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قراءة كتاب Spadacrene Anglica: The English Spa Fountain
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href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@16417@[email protected]#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">[11] was the fourth son of Thomas Slingsby of Scriven, who married Joan, daughter of Sir John Mallory of Studley, and who had a family of six sons and four daughters. The name of the eldest son was Francis, and, as just mentioned, William was the fourth son. Sir William Slingsby was the seventh son of Francis and the nephew therefore of Mr. William Slingsby. Mr. William Slingsby was buried at Knaresborough on the 8th of Oct., 1606, but the date of his birth does not seem to have been recorded. His elder brother, Francis, died in 1600 at the age of 78, so that he was born in 1522. It is not unreasonable to suppose that William, his brother, one of a large family, was born between the years 1525 and 1527. He would therefore be somewhere between 44 and 46 years of age, when he discovered the medicinal qualities of the Tuewhit Well, which equally accords with Deane's statement that in his younger days he had travelled in Germany.
So far as I can trace, Hargrove[12] is the first author to confuse the uncle and the nephew. He writes that the well
"was discovered by Capt. William Slingsby, about the year 1571.
This Gentleman, in the early part of his life, had travelled in
Germany, where he made himself acquainted with the Spaws of that
country. He lived sometime at Grange House, near the Old Spaw, from
whence he removed to Bilton Park, where he spent the remainder of
his days. He made severall trials of this water, and finding it
like the German, he walled it about, and paved it at the bottom,
leaving a small opening for the free access of the water. Its
current is always near the same, and is about the quantity of the
Sauvenir, to which Mr. Slingsby thought it preferable."
From this quotation it is clearly apparent that Hargrove erroneously inferred that Mr. Slingsby and Capt. Slingsby were the one and the same person instead of being uncle and nephew. In the 3rd edition of the "History of Knaresborough," published in 1782, the reference to Mr. Slingsby is omitted and from that edition onwards, Captain Slingsby appears as the discoverer of the Tuewhit Well in 1571, a discovery clearly inconsistent with the fact that he was born in the year 1562.
The source of Hargrove's information in the above quotation is, without doubt, the summary of "Spadacrene Anglica," published by Dr. Short in 1734 in his History of Mineral waters.[13] The summary by Short of Chapter 6 of "Spadacrene Anglica" is as follows:—
"This fifth Spaw is a Mile and half from Knaresburgh, up a very
gentle ascent, near Harrigate, has much the same Situation as the
foresaid Spaws in Germany. It was discovered first about fifty
years ago, by one Mr. William Slingsby, who had travelled in
Germany in his younger Years, seen, and been acquainted with
theirs; and as he was of an ancient Family near the place, so he
had fine Parts and was a capable Judge. He lived some time at a
Grange-House near it; then removed to Bilton-Park, where he spent
the rest of his Days. He, using this Water yearly, found it exactly
like the German Spaw. He made several Tryals of it, then walled it
about, and paved it in the bottom with two large Stone-flags, with
a Hole in their sides for the free Access of the Water, which
springs up only at the bottom, through a Chink or Cranny left on
purpose. Its current is always near the same, and is about the
quantity of the Sauvenir, to which Mr. Slingsby thought it
preferable being more brisk and lively, fuller of Mineral Spirits,
of speedier Operation; he found much benefit by it. Dr. Tim.
Bright, about thirty years ago, first gave it the name of the
English Spaw: Having spent some time at those in Germany, he was
Judge of both; and had so good an Opinion of ours, that he sent
many Patients hither yearly, and every Summer drank the Waters
himself. And Dr. Anthony Hunter, late Physician at
Newark-upon-Trent, often chided us Physicians in York, for not
writing upon it, and deservedly setting it upon the Wings of Fame."
A more consistent form has been given to the error by Grainge, who in 1862 published a memoir of the Life of Sir William Slingsby, Discoverer of the first Spaw at Harrogate. Grainge, like Hargrove, had only access to Short's summary, but he sees the difficulty to which I have alluded, for he writes[14]:—