HHH Chapter 5: A Bloody Hand, a Well of Healing, and an Unusual Birthday Gift

Yesterday I met my husband, who had come to accompany me on my birthday. We stayed at the Hand Hotel in Chirk. A type of inn has existed here for about 400 years, although the current one dates back to the mid-19th century. The name comes from a local legend about the inheritance of the lands and properties of nearby Chirk Castle. It is said that the dying Lord challenged his sons to run for the inheritance. He whose hand touched the goal first would be the Lord of all. The son who was behind cut his hand with his sword and threw it in front of his brother, so that the bloody hand arrived first. More sober accounts say it’s more of a heraldic device, but why let that get in the way of a good story?

While my back was turned, my husband put up birthday bunting and made me my favorite Earl Gray tea. My lovely offspring had sent me super light gifts…little pins for my backpack: a tiny harp (of course!!), a red Welsh dragon and a daffodil, the national flower of Wales. DIOLCH…thank you in Welsh. I received greetings on my phone from family and friends – I felt very blessed.

We had coffee and breakfast with a friend who lives locally and enjoyed the many beautiful monuments in the parish church. The saddest thing was for this baby wrapped in swaddling clothes from the 18th century.

The unusual birthday gift

Today I was due to get my monthly cancer shot, so my husband brought it with him. The lovely nurse from a nearby health center did the deed. He had his own intriguing and highly skilled artwork on the wall. For non-UK readers, I must confirm that I do not pay anything for either the medication or the nurses’ time. We have the luxury of not even knowing the costs of healthcare. The administration of the injection was a good, if prosaic, birthday present.

A healing well

We walked along another quiet stretch of canal to another of St. Winifred’s wells. The well house above the healing spring was created by Lady Margaret Beaufort, a formidable woman of the 15th century. The beams date back to 1485. This was a place of pilgrimage and healing, although in the 18th century it also had 3 breweries and a lot of wild behavior, so it was closed. We approached to see the old house and the spring and much further below, which empties into a small pond and then into the nearby river.

You can still see the stairs leading to the entrance and exit of the well.

It was very calm and quiet, with lovely bird songs and wildflowers. Truly a “thin place” where other worlds seem closer to us.

What a lovely way to spend my birthday. Tomorrow, towards another well.

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