Under the guardianship of English Heritage, and managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust, Dupath well is a small chapel-like building and was built in about 1510 by the Augustinian canons of the nearby priory of St Germans, to whom the site belonged. The architecture of the well-house is typical of the late 15th and early 16th centuries in a notably 'Celtic' style. At one time the spring at Dupath was believed to cure whooping cough. In addition to its role in healing the sick, the spring was used on occasion for baptisms. One grim tale associated with Dupath recounts that two Saxons – Colan (Cornish for heart or courage) and Gottlieb – fought a duel there for a lady’s hand. But the maiden went unmarried: Colan was killed outright and Gottlieb fatally wounded, though some versions say he died later of ‘impatience.

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