TODAY  we simply turn on a tap to be assured of a limitless supply of fresh, healthy water. But as little as a century ago people had to visit a public fountain or natural spring for their water.

In the past 100 years, the natural springs have not only become neglected but the sites - visited in their heyday by dozens of people a day - have become lost. With no one needing to visit them any more, these ancient wells have almost literally been erased from the map.

But now a group of enthusiasts have recorded the locations once more and, in places, cleaned up or restored the wells in the hopes they won't be so quickly forgotten.

To further record the wells, Father John Musther of the Orthodox Church in Braithwaite, has published a book: Springs of Living Waters - The Holy Wells of North Cumbria.

Fr John said: "Water is essential to life. It forms 60% of our body mass. We need water to drink, to wash and keep things clean. We need to have it at hand and ready for use. Such needs have been with us since time began. Springs and wells have kept us supplied until the coming of the taps and pipes. Water also provokes spiritual responses. Whose jaw has not dropped in awe at great waterfalls of the earth? How we are amazed to see the surfers on the biggest rollers. Water plays a prominent part in most world religions."

It's not always clear why some wells became 'holy' wells. Sometimes they are closely associated with a 'local' saint such as Cumbria's St Mungo, St Bega or St Herbert. Perhaps the Saint preached by the well. Others seem to be associated with curing particular illnesses or helping to perform certain miracles.

Almost all holy wells are in fact springs which burst forth from the ground, usually about a third of the way up a hill or slope. Sometimes the water is captured in a trough to make it easier for people to drink or collect. On other occasions ornate well heads have been built around the spring - an indication of their former importance and the reverence in which they were once held.

Fr John said: "Some wells were never regarded as holy. Others were given other names for whatever reason. But the sequence of saints in Cumbria is a long and interesting one running perhaps for a thousand years; until that is a different religious climate came along that was hostile to everything to do with them. The wells were pushed out of sight. But people did not forget. They still gathered, as they always had done, on Saint’s days. The religious core was gone but they still kept up the holidays, the social meetings, the traders, the markets and not least a time of fun and sport - all still held on the Saint’s feast day. The basic reality around drinking, washing, healing and cleansing remained even when the wells were put to other uses. They made troughs for horses, water for animals, fountains for the thirsty - and spas for the healthy minded."

In 2013 Fr Musther teamed up with Martin Clark from Grampus Heritage (based in Wigton) and other enthusiasts and arranged a structured survey of Cumbria's surviving holy wells. They also sought, where possible, to restore the wells. This culminated in 2014 with volunteers from as far as Turkey, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and Iceland coming to Cumbria to help tidy up the wells.

Fr John added: “Some villages – such as Great Asby and Wetheral – have made real features of the well and they are a wonderful addition to the village's landscape. And in Boot, Eskdale, the villagers have recently restored St Catherine's Well which is proving to be much sought-after by locals and tourists alike.”

Eskdale's St Catherine's well lies within a short distance of the church but was hidden under bracken. By teaming up with the National Trust and the Boot Riverside Action Group, the well has now been cleared and it is hoped sign-posting will shortly be erected to tell tourists precisely where to find the well (directions are given at the church). The well was rediscovered a few years ago when Farmer Noel Baines took people to the site. His family had used water from the well for family baptisms for generations. Previously the well had been excavated in the 1920s by archaeologist Mary Fair.

The holy well at Gosforth, associated with the church of St Mary nearby, is better known but again poorly signposted. The water is still used by the Gosforth Hall Inn. Fr John hopes to arrange a restoration of the well later this year.

Cumbria's own St Bega also has a well. It is at St Bees but is on private land and in a poor state. St Bega is closely associated with St Bees and West Cumbria so the site is of crucial importance to the spiritual landscape of the county.

Another Cumbrian saint - St Brigid - is linked to the holy well at Parton.  This bubbles up from the ground beside the goat path which led from the village to Moresby Church but again the spring is in a poor state of repair.

Yet other local wells have been lost. It is known one used to flow near the river off The Long Walk at Calderbridge but only a couple of stone slabs that may once have belonged to the trough beside the well remain today.

Springs of Living Waters details about 70 holy wells throughout north and west Cumbria. It is hoped to publish a second volume covering the south and east of the county. Fr John and his volunteers aim to visit wells regularly and maintain or restore them.

Springs of Living Waters by Fr John Musther. Published by Blurb. £9.99. Available from https://sites.google.com/site/cumbriaholywells/