St. John's Well

A well at Balmanno, Kincardineshire, formerly held in superstitions veneration. It was believed that it's waters had a sanative quality, and people brought their rickety children to be washed in its stream. Its water was likewise thought a sovereign remedy for sore eyes, which by frequent washing, was supposed to cure them. People put pins, needles, and rags taken from clothing into the well, to show their gratitude to the Saint, and that he might be propitious to continue the virtues of the waters.

References

Sources

  • Hazlitt, W. Carew. (1905). Faith and Folklore. 2 vols. London: Reeves and Turner, p. 1:323.
  • Macgregor, Alexander. (1901). Highland Superstitions. London: Gibbings & Company, p. 54.