Chalybeate () waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are

mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...

waters containing salts of iron.

Name

The word ''chalybeate'' is derived from the Latin word for steel, , which follows from the Greek word . is the singular form of or Chalybes, who were a people living on

Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida'' ...

in north Asia Minor and who were expert in iron working. ''Ferruginous'' () comes from the Latin word 'of a rusty colour', from 'iron rust', from 'iron'.

History

Early in the 17th century, chalybeate water was said to have health-giving properties and many people once promoted its qualities. Dudley North, 3rd Baron North, discovered the chalybeate spring at Tunbridge Wells in 1606. His eldest son's physician said the waters contained " vitriol" and the waters of Tunbridge Wells could cure:

the colic, the melancholy, and the vapours; it made the lean fat, the fat lean; it killed flat worms in the belly, loosened the clammy humours of the body, and dried the over-moist brain.

He also apparently said, in verse: :These waters youth in age renew :Strength to the weak and sickly add :Give the pale cheek a rosy hue :And cheerful spirits to the sad. In 1689, a spring of ferruginous water rich in gas and tasting pleasantly was discovered by Count Lelio Piovene of Vicenza. Local residents called the water from this spring "Saint Anthony's miraculous water" believing it had therapeutic properties. This spring, known today as the Recoaro Spa, is located on the outskirts of Vicenza, in northeastern Italy. John Radcliffe (1652–1714) discusses the benefits of various mineral waters in the chapter entitled "Of Chalybeat Waters" in his book ''Dr. Radcliffe's practical dispensatory : containing a complete body of prescriptions, fitted for all diseases, internal and external, digested under proper heads''.

Anthony Relhan Anthony Relhan (c. 1715–1776) was a physician and fellow of the King and Queen's College of Physicians of Ireland, notable for writing a history of Brighton, and for promoting the drinking of mineral water. Life Born in Munster, Ireland, he was ...

(c. 1715–1776), promoted the drinking of mineral waters and particularly water from the chalybeate spring in St Anne's Well Gardens, Hove and published ''A Short History of Brighthelmstone; with Remarks on its Air, an Analysis of its Waters, Particularly of an uncommon Mineral one, long discovered, though but lately used'' in 1761. This led to a substantial increase in public interest in drinking mineral water. The town of Enfield, New Hampshire, even changed its name temporarily to Relhan because of the profound public interest in this form of therapy. Princess Victoria, later Queen Victoria, drank the waters every day during her stay in Tunbridge Wells in 1834. She and her mother, the Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent, would pay a visit to the spring and then stroll along the Pantiles. The water contains a significant level of dissolved mineral salts, with iron and manganese contributing to its characteristic flavour. The Spire Southampton Private Hospital in Chalybeate Close, Southampton, UK was formerly known as The Chalybeate Hospital until 2007.

Content of the chalybeate waters from Tunbridge Wells

An analysis in 1967 showed it to contain (parts per million): * Iron(II) carbonate, FeCO₃ 25.3 *

Manganese(II) carbonate Manganese carbonate is a compound with the chemical formula Mn CO3. Manganese carbonate occurs naturally as the mineral rhodochrosite but it is typically produced industrially. It is a pale pink, water-insoluble solid. Approximately 20,000 metr ...

, MnCO₃ 4.6 * Calcium sulfate, CaSO₄ 60.9 * Magnesium sulfate, MgSO₄ 13.4 * Magnesium chloride, MgCl₂ 7.8 *

Sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g ...

, NaCl 57.2 *

Potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a salt ...

, KCl 7.3

Notable chalybeate springs

Chalybeate springs are found in: Quarndon 180327 4f2a74fb

Australia

* The Chalybeate Spring at Mittagong, New South Wales

Belgium

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

situated in a valley in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

whose name is known back to Roman times, when the location was called Aquae Spadanae. * Malmedy

Germany

Bad Pyrmont Bad Pyrmont (, also: ; West Low German: ) is a town in the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, in Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population close to 19,000. It is located on the river Emmer, about west of the Weser. Bad Pyrmont is a popular spa resort ...

Italy

Recoaro Recoaro Terme (Cimbrian: 'Recobör'', ''Rocabör'' o ''Ricaber' ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is known for his mineral spring waters: ''Lora'' is bottled and commercialized, while some of the others are us ...

, Vicenza

Ireland

Moydow Moydow () is a village on the outskirts of Longford Town in County Longford, Ireland. Moydow contains an old disused post office, a disused schoolhouse used as a community centre, two pubs, a Roman Catholic church and a disused Church of Ireland ...

Castle,

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

*Chalybeate Well, Garretstown Woods, Garretstown,

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Poland

* Krynica-Zdrój

Romania

* Toplitz

Russia

* Lipetsk, in central Russia

Spain

* Lanjarón, a village in the Alpujarras

Sweden

Ramlösa Hälsobrunn Ramlösa hälsobrunn ('Ramlösa health well') () is a mineral spa located in Ramlösa in southeastern Helsingborg, Sweden, founded on 17 June 1707 by Johan Jacob Döbelius. The well was built around a chalybeate (iron-containing) spring, which ...

