Mary Woolaston
Well Keeper
The River Fleet in London was once called the ‘river of wells’ and Black Mary’s Hole was one of them. It was located around half a mile away from here, close to Sadler’s Well.
In medieval culture, ‘miracle plays’ based on biblical themes were regularly performed at wells. But Black Mary’s Hole was said to be for the more mystic customer. Guests would visit on a full moon for ritual and the water’s healing properties – especially the ability to cure sore eyes.
There are many theories about the origin of the name ‘Black Mary’s Hole’. One curious account from 1813 says that “the hole, was leased to one Mary Woolaston, who kept a black cow, whose milk the gentleman and ladies consume, with the conduit waters.”
Recent research suggests that Black Mary may have been a woman of colour making a living from the sale of healing waters. Or was Black Mary a nun from nearby St Mary’s Priory, dressed in a black habit?
In 2006 a local psychic visited the vicinity of Black Mary’s Hole. They claimed the hole was a sacrificial pit dedicated to a lunar goddess. Is it a coincidence lunar deities such as Isis and Hathor are often portrayed as cows?
No trace of Black Mary’s Hole survives today. It has been built over and perhaps now rests under the housing block named Spring House on Cubitt Street.
In 2021 Laura Copsey and Philip Crewe researched the history of water in Clerkenwell. We focused on the trades and superstitions that were part of people’s lives in the 17th-century.
New River Folk Museum speculates on the experiences and beliefs of people who do not appear in ‘official’ museums or written histories. By combining archival fragments and fiction, Copsey and Crewe have made them visible.
This work is the outcome of an Engine House Residency, part of Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration’s programme to collaborate with illustrators and communities to research the history of the New River.