St. Catherine's Well or Kate's Well is a historical natural spring well of significant interest and sits on holy ground, at the foot of Kirk O' Shott's Parish Church, otherwise known as (

Shottskirk Shottskirk, more commonly known as Kirk O'Shotts Parish Church, or affectionately "The M8 Church", is a local parish church located in Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, and serves the village of Salsburgh, the town of Shotts and the hamlets ...

) in the village of

Salsburgh Salsburgh is a semi-rural former coal mining village in greenbelt farmland within the district of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The closest major towns to the village are Shotts, southeast, and Airdrie northwest. Salsburgh is perhaps best kn ...

, North Lanarkshire. The well dates back to the 14th century, and derives from the church's former past when it was once a Catholic place of worship as St. Catherines Chapel, which has origins from

Catherine of Sienna Catherine of Siena (Italian: ''Caterina da Siena''; 25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, was a mystic, activist, and author who had a great influence on Italian literature and on the Catholic Church. ...

The water runs off from nearby hills and has a jovial longstanding joke within the nearby village of how the water runs through the

cemetery bodies, which of course is neither true or founded. Kate's Well is also the scene of the local legendary giant

Bertram de Shotts Bertram de Shotts is known locally as a legendary giant that roamed the then village of Shotts, Scotland in the 15th Century. Shotts was then a dreary moorland place on the Great Road of the Shire. The road was an important route for tradesmen car ...

's demise; a gripping tale is told how a young man, namely Willielmo De Muirhead, 1st Laird of Muirhead, killed the Giant. With cunning patience he ambushed Bertram de Shotts, immobilising him by slicing both his hamstrings as he lay down to drink at Kate's Well. Disorientated, Bertram de Shotts was then decapitated in an unpleasant death. A proud, and now wealthy, De Muirhead then carried the blooded head to the King and was rewarded with a 'Hawk's Flight' of land. This land subsequently became Muirhead's Lauchope estate. The well itself received a much needed boost through a grant organized thanks to the local Community Council group in the early 2000s, which allowed its extensive renovation.

References

External links

Video footage of Kate's WellVideo footage of the tale of Bertram of Shotts
{{coord, 55.846394, -3.851180, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Holy wells in Scotland Sacred springs Water wells in Scotland