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Hands Well Tissington 2006

Tissington is known as the mother place of well dressing and visitors come from all over the world to witness the annual well dressing ceremony. This takes place on Ascension Day, when five attractive wells are dressed together with a children’s well.

Well dressing is a custom found primarily in or near Derbyshire and, although the Church at one time banned the custom as water worship, the wells are often decorated with Christian themes.

Well dressing is thought to go back to Pagan times, a ritual performed to give thanks for the supply of fresh water. Another school of thought claims that the Romans introduced the custom into Britain, the philosopher Seneca stating that – " where springs or rivers flow we should build altars or make sacrifices."

Whatever the true origin, Tissington, recorded as dressing a well in 1349, is the oldest authenticated instance of well dressing in Derbyshire.

It is probable that well dressing took place in 1350, in thanksgiving for the Tissington's escape from the Black Death, which was attributed to the purity of its water.

See SK0680 SK0387 SJ9353 SK1675 SK2064 for other examples of well dressing.

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