Ffynnon Garadog, Merlin's Bridge

Dedication: Saint Caradoc

Location: Merlin's Bridge

Coordinates: 51.78915N, -4.98488W

Grid reference: SM942142

Heritage designation: none

St Caradoc was an introverted hermit from Brecknockshire who lived during the 12th century. Before he became involved in the religious life, Caradoc is said to have been the servant of Rhys, the then Prince of South Wales; that is, until he misplaced two of the prince's favourite greyhounds. After failing to find them, he was threatened by Rhys, and retreated to Llandaff, where he became a monk. He is said to have prefered solitude, and traditionally it was believed that he had a hermitage at Haverfordwest, very near to Ffynnon Garadog. Supposedly, after Caradog's death and enshrinement, William of Malmesbury attempted to cut off Caradog's finger to keep as a relic; according to the story, Caradog's hand instantly closed into a fist, and William was so shocked that he threw down the knife and begged for the saint's forgiveness.

Ffynnon Garadog, being dedicated to a comparatively recent saint, is not as old as many other holy wells in the surrounding area, although it must have appeared very soon after his death, as, according to a document that was published as part of the Cadw Holy Wells project of 2011, it was first mentioned in 1315 (unfortunately the document in which it was mentioned is not named). It was, however, well known in the area well into the Victorian era, and until the 19th century festivities were yearly held at the spring. Details of the event were recorded in the Inventory of Ancient Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire in 1911:

This spring, of great local celebrity, was an open well until its enclosure in 1838. It is approached by a narrow lane from Merlin's Bridge, a short mile to the south of the town of Haverfordwest, and is now outside, though doubtless it was formerly within, the town lands of Portfield, which at one time extended over 900 acres. St. Caradoc's fair was held annually on Easter Monday on the fields around the well, and the well itself was the resort of would-be lovers, who offered three pins on the morning of the fair day. The waters were also reputed to have possessed medicinal virtues. St. Caradoc's hermitage is said to have stood a little westward of the well.

Ffynnon Garadog was mentioned in several publications from the 19th century, although the majority of them only afford the site a mere sentence. The annual fair was referenced in the (comparatively) modern chapter notes of a translation of The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin Through Wales that was made in 1806:

We must not confound this retreat of Caradoc with the village of Saint Ismael on the borders of Milford Haven: his hermitage was situated in the parish of Haroldstone, near the town of Haverfordwest, whose church has Saint Ismael for its patron, and probably near a place called Poorfield, the common on which Haverfordwest races are held, and there is a well there called Caradoc's Well, round which, till within these last few years, there was a sort of vanity fair, where cakes were sold, and country games celebrated.

There is slight confusion over where exactly Ffynnon Garadog is located. The location that Coflein gives for the well is SM 94237 14271; the location that has always been given on Ordnance Survey maps is SM 94223 14272. The location given by Coflein is the location of a well that is located slightly to the east of the real Ffynnon Garadog, and only began to appear on Ordnance Survey maps in 1965, as an unnamed "well". According to the Coflein database, in 1965, Ffynnon Garadog was covered, and was "accessed by a manhole" - this does not quite fit with that year's Ordnance Survey map, which describes the well as having been "restored" very recently. Possibly it is from this account that the confusion stems. Put simply, Ffynnon Garadog is the well that has always been marked and named as such on Ordnance Survey maps. The correct well was successfully located and described in 2011 as part of the Cadw Holy Wells project:

A well was located, cut into the northern bank of Merlin's Brook, comprising an approximately square, drystone lined and waterfilled basin fed by a spring emanating from within the bank. An overflow channel to the east allows water to reach the stream below.

Access:

The well is located just off the road, next to the river.