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Paper short abstract

This paper examines Holy Rag Wells as transtemporal archives, which are in possession of long literary histories, as well as preserving recent offerings imbued with meaning. Using field work and literary analysis, I consider how wells act as a place for the past, present, and future to communicate.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines Holy Rag Wells in Britain as transtemporal archives, which are in possession of long literary histories, as well as preserving recent offerings imbued with encoded meaning. Following principles of sympathetic magic, rag wells were historically used for healing. Visitors would tie rags to the trees around the water, believing that as these decayed, their ailments would heal. However, nowadays, several sites are inundated with obtrusive, non-biodegradable offerings. Having visited over 30 Holy Wells, I have recorded the offerings (if any) in situ. Rather than being left to decay, many objects are now intended to stay permanently, as tangible reminders of a holiday or in memory of someone. Other offerings observed, like face masks, remembrance poppies, and ribbons printed with the Ukrainian flag, demonstrate how these spaces continue to adapt to meet visitors’ needs. I also examine the ethical concerns associated with maintaining these archives; stakeholders like land managers and heritage trusts may have environmental and conservation concerns about the potential damage which offerings can cause.

As well as engaging with tangible offerings, I interrogate the cultural construction of rag wells in non-fiction and fiction, from Daphne du Maurier to Ian Rankin. These texts are frequently populated with imaginative recollections of their previous visitors. By re-treading the paths of past visitors, new arrivals metaphorically travel down the vertical plane into an imagined past. Leaving an offering allows visitors to assert their own place in a well’s archive, for future generations, or their future selves, to see.