The village of Hinderwell is so named after one of Yorkshire’s most noted saints – St. Hilda.

Who was Saint Hilda?

Hilda was an Abbess of the early Christian abbey at Whitby in the 7^th century. She is said to have had a retreat in the area which may have been associated with the spring and caused the church to be established there, although the current church is 18^th century. A local legend says that she prayed for water and a spring arose.

Is it named after Saint Hilda?

There is some confusion over the origin of the name Hinderwell. The settlement was called Hildrewell which may possibly mean ‘elder spring’, but of course Norse influence could have affected Hilden changing it to Hildar.

Hope (1893) in his Legendary Lore states that:

“Tradition says that the monks, in the journey between Whitby Abbey and Kirkham Abbey, always made this well one of their resting place.”

In the churchyard is preserved a delightful spring head enclosed in a stone chamber with coursed rusticated stone walls supporting a flat slab roof. It is reached by a flight of well worn steps

Early pictures show a pump and Hope (1893) states it was so covered. However, this was removed when it was restored in 1912 by a Hilda Palmer of Grimple Hall, when it was restored to something more fitting.

Traditions

There does not appear to be any observation on St. Hilda’s patronal day on the 17^th of November recorded, but the well was visited on Ascension Day as Hope (1893) notes:

“On Ascension Day the children of the neighbourhood assemble here carrying bottles containing pieces of liquorice, which they fill at the well. Hence Ascension Day is frequently termed Spanish-Water Day.”

In modern times the first Sunday in July has become a celebration of the well, although pilgrimage does occur on or near to the Saint’s day by local Catholic groups. It is during their services however that the water is the well is still blessed and taken I believe. During the July celebration well dressings are done, possibly Britain’s most northerly consisting of a triptych in July 2013 consisting of an image of the saint.

The evidence for a hermitage?

One aspect which strikes the visitor to Hinderwell is that the church and of course the spring is on a mound, an ideal shape and arrangement for a hermitage: In a way a symbolic island in a sea of wilderness. There is also good sea access from Port Mulgrave, meaning communication to Whitby where Hilda’s monastery existed.

St Hilda was associated by turning all the snakes in the area headless. They can be found in the rocks of the coast around here- we would call them ammonites.