Jacob's Well, Bristol
Encyclopedia
Jacob's Well in Cliftonwood, Bristol
, England
is an early mediaeval structure thought to be a Jewish ritual bath.
The stone structure is built round a natural hot spring and on a lintel there is an inscription thought to be the Hebrew
word zochalim, "flowing". This led to the theory that this was a mikveh
or Jewish ritual bath. The interpretation of the inscription has been challenged and the alternative theory proposed that the bath is too deep for a mikvah and may have been used to cleanse bodies before burial in a Jewish cemetery at Brandon Hill
- there was a small Jewish community in Bristol from about 1100.
The spring became the property of St Augustine's Abbey in 1142 and the exterior was rebuilt in the 18th or 19th century. Jacob's Well was rediscovered in 1987 and is now a scheduled ancient monument
.
In February 2011, the company that now owns the well applied to the Environment Agency
to extract and bottle up to 15 million litres (3.3 million imperial gallons) of water a year.
Water from the well was previously bottled and sold in the 1980s.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is an early mediaeval structure thought to be a Jewish ritual bath.
The stone structure is built round a natural hot spring and on a lintel there is an inscription thought to be the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
word zochalim, "flowing". This led to the theory that this was a mikveh
Mikvah
Mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...
or Jewish ritual bath. The interpretation of the inscription has been challenged and the alternative theory proposed that the bath is too deep for a mikvah and may have been used to cleanse bodies before burial in a Jewish cemetery at Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill, Bristol
Brandon Hill, also known as St Brandon's Hill, is a hill close to Bristol city centre, between the districts of Clifton and Hotwells, in south west England....
- there was a small Jewish community in Bristol from about 1100.
The spring became the property of St Augustine's Abbey in 1142 and the exterior was rebuilt in the 18th or 19th century. Jacob's Well was rediscovered in 1987 and is now a scheduled ancient monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
In February 2011, the company that now owns the well applied to the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
to extract and bottle up to 15 million litres (3.3 million imperial gallons) of water a year.
Water from the well was previously bottled and sold in the 1980s.