St Ronan's Well, Strowan

Dedication: Saint Ronan

Location: Strowan House

Coordinates: 56.36957N, -3.91356W

Grid reference: NN819213

Heritage designation: none

There are multiple saints who went by the name of "Ronan" or "Rowan", and this has caused some confusion regarding which of them this well, and indeed the entire parish, is dedicated to. It seems very likely that this particular St Ronan is not, as it is often suggested, the saint who was mentioned by the Venerable Bede as being an influential attendant of the Synod of Whitby; instead, he was probably the Abbot of Kingarth, who died in 737 (and who, for that reason, almost certainly was not present at the Synod of Whitby). Of course, as there are around twelve known St Ronans, he could really have been any of them.

The fact, however, that the handbell of St Ronan was kept at Strowan House until at least the late 19th century (and which may still be kept there today) indicates that the cult of this specific Ronan was a local one. The handbells of some early Scottish saints were once an important part of their cults; these were treated as though they were relics, and some were even housed in elaborate reliquaries. In particular, this practice was wide-spread in Perthshire, and examples of it prevailing in other areas are exceptionally rare. Reportedly, St Ronan's Bell was ascribed such importance by the people of Strowan that it was the symbol of the ownership of a particular piece of land called "Dewarland" (the keepers of such bells were known as "dewars"); when this land was sold, the new owner received the bell instead of a charter. A local fair was also once held annually at Strowan, near St Ronan's Well, called "Feill-Ronan", or "St Ronan's Fair", presumably on that saint's feast day.

Very little information about the well itself has ever been recorded. It certainly had a direct link to the local cult of St Ronan, cemented by the fact that the well is located in the grounds of Strowan House. According to the Rev. Arthur Gordon, writing in Chronicles of Strathearn, in 1896, the well "never failed to supply" St Ronan "with fish on Fridays"; what truth there is in this statement is slightly questionable. I have, unfortunately, not come across records of any traditions that were associated with the well (although there almost certainly once would have been). There is, however, something that may hint at a history of bathing at the site: the existence of a deep pool of water in the neighbouring River Earn called "Pol-Ronan", or "Ronan's Pool", (it can be seen on the above Ordnance Survey map) which could have been used as a natural bathing pool.

According to Ordnance Survey maps, the well still exists today, although its current condition is not known for certain.

Access:

The well appears to be located on private land, presumably belonging to the owners of Strowan House.