Janet Bord

The phrase, the past is a foreign country is completely true when you venture way back into English history. There are strange standing stones and circles that are still visible in the landscape, ancient earthworks, churches with pagan marks and wells that still have ritual significance even today. Even though modern archaeological techniques and science can go some way to explaining the sites, there is still so much we do not know or can even comprehend.

When this was published way back in 1974 they knew even less then, but there was plenty of speculation as to the origins of the stones, burials and henges. Some of the suggestions in here as to the original purpose of the place would not even be entertained now, for example there is way too much nonsense on UFO's and Ley Lines. Hence it is now quite outdated, but I have had it sitting on a shelf for a decade and a half and though I had better read it. Extracting it from there reminded me a little of Time Team! What I did like though were the photos of the places, they harked back to a time before visitor centres and information boards and were often quite atmospheric.… (more)

If you ever wanted to know the folklore and history behind holy wells, CURES AND CURSES is the place to start. The book details legends and beliefs associated with holy wells and the various practices performed at these sites. The book explains how holy wells (whether approached from a religious or mystical context) were and are used for various purposes such has healing, blessing, and cursing; each site dependant upon it's own particular legend.

Bord goes into great detail explaining the lore of dozens of holy wells throughout the British Isles. She also includes numerous drawings and photos of actual sites. Further, she explains in detail the physical make up of many wells, from the simple bubbling natural spring to grand Gothic structures built over ancient wells. The book is laid out alphabetically by subject: sites, folklore, gods/goddesses or saints associated with them, beliefs, relics/offerings found in wells, etc. This makes it easy to find certain topics when investigating the history behind a particular feature of holy wells. The only problem with the alphabetical system is that some of the entries reference each other and occasionally duplicate information. One thing I really appreciated about Bord's approach is she's not afraid to say "who knows?" when the history of a site is unknown. Other authors may be tempted to speculate, or at worse, try to present a story or theory as fact. Bord sticks to what is known. She presents plenty of wonderfully colorful legends, but is quick to point out they're just that: legends.

Overall this is a great book on the subject.… (more)