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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · 20d

Just picked up a copy of Alice Vernon's Ghosted for my weekend reading. Dark nights and autumn coming on quickly now.

Dr Paul Lee @drpaullee.bsky.social · 27d

"Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting and Why We Keep Looking" by Dr Alice Vernon has just been released

UK: amzn.to/4paoK8u

US: amzn.to/41QaHLo

#ghosts #haunted #phantomsfriday

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Reposted by Ian Taylor

Hellebore @helleborezine.bsky.social · 22d

Ready for a new issue? Pre-orders for The Mirror Issue are now open worldwide! ✨🪞✨

Mirror magic, ritual masks, films that cast a spell, doppelgängers and fetches, changelings, evil portraits, spirit traps and much more.

👉🏼 helleborezine.com

Cover of Hellebore: The Mirror Issue, showing a woman with eyes closed and her reflections in two mirrors, both with open eyes

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Reposted by Ian Taylor

hookland.bsky.social @hookland.bsky.social · Sep 7

Call them corpse roads, coffin lanes, funeral walks. Call them procession paths, lych lines, wraith ways. Just as long as you remember they are the arterial routes of the dead. The long cicatrix of grief carved into the land. – Dr. Michael Benn, 1981

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Aug 24

At the Silver Well, a petrifying well, in West Cheshire this morning

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Aug 24

Gorgeous morning walking along the River Weaver in West Cheshire this morning in search of the Silver Well, a petrifying well near Kingsley.

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Reposted by Ian Taylor

hookland.bsky.social @hookland.bsky.social · Jul 31

Malbury parish council has a budget for padlocks for St. Edwold's holy well. They've decided people immersing themselves for reasons of healing or wild baptism is too dangerous to be permitted. Such is the strength of folklore they have to replace a lock every couple of days. #FolkloreThursday

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Reposted by Ian Taylor

Signe Maene @signemaene.com · Jul 24

Today is the feast day of Christina the Astonishing. During her funeral she levitated through the church. The priest ordered her to come down. She explained that she had been to heaven, purgatory, and hell. She continued to live many years and avoided people as she could smell their sins.

Artwork of a woman in a brown robe with a veil and angel wings. A halo. She's flying. Dark, cloudy background.

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jul 22

Fantastic programme. I love the work you're doing. Makes me long to get over on to Ynys Mon for a few evenings come the autumn. Diolch

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jul 3

The well was restored in the 2010s but has been allowed to deteriorate again, probably now fenced off from the coastal path.

Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jul 3

Gorad is possibly derived from "gored" - a fish trap / weir. Prior to the construction of the 1830 Embankment which led to a shift in the sandbanks, there was a direct path over the sand from Holy island to the mainland at this point. It is suggested that the monastery used the area to catch fish.

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jul 3

Ffynnon Gorad
This well lies on the Anglesey Coastal Path to the north of Valley. Local belief is that it was once associated with a local small monastic settlement connected to the monastery at Holyhead. More recently it was been used as a local water supply.

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jun 18

Williams uses the name Ffynnon Sadwrn to support the premise that St Mary's church was initially dedicated to St Sadwrn (of Llansadwrn, 3 or 4 miles to the NE of Llanfair PG ) prior to its rededication to St Mary.

Thanks are due to a local correspondent who alerted me to both the book and the well

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jun 18

Up until the start of the 20th century the well was believed to have healing properties. The two alternative names of the well are recorded in John L Williams's book Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll: Hen Enwau a Lluniau'r Lle.

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jun 18

Ffynnon Sadwrn / Ddu (both have been used) is close to St Mary's Church Llanfair PG Anglesey. Once a copious spring feeding a duck pond, it was destroyed in the 1840s during the building of the new railway. now only a small stone chamber covered by a grill remains, though water still flows.

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Jun 14

At the beautiful St Peulan's church Llanbeulan this afternoon with @friendlesschurches.bsky.social and @angleseyhistory.bsky.social

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · May 12

"of natural springs there were none...but wells had been sunk. Their waters were clear & cool enough, but one never knew to what purpose these wells were sometimes put. They were deep & had the merit of keeping their own secrets.

Rev T J Jones in John Ellis History of Abergele. 1948

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · May 3

Had a great evening on Thursday looking at the fantastic work @friendlesschurches.bsky.social have done restoring St Doged's church at Llanddoged. Fascinating C19 update to a medieval church.

Also took the chance to revisit the well Ffynnon Ddoged.

wellhopper.wales/2025/05/02/f...

Ffynnon Ddoged, Llanddoged

Doged is a curious mixture of king and saint. The main reference, a late fifteenth century poem by Ieuan Llwyd Brydydd, names him as Doged Frenin, King Doged. This refers to an image of him at the …

wellhopper.wales

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · May 2

A short blog post on Ffynnon Ddoged - Saint Doged's well, following on from my visit to Llanddoged yesterday. wellhopper.wales/2025/05/02/f...

Ffynnon Ddoged, Llanddoged

Doged is a curious mixture of king and saint. The main reference, a late fifteenth century poem by Ieuan Llwyd Brydydd, names him as Doged Frenin, King Doged. This refers to an image of him at the …

wellhopper.wales

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · May 1

Ieuen Llwyd Brydydd recounts the story of a rider thrown from his horse. His eye was damaged so severely that no surgeon could help him. But at the well God and the saint made him perfectly whole again

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · May 1

St Doged, or King Doged met an untimely end as recorded in the Mabinogion. Widowed Cilydd, father of Culhwch, was looking for a new wife seven years after his first wife died in childbirth. He was told he should slay Doged and take his wife which he duly did.

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · May 1

Ffynnon Ddoged, St Doged's well at Llanddoged, Conwy. Subject of a late 15th century ode claiming the well had healing powers but now covered by stone and locked tight shut

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Apr 30

Looking forward to visiting Llanddoged tomorrow. A few years since I was last there to find the once curative well Ffynnon Ddoged, now lost under brick and concrete

Friends of Friendless Churches @friendlesschurches.bsky.social · Apr 28

Next Thursday, May 1st, we will be hosting a free talk at St Doged's about rescuing this fascinating building, the FoFC’s plans for its future, and how local people can get involved in caring for the church.
Please follow the link below for more details:
buff.ly/T1ZBeJ6

The Future of Llanddoged Church

Come and meet the team at our FREE event and enjoy a talk about the repairs from the FoFC’s Director, Rachel Morley, architect Tim Ratcliffe and craftsman Ned Scharer. You can find out more about…

buff.ly

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Apr 28

What was the piece that you performed? Is available to hear/buy online?

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Apr 26

Thanks for a wonderful set in Manchester last night. Absolutely spellbinding!

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Ian Taylor @wellhopper.bsky.social · Apr 26

Absolutely magnificent last night. Edinburgh has a treat in store

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