St Alkelda’s Well, Middleham
St Alkeda was a chaste Saxon maiden, sometimes described as a princess, noble woman or a nun. On 28th March 800AD, somewhere close to the site of St Mary’s and St Alkelda’s Church, she was strangled to death for her faith by two Danish women involved in a Viking raid. It has been suggested that they killed her by twisting a napkin around her neck.
Her Holy Well in Middleham was, like many such wells said to have curative powers and was apparently very beneficial to people with weak eyes.
Re: St Alkelda’s Well, Middleham
I have come across an account stating that the well does not run following the building of the school to the south of it.
Re: St Alkelda’s Well, Middleham
Very little is known about St Alkelda’s life. Chronicles are very vague and apart from her martyrdom all we know is that her body was thrown in the well now bearing her name.
Since the Saxon word for holy well is Haeligkeld many believe her story to be a much later invention.