Ffynnon Gurig, Newport

Dedication: Saint Curig

Location: Newport

Coordinates: 52.01271N, -4.82963W

Grid reference: SN059387

Status: destroyed/capped?

St Curig, variously dubbed "Curig Lwyd" ("Curig the Blessed") and Curig Farchog ("Curig the Knight"), was a missionary who travelled to Wales from Brittany in the early 6th century. He is said to have landed at Aberystwyth, and there became the bishop of nearby Llanbadarn Fawr. He appears to have been a great traveller in Wales itself, and he founded churches across North and South Wales, most notably, perhaps, at Llangurig, Montgomeryshire. It is also possible that he founded the original parish church of Newport, the current incarnation of which was built by the Normans, who dedicated it to St Mary. It is not known whether there was an older Celtic church on the site of this Norman foundation, but, if there was, then it would undoubtedly have borne Curig's dedication. Regardless of whether he founded the church, Curig was certainly active in the area in the early 500s, and the strong presence of his cult in the town is evident in the fact that the parish wake, described as "a great faire", was held on "S^t Kirickes daie" (according to George Owen in his Description of Penbrokshire [sic] in around 1600), and there are records of a "pilgrim" chapel of St Curig, separate from the church, existing in the parish.

Indeed, there can be no doubt that this medieval "pilgrim" chapel was connected to Ffynnon Gurig in some way, almost certainly serving as a well-chapel, similar to the one that existed at nearby Ffynnon Feugan. The sole historical reference that I have found to the existence of this chapel dates from around 1600, and appears in George Owen's Description of Penbrokshire [sic] (as previously mentioned), in which "Capell Kirick" in "Newporte" is included in a list of pilgrim chapels. It is interesting to note that other well-chapels, such as the one near Ffynnon Feugan, and another connected to Ffynnon Fraed at Felindre Farchog, were also mentioned in this list.

Despite the fact that the well and its undoubtedly associated well-chapel were clearly of local importance in the medieval era, the site is very badly documented. In fact, the earliest mention that I have come across of Ffynnon Gurig itself takes the form of the Royal Commission's early 20th century notes regarding the parish. They visited the well on the 10th of July, 1914, and reported that it "is situated to the south-east of the castle", but that "no traditions could be gathered concerning it". Historic Ordnance Survey maps (like the one above) suggest that the well was located either beside or directly in the middle of a trackway or road; presumably when this was tarmacked over, Ffynnon Gurig was covered by the road surface. The site was still marked on Ordnance Survey maps as late as 1948, so it must have been covered some time after that.

When I visited the site of Ffynnon Gurig in the April of 2025, no indication of its former existence could be seen on the road surface itself. However, there was a large plastic pipe protruding from beneath the tarmac, which deposited a constant issue of clear water into the stream running beside the road; as there are no other possible sources for this water, it is almost certainly the outflow from the now covered spring that was once Ffynnon Gurig.

It is worth noting that, when the well was visited in 2011 as part of the Cadw Holy Wells project, it was assumed that the spring was "a relatively deep pool fed by streams from the south and west", located "right beside and below a minor road". I looked in vain for this "deep pool", but could not find it myself, and there was clearly no spring at the confluence of the two streams.

Access:

The plastic pipe is located beside a public road.