, in Helsingborg,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

United Kingdom

England

*Alexandra Park in Hastings,

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

*Balcombe, West Sussex * Bermondsey Spa, south-east of the Tower of London. Around 1770

Thomas Keyse Thomas Keyse (1722–1800) was an English still-life painter, and the proprietor of Bermondsey Spa. Life A self-taught artist, Keyse was a member of the Free Society of Artists, and exhibited with them from 1761 to 1764; he painted still life, ...

opened some tea gardens. With the discovery of a chalybeate spring the gardens became known as Bermondsey Spa. About 1784 Keyse received a licence to "provide in his garden musical entertainments" like those in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. They were varied by occasional exhibitions of fireworks and the price of admission was one shilling. *Burton upon Trent, at Sinai Park House *

Chalice Well The Chalice Well, also known as the Red Spring, is a well situated near the summit of Chalice Hill, a small hill next to Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The natural spring and surrounding gardens are owned and managed by the Ch ...

, Glastonbury *

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, Gloucestershire *Chalybeate Kennels near

Ingleborough Ingleborough () is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent), and is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks walk. A large part o ...

, North Yorkshire *

Dorton Spa Dorton Spa is a chalybeate spring located between the villages of Dorton and Brill in Buckinghamshire, England, in a grove of trees called "Spa Wood". Chalybeate is defined as "a water or other liquor containing iron", the word's origin is Gre ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

: said to contain four times the iron of Tunbridge Wells *

Gilsland Spa Gilsland Spa is the present-day name of a hotel at Gilsland, Cumbria, England. It is named from the sulphurous spring which issues from a cliff below the hotel. The original hotel was called The Shaws, from an Old English word meaning a small wo ...

, Cumbria *George Gap Spa,

Great Fryup Dale Fryup () is a hamlet in the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England. It is within the civil parish of Danby, and is located alongside Great Fryup Beck in Great Fryup Dale. Fryup is separated into two small valleys or ''dal ...

, North Yorkshire *The Gloucester Spa, Gloucester *

Griffydam Griffydam is a hamlet within the parish of Worthington, Leicestershire . History Griffydam is most famously associated with a chalybeate well, or sacred spring, which lies along a path below the main road through the village. According to tradi ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, North London * Harrogate, North Yorkshire * Kedleston Hall near

Quarndon Quarndon is a linear village in the south of the Amber Valley District of Derbyshire, England. It is spread along four minor upland roads, approximately 1 mile north of the Derby suburb of Allestree, two of which lead towards the city. Many t ...

, Derbyshire * Kilburn, North London * Lees, Greater Manchester *Nill Well, between Yelling and Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire *The Red Well,

Knapwell Knapwell is a hamlet in Cambridgeshire situated about west of Cambridge. It is within the diocese of Ely. Its population was estimated at 110 in 2001. At the 2011 census the population had fallen to fewer than 100. Nearby villages include Box ...

, Cambridgeshire *Robin Hood Hills, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire *Royal Beulah Spa

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area. Upper Norwood is situated ...

, Surrey (now London Borough of Croydon) * St. Ann's Well Gardens, Hove,

St. Blaise's Well St Blaise's Well is a holy well located in the grounds of the old Bishop's Palace (residence of Bishops of the see of Rochester until 1845), now part of Bromley Civic CentreWalford, Edward''Greater London: a narrative of its history, its people, ...

, Bromley, London *St James Cemetery, Liverpool *

Seend Seend is a village and civil parish about southeast of the market town of Melksham, Wiltshire, England. It lies about west of Devizes and northeast of the county town of Trowbridge. The parish includes the sub-village of Seend Cleeve and the ...

, Wiltshire * Somersham, Cambridgeshire *Sandrock Spring,

Blackgang Blackgang is a village on the south-western coast of the Isle of Wight. It is best known as the location of the Blackgang Chine amusement park which sits to the south of St Catherine's Down. Blackgang forms the west end of the Ventnor Undercli ...

, Isle of Wight – discovered 1811; buried in landslide in 1978 * Southwick, Northamptonshire *Spa Well, Spittal, Northumberland * Stamford, Lincolnshire * Tunbridge Wells, Kent *

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...

, Tyne and Wear – currently buried on Longsands beach * Winteringham, North Lincolnshire

Scotland

* The Saltcoats Mineral Well, The Holm Plantation,

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...

. * The Brow Well, Ruthwell - visited by the dying Robert Burns *The Chapeltoun Burn source near Stewarton, East Ayrshire *

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire (unitary), Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aber ...

, northeast Scotland *Hartfell Spa, near Moffat, in the upper reaches of Annandale,

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

*Parson's Well, Drumoak,

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

*Euchan Glen, Sanquhar,

* Peterhead *Heavenly Aqua Well,

West Linton West Linton ( gd, Liontan Ruairidh) is a village and civil parish in southern Scotland, on the A702. It was formerly in the county of Peeblesshire, but since local government re-organisation in the mid-1990s it is now part of Scottish Borders. M ...

