Oxfordshire | Shropshire
THERE was here a well and a shrine in honour of St. Tibba. 'Tis now
above 700 years since St. Tibba, the celebrated saint of Ryhall was taken
out of her grave there and carryed to Peterborough Church by Abbot Elfin.
The inhabitants there have still an obscure memorial of her, but have lost
her name. They call her Queen, and say she used to walk up to Tibbal's
hill, and wash her in a spring there. This is all they know of her. The
truth is, on Tibbal's hill is the spring which gave name to the hill
Tibb's-well-hill. 'Tis upon the hill going from Tolethorp to Belmsford
bridg. On the brow of the hill, near the spring, is Hale-green, as it is
still called, taking its name from the anniversary meetings held here in
former times, in memory of St. Tibba, whose day is December 16. Hale is the
name our Saxon ancestors gave to the solemnities they practised in the
fields to the honour of saints. St. Tibba's well is now corrupted into
Stibbal's-hill-well.
--Stukeley's Diaries and Letters, iii.
167, 168; Surtees Soc., vol. lxxx.
"Just above Ryhall is Stableford bridg, which being an odd name upon the river Guash, this opinion is proposed about it. When we read of St. Tibba, we find St. Eabba, her cozen, along with her, another devout, retired person, who commonly lived with her. Hence I conjecture that the spring just above this bridg, northward on the brow of the hill as it were, opposite to St. Tibba's well, was consecrated by our pious ancestors to St. Eabba. Then this ford over the river, before the bridg was built, [128] would be called St. Eabba's-well-ford, corrupted into Stablesford. This same spring now is called by the shepherds Jacob's Well, and that probably is but a corruption of St. Eabba's well.
Sts. Tibba and Eabba were of royal Mercian blood, and owned Ryhall. They
were at first wild hunting girls, at last saints.
--Ibid.,
pp. 169, 170.