, called the Well of Spa, at Woolmanhill, built with hewn ston, very specific for the Gout, Gravell, Collick and Hydripsie, as the late famous Dr. William Barclay, physician did learnedly describe in 1615 … to which every person concerned to know its vertues and how to use the same, is referred….[..]

Skene, A (1685)

In 1751 the well disappeared and it was many years before it was moved once again and renovated by Dr James Gordon of Pitlurg. It is believed that two cups hung from chains and the people of Denburn regularly used the water until they were connected to the city's water supply.

Mineral water properties

The well was a source a mineral water with red ferrous sediment. It has been used by generations of Aberdonians such as the eminent seventeenth century portrait painter George Jamesone, known as the Scottish van Dyck. Jamesone suffered from "calculus" or bladder stones. [13] It was firmly believed in his time that the chalybeate properties of the waters cured this and many other conditions – including infertility. Jamesone more than anyone else cared for the well and was directly responsible for one re-construction that was destroyed in 1650.

The water at the Well o’Spa derived its potency from dissolved ferrous carbonate that came from the red sandstone bedrock that underpins the Woolmanhill area of Aberdeen, and secondly rain, containing carbonic acid which percolated into the ground and dissolved more of the iron salts. This resulted in iron carbonate being dissolved in the medicinal spring water. When this iron-rich water emerges at a well site, oxygen in air turns the iron carbonate into an iron oxide. The reddish scum often seen around chalybeate wells is iron oxide. So, when people "take the waters" they are consuming minute quantities of iron salts. These iron salts may have an effect on bladder and other medical problems. It was believed in the past that it did so, people drank it to cure their medical conditions.

Inscription

Inscription - left Spa well-Left.jpg
Inscription – left
Inscription - right Spa well-Right.jpg
Inscription – right

Since medieval scholars discovered the poetry of Horace, many transcriptions and translations have been made of his odes. Over the last five hundred years transcription and translations of the original medieval manuscripts have led to a variety of Latin texts and translations. [14] Given the context of the Well o’Spa the sponsor and stonemasons in 1670/85 would have wished to have a Classical authority associated with the well. They may have assumed the inscription they chose could be used to give authority or importance to the well and it curative properties. Had they looked at the original context of the ode they might have come to a different conclusion. In Lys Wyness's recent book on the Wells of Bon-Accord she provides both a Latin and a modern English translation. She quotes it as: " ..HOC FONTE DERIVATA SALUS IN PATRIAM POPULUMQUE FLUAT."; she translates this as "may health derived from this spring flow to country and people". Apt it might be imagined for a mineral well. However, there are two problems. First, in 1670 the Horace text was altered by Alexander Skene of Newtyle the sponsor of the renovation so that an inscription better fitted a mineral well. Second, subsequent historians have been "loose" in their transcription of the wells’ inscription and their translations have focussed on the well not what Horace intended. Based on a reliable text of Horace's works, the sixth ode "AD Romanos", reads: (stanza 5) "…fecunda culpae saecula nuptias; primum inquinavere et genus et domos; hoc fonte derivate clades; in patriam populumque fluxit….". Roughly translated as : "..many sinful generations have polluted marriage, the family and the home; resulting in the troubles now experienced by Rome and its citizens..". A little different from what Alexander Skyne intended. Horace wrote the ode in between 30BC and 23BC. Its title is: "Ad Romanos"; that is, "to the Romans". This poem is one of six that are written in iambic style to the citizens of Rome. Horace was a supporter and friend of Augustus Caesar the first Emperor of the Republic. However, he was critical of the social fabric of the Eternal City. He often used his poetry as social comment. In this ode he was not extolling the benefits of mineral water and its health-giving properties as some have assumed. Rather, he was criticising the "sinfulness" of the Roman citizens in relation to marriage and the family. The complete stanza containing the well inscription taken from a reliable medieval manuscript translates as: " .. Generations prolific in sin polluted; first marriage, family and home; From this source streamed the troubles; which have flowed over our land and its people." Nothing really to do with the health properties of chalybeate water. A small change in a Latin quotation in 1670 has thus led to the many misleading translations and claims for mineral waters of the Well o’Spa. In the view of Classical scholars, the inscription on the pediment is defective. ‘Salus’ (health, well-being, safety) has been substituted for ‘clades’ (disaster) and ‘fluat’, present subjunctive (‘may it flow’) for the perfect indicative ‘fluxit’ (it flowed). This leads to a statement about the past referring to what Horace considers a disaster being transformed into a wish for continuing well-being. This results in a stylistic problem. The changes spoil the metre (Alcaics – Alcaic stanza), as ‘clades’ has a heavy first syllable and ‘salus’ a light one; also the first syllable of ‘fluat’ is light, whereas ‘fluxit’ has a heavy syllable. [15] [ not specific enough to verify ]

