St. Francis Well

Marked on the 1839 and 1925 eds of the OS 6-inch map and described in gothic lettering on both as ‘St Francis’s Well. It is located towards the bottom of a S-facing slope and on the E side of a NNE-SSW road. This is the source of a small NW-SE stream that runs off to the SE and joins the W-E Aughnaglaur River c. 600m to the SSE. The well is a circular feature (int. diam. 1.45m) defined by a masonry wall (T 0.45m; ext. H 0.7m on the roadside to 1.75m in the stream). There is a gate at the W side and steps leading down to the water, but there is no evidence of veneration. The church of Chapel parish (WX031-001001-) is c. 470m to the NNE, and moated site (WX031-003----) is c. 60m to the SE. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 27 August, 2012

St. Francis Well is associated with St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century Italian saint known for his devotion to nature and the poor. The well may have been a site of pilgrimage or prayer, reflecting the saint’s widespread veneration in Ireland, particularly among Catholic communities in the 18th and 19th centuries.