196 MINERAL WATERS AND MEDICINAL SPRINGS OF ESSEX.
neither of these is credited locally with being a mineral spring
and neither has any appearance of being such. Since then, Mr.
Ping has written us as follows:—" I have spoken with the oldest
inhabitant of Wanstead, a Mr. Merryman, whose knowledge, both
local and national, is remarkable and accurate. He tells me that
the only Mineral Spring he ever heard of in Wanstead was in
the grass bordering the roadside nearly opposite the house, in the
Blake Hall Road, formerly occupied by Lord Mayor Figgis, and
now by Sir John Bethell, M.P. This spring he remembers well.
Its water was chalybeate and left considerable reddish deposit.
People came and drank it to give them an appetite. They used
to kneel down and drink it from their hands, and also took it
away in bottles. Others used to bathe their ankles in it to make
them strong. Mr. Merryman adds that, about 1870, drainage
operations deprived the spring of its water. The fountain, which
has since been put up near its site, supplies waterworks water
only." Mr. Ping adds that, recently when deeper drainage
operations were in progress at the spot, water of a very markedly
ferruginous character was encountered. This is no evidence that
this spring was identical with that which came into prominence
in 1619, but very likely it was.
Mr. Dalton expresses the opinion that, if either surmise
as to the position is correct, seeing that the comparison with
the Tunbridge Wells chalybeate water was sound, the well in
question probably yielded a ferruginous water from the Glacial (?)
gravels of the Snaresbrook plateau at their contact with the
pyritous London Clay.
In the next place, we must notice the eight springs described;
by Allen in his first book, published in 1699. Two of these
appear to have been known some time—namely those at South
Weald and Upminster ; but the others seem to have been
discovered later, and chiefly by Allen himself. Of the eight, the
most important is, perhaps,
(2).—The South Weald Spring, which seems to have been
well known long before Allen wrote. He says of it13 :—
" I have known instances of a scorbutic scabies and a leprous disease each
increased by drinking the water of Brentwood-Weal, which abated upon the use
of Woodham Ferrys [water]."
13 Chalybeate and Purging Waters, p. 7 (1699).