The medicinal qualities of the Tuewhit Well having been discovered by
Mr. William Slingsby in or about the year 1571, this gentleman did
"drink the water every yeare after all his life time" and averred that
"it was much better, and did excell the tart fountaines beyond the
seas." Much pains were taken to bring the waters into notoriety in the
interests of humanity, and by reason of a pardonable national pride that
the country could boast of a health resort in every way comparable with
the famous German health resort of Spa. Chief among these early
advocates of this home fountain was Dr. Timothy Bright, who is
responsible for naming the well the "English Spa," which name was
apparently adopted by the gentry partaking of the water, whereas the
common folk still cling to the ancient name of Tuewhit Well.
Timothy Bright has had a varied literary history. For about three
centuries he was almost entirely forgotten, and some of his works even
ascribed to purely imaginary authors. In recent years full justice has
been done to his name as the "father of shorthand" following the
publication by J.H. Ford in 1888 of the tercentenary edition of his work
entitled "Characterie," and since that year there has been much written
of him.
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