Chibbyr Pherick (204) – Peel Hill

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Chibbyr Pherick, Peel Hill, Patrick. (St Patrick’s Well).

The Holy Well is said to be the first well, or water, where the first Christian was baptized in the Island, and was for ages resorted to as a healing well, and latterly it was called the Silver Well on account of the small silver coins that were left there by persons seeking to be cured of some disease.

Reference

William Cashen’s Folk-lore (1912)

 

St Patrick’s Well.  Also known as the Silver Well, tradition has it that when St Patrick landed on a silver shod horse one of its shoes was caught and wrenched off in the rock and a spring of water gushed out to form a well.

Reference

20th century photograph on imuseum.im

 

It sprang forth to commemorate the spot where the Saint first planted the sign of the Cross on Manx soil, and was endowed with every benefit for the use of the faithful who came to prove its properties. (See Mona Miscellany, i., 196.) Additionally, and with equal authenticity, St. Patrick when crossing from Ireland on horseback was pursued by a sea-monster which must have been opposed to the conversion of the Island; to escape it the horse made a leap up the cliff-side, and at the place where it landed the well gushed out.  The (petrified) monster may be seen at the foot of the gully below. A similar legend pertains to St. Maughold’s Well, minus the monster.

This well has also borne the names of Chibber Noo Pherick (Saint Patrick’s Well), Chibber Sheeant (Holy Well), and Chibber yn Argid (Well of the Silver), according to A. W. Moore.

It is now in a poor state, like its Lonan namesake and many other Manx holy wells.

Reference

A Manx Scrapbook by W Walter Gill (1929)

Location

The well is on the side of Peel Hill, Patrick, below Corrin’s Folly/Tower.

Access

There are a number of ways to access Peel Hill.  See this article for information.

Links

NLS OS 6″ Sheet IX Surveyed: 1868 to 1869 Published: 1870

Photograph of the well on imuseum.im.

Contact

If you have any information on this well please contact me and quote well record number (204) as this will help identify which well you are referring too.