| Where: | Fenton Bebibell Holy Well near Morvah - meet at Men-an-Tol lay-by at 11 |
| When: | Good Friday |
| Time: | 11 am |
The revived but ancient custom of Dolly Dunking takes place each Good Friday at the sacred waters of Fenton Bebibell (sometimes spelled Venton Bebibell). Organised by CASPN (the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network), the group clean the well itself before the toys are ceremonially dipped in the the spring to baptise them in the sparkling water. The name of the site means “well of the little people” and was long believed to have magical powers; the custom was well known in the 1920s but dwindled away by the mid twentieth century until its revival in 2006. Blessings are given in Cornish and English, and a libation of mead may be poured as an offering to the earth. Children of all ages are welcome to join in, and before the dunking, hot cross buns are shared among the crowd. All kinds of dolly may be dunked- even giraffes and plush pasties!
Helpful Hints
In 2025 it should be on Friday 18th April.
Meet at the lay-by for Men-an-Tol (the ancient stones) to walk to the well. The walk itself is fairly easy but be prepared for large puddles depending on the weather beforehand- when we went in 2023 wellies or waterproof boots were definitely needed. If you don’t know the site you won’t find it easily without following the group so make sure you arrive in time!
Click here for CASPN’s website: https://www.cornishancientsites.com
And here for the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/137301386294086/
Well done for bringing back a fantastic tradition
Thanks Juliet- we can’t claim any credit for bringing the tradition back but we enjoyed visiting last year. You can contact the people who organise it at https://cornishancientsites.com or through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/137301386294086/ and if you haven’t yet been yourself, we can recommend it as a really fun day out 🙂
Best wishes,
Averil