they buried him instead in the churchyard. Here, however, he could not rest, so at last they took up the body and buried it again in Crowell Wood. A headstone, known as "Old Man's Grave," is still to be seen here, inscribed—
In Memory of Richard Fellers Dr of Phyſick.
—(27th October, 1897.)[1]
Collwell Spring is in Dorchester Parish, but there is another, called Shadwell Spring, in Drayton Parish. The waters of both were formerly much used for sore or weak eyes. Between these springs there are some fields that many years ago were farmed by a man named Faulkner, who used to ride to both, and use the waters. In course of time he died, but after his death he was frequently seen riding the same black horse. A man named Hicks, of Drayton, aged seventy-six, told me that he was with his uncle many years back—and he was over eighty—and he told him he saw the man and horse coming towards the gate, and he hurried to open it; but before he could get to it, they both passed through without it being opened. Hicks said he was afraid to go that way for a long time after.—(February, 1894.)
About a hundred years ago, a woman called Nanny Martin lived at Wick Farm, near Headington. In the farmyard is a fine spring of water, covered by a stone well-house, which was much used by poor people for curing sore eyes (it has been so used within the last forty years); and Nanny Martin was very kind to those who came to use the water. One day she was murdered,
- ↑ On visiting the "Old Man's Grave" in September, 1902, I found the inscription to be perfectly legible, but could see no sign on the stone of the date 1724, which the people of Crowell say is cut on it. The character of the lettering is not inconsistent with that date. The grave is now surrounded by tall beech-trees, but the old sexton can remember hearing as a boy that the hill-side used to be an open sheep-walk, with clumps of bushes scattered over it. It was between three of these clumps, in "a sort of garden," that Fellers had wished to be buried, and some straggling and decayed elder-bushes that still remain probably represent them. A careful search through the parish registers of Crowell—thanks to the kindness of the rector—enables me to say that the name of Richard Fellers does not occur in them between their commencement, c. 1600 and 1800, the only names at all resembling his being those of Alice and Ann, daughters of Richard and Mary Fellow, buried respectively February 11, 16289, and October 2, 1633. Neither does his name occur in any book of reference that I have consulted.
