St Edith's Well, Kemsing

As we are in Kent for a couple of days, I thought it might be a chance to make a contribution to International Holy Wells Month and find a Kentish well. This one was easy, as it is in the village of Kemsing, not far from Sevenoaks, and only needed a slight detour from our usual hotel and meeting up with the family. 

St Edith was a daughter of a Saxon king and, although there is a lot of uncertainly about her life, it is thought that she became a nun, was popular with her countrymen and was buried in Kemsing. After her death, at the young age of 23, miracles were said to occur around her tomb and soon the nearby well became a source of healing. This encouraged pilgrimages; interestingly Kemsing is very close to the Pilgrims Way.

The well has been restored and now lies within a stone structure, the straight bit has steps leading down to the spring and there is water in the round section, trickling out and into a channel next to it. Unfortunately the whole thing is covered with a wire mesh and the gate to the steps is locked and doesn't look to have been used in along time. The structure stands in a rather nice walled garden area and there is a plaque in the wall explaining a little about St Edith. 

The village still remembers St Edith, its village signboard depicts her and the well (see extra), and there is a procession held every year close to her day - September 16th. In 2011 a tradition of well-dressing was introduced.