In the reign of King Stephen, 1153, Richard de Belmeis II, Bishop of London, granted a Monastic Congregation of Benedictine Nuns, who's Motherhouse was in Clerkenwell, London, 65 acres of land just outside London, as it was then, to use as a dairy farm to generate an income. The estate contained two wells. As both were surrounded by Moss they became known as the 'Mossewelle's', which is the origin of the modern name for the area, now a part of London, Muswell Hill.
The Benedictine Nuns built a Chapel on the land and dedicated the wells to Our Lady under the name: ‘Our Ladie of Mosse Well’. The Scottish King, Malcolm IV, whilst travelling through the area, reportedly stopped to drink from one of the wells and received a miraculous healing of a bodily ailment. King Malcolm was thought to suffer from Paget's disease, which is a bone disorder which can also affect the skin. News of this miracle healing spread far and wide and soon large numbers of Catholic’s were making regular pilgrimages, from all over Europe, to the Shrine and Holy Well of 'Our Lady of Mosse Well' – especially around the Feast of The Assumption.
Vatican records, from 1476, reference to the ancient Shrine of 'Our Ladie of Mosse Well'. In an extract from a letter by Pope Sixtus IV it is written that: “In Muswell Chapel, founded in Honour of Almighty God and his Mother the most High has worked and still works very many miracles by the intercession of the said Glorious Virgin”.
By 1478 Pope Sixtus IV had also confirmed various indulgences at the request of the Congregations Benedictine Prioress, for all Catholic pilgrims who visited the Shrine at certain times, especially during the feast of the Assumption.
Despite Catholic persecution and suppression of the Benedictines Clerkenwell Motherhouse and 'Our Ladie of Mosse Well' Priory, by Henry VIII during the Reformation, the courageous Catholic Lay English faithfull returned to Our Ladie of Muswell Shrine and it’s healing Well, as evidenced in a book written towards the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, 1593, which refers to: “a chapel bearing the name of 'Our Ladie of Muswell', where Alderman Roe has erected a proper house” . The Elizabethan dated book also confirmed the return of: “an image of the Ladie of Muswell, were unto was a continual resort, in way of pilgrimage growing in respect of a great cure which was performed by this water upon a King of Scots”.
The modern Catholic parish shrine Church, of Our Lady of Muswell, was built in 1938, with the first public worship taking place on Rosary Sunday, 2nd October. The solemn opening of the Our Lady of Muswell parish happened in 1939, on December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which was conducted by Cardinal Hinsley. Our Lady of Muswell parish shrine Church was Consecrated on 23rd September 1959.
During the building of the modern day parish shrine Church, a beheaded statue of Our Lady of Muswell was discovered in the ground and thought to be from the time of the Reformation destruction of the ancient Holy Well and Shrine.
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