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

*Red Well, Whitehills,

*Queen Mary's Well, Berry Hill,

Wales

*Ffynnon Goch, Aberaeron, Ceredigion * Betws Yn Rhos, Conwy * Llandrindod Wells, central Powys * Trefriw, Conwy * Trellech,

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

United States

Beersheba Springs Beersheba Springs is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 477 at the 2010 census. A resort town in the 19th century, Beersheba Springs was the summer home of author Mary Noailles Murfree. ...

Grundy County, Tennessee Grundy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee, bordering East Tennessee. As of 2021, the population was 13,622. Its county seat is Altamont. The county is named in honor of Felix Grundy. ...

Brandywine Springs Brandywine Springs is a historic area near Newport, Delaware, along the Red Clay Creek. It is noted from early American history as a Revolutionary War encampment of General George Washington's army. In 1853, Captain Alden Partridge opened the N ...

, Wilmington, Delaware *

Brushton, New York Brushton is a village (New York), village in Franklin County, New York, Franklin County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 474 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Henry Brush, a land owner. Brushton is locate ...

, a village in Franklin County * Chalybeate Springs, Lawrence County, Alabama *Chalybeate Springs in Gadsden, Alabama *Chalybeate Springs,

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...

; Resort and spa, 1800s, destroyed and buried by the

Big Four Railroad The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States. It operated in affiliation with the New York Central system. I ...

in 1907 *

Chalybeate Chalybeate () waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron. Name The word ''chalybeate'' is derived from the Latin word for steel, , which follows from the Greek word . is the singular form of ...

, Kentucky *Chalybeate Spring, Schooley's Mountain, Morris County, New Jersey; active resort and spa from the 1820s until the 1870s (spring source destroyed by road work in 1945) * Chalybeate Springs, North Carolina *Chalybeate spring and

Chalybeate Springs Hotel Chalybeate Springs Hotel, also known as The Chalybeate, is a historic 19th and early-20th century resort hotel located at Bedford Township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It consists of the original two-story, three-bay Federal-style brick dwe ...

near Bedford Springs in Bedford, Pennsylvania *

Licton Springs, Seattle, Washington Licton Springs or North College Park is a neighborhood in the informal Northgate district of North Seattle. It is bounded by Interstate 5 to the east, beyond which is Maple Leaf neighborhood and the Northgate Mall; Aurora Avenue N ( SR 99) to th ...

* Iron Springs,

Manitou Springs, Colorado Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, ...

* Saratoga Springs in Saratoga Springs, New York * Sharon Springs, a village in Schoharie County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

*Spring Water Park in Williamston, South Carolina *

Sweet Chalybeate Springs Sweet Chalybeate Springs, also known as the Red Sweet Springs, Sweet Chalybeate Hotel and Sweet Chalybeate Springs Lodge, is a historic resort hotel complex located at Sweet Chalybeate, Alleghany County, Virginia. It dates to the 1850s, and consis ...

Allegheny County, Virginia Alleghany County is an county (United States), American county located on the far western edge of Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bordered by the Allegheny Mountains, from which the county derives its name, and it is t ...

*Tahama Spring, Colorado Springs, Colorado * Tinton Falls, Monmouth County, New Jersey; still active, but fenced off by the township * The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Places named for chalybeate springs

Several places throughout the world have taken their name from similar springs, including: *Chalybeate Springs, Alabama, Lawrence County *

Chalybeate, Mississippi Chalybeate is a census-designated place and Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Tippah County, Mississippi, Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census which li ...

Chalybeate Springs, Kentucky Chalybeate, also known as Chalybeate Springs, is an unincorporated community in Edmonson County, Kentucky, United States, near the Warren County line. History At the turn of the 20th century, the location of the springs, which contained iron sal ...

*Chalybeate Springs, Georgia, Meriwether County * Chalybeate Springs, North Carolina, Harnett County *Chalybeate Springs, Virginia, Scott County *Chalybeate Springs, Winnsboro, Wood County, Texas *Hughes Springs, Cass County, Texas *Sweet Chalybeate, Alleghany County, Virginia *Chalybeate Spring Temple,

Sharon Springs, New York Sharon Springs is a village in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 558 at the 2010 census. Its name derives from the hometown of the first Colonial settlers, Sharon, Connecticut, and the important springs in the village ...

*Chalybeate Street, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales, United Kingdom *Chalybeate Street (Ffynnon Goch), Aberaeron, Ceredigion, Wales

Notes

References

*{{cite book , chapter-url=http://steve.pickthall.users.btopenworld.com/ssx1867/brighton1867a.html , chapter=Brighton, with Hove and Cliftonville , title=Kelly's Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex , year=1867 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504020318/http://steve.pickthall.users.btopenworld.com/ssx1867/brighton1867a.html , archive-date=2012-05-04 , edition=Online transcription

External links

Video footage of the Euchan Glen Chalybeate WellVideo footage of the Saltcoats Mineral Well
Iron Liquid water Spa waters