Modern times

In 1893, the well was once again renovated and moved to the wall of the hospital at Woolman Hill.[ citation needed ] Initially it was served by water from the municipal supply. In 1976, the well was moved again to its current site on Skene Street close to a municipal car park. The area surrounding the pediment etc. of the well was further enhanced in 1994/1995 with lighting, seating and a garden.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Aberdeen Third most populous city of Scotland

Aberdeen is a city in North East Scotland. It is the third most populous city in Scotland, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 39th most populous built-up area, with an official 2018 population estimate of 200,680 for the city of Aberdeen and 227,560 for the local council area.

Robert Barclay was a Scottish Quaker, one of the most eminent writers belonging to the Religious Society of Friends and a member of the Clan Barclay. He was also governor of the East Jersey colony in North America through most of the 1680s, although he himself never resided in the colony.

Spa, Belgium Municipality in French Community, Belgium

Spa is a Belgian city located in Liège Province. Its name is the origin of the word spa. The town of Spa is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountains 35 kilometres southeast of the city of Liège and 45 kilometres southwest of Aachen. In 2006, Spa had a population of 10,543 and an area of 39.85 square kilometres, giving a population density of 265 inhabitants per km².

Pictish is the extinct language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geographical and personal names found on monuments and the contemporary records in the area controlled by the kingdoms of the Picts, dating to the early medieval period. Such evidence, however, points to the language being an Insular Celtic language related to the Brittonic language spoken prior to Anglo-Saxon settlement in what is now southern Scotland, England, and Wales.

Shires of Scotland Historic administrative and geographical division of Scotland

The shires of Scotland, or counties of Scotland, are historic subdivisions of Scotland established in the Middle Ages and used as administrative divisions until 1975. Originally established for judicial purposes, from the 17th century they started to be used for local administration purposes as well. The areas used for judicial functions (sheriffdoms) came to diverge from the shires, which ceased to be used for local government purposes after 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Chalybeate

Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.

Mineral spring Natural springs that produce water containing minerals

Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water-containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underground.

Great North of Scotland Railway Scottish railway before the 1923 grouping

The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) was one of the two smallest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping, operating in the north-east of the country. Formed in 1845, it carried its first passengers the 39 miles (63 km) from Kittybrewster, in Aberdeen, to Huntly on 20 September 1854. By 1867 it owned 226+14 route miles (364.1 km) of line and operated over a further 61 miles (98 km).

Spa Location where mineral-rich spring water is used to give medicinal baths

A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are especially widespread in Europe and Japan. Day spas are also quite popular and offer various personal care treatments.

Mortsafe

A mortsafe was a construction designed to protect graves from disturbance and used in the United Kingdom. Resurrectionists had supplied schools of anatomy since the early 18th century. This was due to the necessity for medical students to learn anatomy by attending dissections of human subjects, which was frustrated by the very limited allowance of dead bodies – for example the corpses of executed criminals – granted by the government, which controlled the supply.

John Paterson (archbishop of Glasgow)

John Paterson (1632–1708) was the last archbishop of Glasgow in the Church of Scotland. He was the youngest son of John Paterson, bishop of Ross. John, after some preliminary studies at Marischal College, University of Aberdeen, was admitted as a student of theology at the University of St Andrews on 13 March 1655, and he is entered as regent in St Leonard's College under date of 3 February 1658, indicating that he had taught the junior class in the preceding year.

Etymology of <i>Aberdeen</i>

The etymology of Aberdeen is that of the name first used for the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, which then bestowed its name to other Aberdeens around the world, as Aberdonians left Scotland to settle in the New World and other colonies.

Craigiehall Country house in City of Edinburgh, Scotland

Craigiehall is a late-17th-century country house, which until 2015 served as the Headquarters of the British Army in Scotland. It is located close to Cramond, around 9 km (5.6 mi) west of central Edinburgh, Scotland.

Moffat Hills

The Moffat Hills are a range of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. They form a roughly triangular shape with a west facing side, a north facing side, and a south-east facing side. It is 17 kilometres from east to west across this triangle and some 16 kilometres north to south. The highest point is White Coomb at 821 m (2694 ft). The town of Moffat lies just south of the Moffat hills and along with Tweedsmuir, at the northern extremity, is the only centre of population around these hills. In some older maps, the northern part of the Moffat Hills is called the Tweedsmuir Hills, but can also be known by the title Manor Hills.

