NHER 10401 (Monument record) - Well

'Roman Well' on (S1) 1883 OS.
Very doubtful, there is no evidence of Roman date.
R. R. Clarke (NCM).

May 1979. Visit.
No trace of anything resembling a well at foot of earth cliffs, where Ordnance Survey site seems to be.
Access to top of cliffs not permitted by farmer.
This well in fact was laid out by the vicar in 1893 with a fence and a plaque with a Biblical text.
E. Rose (NAU) 3 May 1979.

An early postcard (copy in file) seems to show a bank or wall of natural flints around the well, at the foot of the slope.
[1] in 1928 said this was only natural seepage from the base of the cliff, and was almost overgrown in his day.

A wet depression 0.4m deep, humus and leaf filled.
Two, former upright, stones have the date April 9th 1803 (but should this be 1893?) on them.
See (S2).
R. J. Rickett (NAU) 8 May 1990.

See copy of (S3) in file for location.
The date of this is uncertain.
Said to be Roman on (S1), but local traditions favours 1893 and Canon Venables (incumbent 1888 to 1906), who discovered this sump hole, cleaned it out, lined it with stones, set up seats and made it a place for quiet retreat.
Source [2] remembers remains being visible in the late 1950s.
D. Gurney (NLA) 22 February 1996.

However [1]'s notes in file say the vicar cleaned it out in 1893 and imply it was already there, which would explain both the above statements.
E. Rose (NLA) 28 March 1996.