St Gundred's Well at Roach Rock

ST GUNDRED'S WELL AT ROACH ROCK.

CAREW, in his "Survey of Cornwall," p. 139 (p. 324, Lord Dunstanville's edit.), tells us, "near this rock there is another which, having a pit in it, containeth water which ebbs and flows as the sea does. I was thereupon very curious to inspect this matter, and found it was only a hole artificially cut in a stone, about twelve inches deep and six broad; wherein after rain, a pool of water stands, which afterwards with fair weather vanisheth away, and is dried up; and then again, on the falling of rain, water is replenished accordingly, which with dry weather abates as aforesaid (for upon those occasions I have seen it to have water in its pit, and again to be without it), which doubtless gave occasion to the feigned report that it ebbs and flows as the sea :" of all which premisses thus speaks Mr Carew further, out of the Cornish "Wonder Gatherer " --

"You neighbour scorners, holy, proud,
Goe people Roache's cell,
Far from the world and fleer to the heavens;
There hermitts may you dwell.

"Is 't true the springe in rock hereby
Doth tidewise ebb and flowe ?
Or have we fooles with lyars met ?
Fame says it's; be it soe."

The last tradition of this hermitage chapel is, that when it was kept in repair, a person diseased with a grievous leprosy was either placed or fixed himself therein, where he lived until the time of his death, to avoid infecting others. He was daily attended with meat, drink, and washing by his daughter, named Gunnett or Gundred, and the well hereby from whence she fetched water for his use is to this day shown, and called by the name of St Gunnett's Well, or St Gundred's Well.

It is not possible to give even the names of the wells which are still thought to have "some healing virtue" in them. The typical wells have alone been mentioned; and to these brief notices of a few others may be added.