Everything gets petrified due to the richness of sulfate and carbonate in the well!
Mother Shipton's Cave is located in the park at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England. The place is known for petrifying well. This park is England's oldest entrance-charging tourist attraction, open since 1630!!!
In 1630 the section of the Royal Forest that now forms our park was sold by King Charles I to a local gentleman, Sir Charles Slingsby. By then the well was so famous and visiting it was so popular that he placed it on exhibition and charged for guided tours around it.
The earliest written reference to the well was by John Leyland, antiquary to Henry VIII. He visited the well in 1538 and noted that it was very well known and visited by many to drink and shower under its falling waters, as they were believed to have miraculous healing powers!!!
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| Wishing Well |
There is a wishing well around the back of the petrifying well. People visit to "petrify" their wishes...
As described above, water contains a very high mineral content. Hence It takes between three and five months to petrify a teddy bear. Actually, stone teddy bears are available to buy from the shop!
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| Petrified hanged Peter Rabbit? holding a non-petrified Teddy bear... |
Who is Mother Shipton, BTW?
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| A statue of Mother Shipton |
Mother Shipton is a nickname and her real name is Ursula Southeil (1488–1561).
Although little is known about her parents, legend has it that she was born during a violent thunderstorm in a cave on the banks of the River Nidd in Knaresborough. Her mother, Agatha, was just fifteen years old when she gave birth, and despite being dragged before the local magistrate, she would not reveal who the father was.
Ursula grew up around Knaresborough. She was a strange child, both in looks and in nature. Her nose was large and crooked, her back bent and her legs twisted. Just like a witch. She spent most of her days around the cave where she was born.
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| 21st Century of Mother Shipton cosplayer |
Mother Shipton had a gift. She could predict the future. It started off with small premonitions but as she practiced she became more confident and her powers grew. Soon she was known as Knaresborough’s Prophetess, a witch. She made her living telling the future and warning those who asked of what was to come.
The prophecies may not be all historically correct and the stories may have been embellished slightly over the centuries, but she remains one of those legendary figures of romance and folklore entwined in our imaginations and the local surroundings.
What must be certain is that around 500 years ago a woman called Mistress Shipton lived in Knaresborough, people believed her and passed her words on...
The leaflet for 2018 is available here.
