St Michael’s Well

Linlithgow has long been known for its wells. There’s an old rhyme which begins, ‘Glasgow for bells, Lithgow for wells’ There are several ancient wells still to be found here, including Dog Well, New Well, Lion Well and St Michael’s Well. This last is surmounted with the 1720 (perhaps earlier) statue of St Michael with the words underneath, St Michael is kinde to strangers. It’s very worn (as you’d expect) and isn’t used as a well any more. The saint is holding a shield bearing the town’s coat of arms:
a black dog, chained to an oak tree on an island, probably in the middle of Linlithgow Loch.
St Michael is the patron saint of Linlithgow Church and also the burgh.