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There is a growing literature on water management by environmental
historians but I can't remember a specific book on wells. Try the
bibliographies on the European Environmental history association
http://eseh.org/however,Ii am familiar with mid Victorian debates on
sanitation in Uk and Europenan urban history/archaeology which indictes
they were often low lying and close to cess pitts thus the drive to
proper sewerage systems. Mortality always outstripped birth in towns
until the late C19. Wells on hilltops would have to reach the aquifer
which might be a 100 metres deep through solid rock. They do occur for
instance in c13 castles such as Beeston castle in Cheshire (300 foot
plus) but are exceptional. Other means eg dew ponds tend to be used to
collect water in uplands depending on geology. Of course when you start
drilling to extract water from natural aquifers you are in a different
ball game. I imagine military guidelines were to stop flood water and
sewerage contamination
paul
Leicester UK
Janice Adamson wrote:
> "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water..." This children's
> nursery rhyme has me wondering if anybody out there might be able to shed
> any light on the digging of wells in the 19th century. I'm particularly
> interested in health and hygiene concerns and how this might have related to
> the positioning, structure and building of wells (e.g. are they usually on
> high points on the land, and why would this be so?). I recall reading
> something regarding this some years ago in the Great Britain War Office
> records about building wells in military barracks, but didn't think much of
> it at the time, and as I'm in New Zealand and those records are in the UK, I
> can't revist them! Any help would be much appreciated.
>
>
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