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at Greyfriars. The Kirkyard is operated by City of Edinburgh Council in liaison with a charitable trust, which is linked to but separate from the church. The Kirkyard and its monuments are protected as a category A listed building.

Lands of Lainshaw The Lands Of Lainshaw Have Been In Place For Many Years And Was Used In The War.

The Lands of Lainshaw lie in Strathannick and were part of the Lordship of Stewarton, in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Lainshaw House is a category B listed mansion, lying in a prominent position above the Annick Water and its holm in the Parish of Stewarton, Scotland. Part of the much older Lainshaw Castle is contained within the several later building phases of the present day Lainshaw House. The names 'Langshaw' or 'Langschaw' were used in historic times. Law Mount near the High and Laigh Castleton farms has been suggested as the site of the original castle, granted in the 12th century to Godfrey de Ross by Hugo de Morville.

Newton Stone Undeciphered script

The Newton Stone is a pillar stone, found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The stone contains two inscriptions: one is written in Ogham, but the second script has never been positively identified and many different decipherments or theories have been proposed since the 1860s.

William Barclay, M.D. (1570?–1630?) was a Scottish writer on miscellaneous subjects.

James Skene

James Skene of Rubislaw (1775–1864) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur artist, best known as a friend of Sir Walter Scott.

Rachel FrancesLumsden was a British nurse, and hospital manager.

References

  1. Barclay, William. 1615. Callirhoe, the nymph of Aberdene, resuscitat by William Barclay M. of Art, and Doctor of Physicke. What diseases may be cured by drinking of the well at Aberdene, and what is the true vse thereof (Printed by Andro Hart: Edinburgh)
  2. Wyness, Lys, and Aberdeen Town & County History Society. 2007. Wells of Bon-Accord (Aberdeen Town & County History Society: [Aberdeen]).
  3. see, https://www.electricscotland.com/history/water/chapter6.htm & Mackinlay, James M. 1993. Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs (Llanerch: Felinfach, Wales); and Morris, Ruth, and Frank Morris. 1982. Scottish healing wells : healing, holy, wishing, and fairy wells of the mainland of Scotland (Alethea Press: Sandy) - this book provides a Gazetter of several hundred wells, some with UK Ordnance Survey map co-ordinates.
  4. Historic Environment Scotland. "WELL OF SPA SPA STREET (Category B Listed Building) (LB20055)" . Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  5. 393649, 806466; NJ 93649 06466; 57° 08′ 57″ N 2° 06′ 24″ W
  6. The work was renewed in 1851; Spa came to life again in 1679.
  7. Gordon, James. 1842. A description of both touns of Aberdeen (Spalding Club: Edinburgh).
  8. Strictly Royal Aberdeen or "new" Aberdeen – to distinguish it from the location for King's College (University of Aberdeen ) still called "old Aberdeen"
  9. Stevenson, Alexander William Kerr, and University of Aberdeen. Dept. of History. 1982. 'Trade between Scotland and the Low Countries in the later Middle Ages', Ph D, Aberdeen University.
  10. Barclay, William. 1615. Callirhoe, the nymph of Aberdene, resuscitat by William Barclay MA, and Doctor of Physicke. ….. (Printed by Andro Hart: Edinburgh)
  11. Jamesone (d.1644) had lived in an imposing town house from 1620, a short distance from the old Playe Green, The Denburn and the well. The site of his house, which was cleared in the twentieth century, was at 16-26 Schoolhill near Marischal College (University of Aberdeen)
  12. Skene, Alexander, Arthur Johnstoun, John Barclay, and Philopoliteious, (1685) Memorialls for the government of the Royall-Burghs in … also, a survey of the city of Aberdeen, with the epigrams of Arthur Johnstoun Doctor of Medicin, upon some of our chief Burghs translated into English by J.B (Forbes: Aberdeen).
  13. See, Bulloch, John, and Andrew G. A. Thomson. 1885. George Jamesone: the Scottish Vandyck (David Douglas: Edinburgh); & Thomson, D. F. S. 1969. 'Life and Art of George Jamesone', University of Edinburgh.
  14. For example Horace, and James Michie. 1967. The odes of Horace (Penguin: Harmondsworth).; and Horace, Christopher Smart, and Arthur Sherbo (1979). Christopher Smart's verse translation of Horace's Odes : text and introduction (English Literary Studies, University of Victoria: Victoria, B.C.).
  15. Professor Patrick Edwards & Dr. Ruth Edwards, University of Aberdeen, 28 September 2018.

Further reading