town, historic and present county of Flintshire, Wales, near the Dee estuary. The holy well is on the spot where in the 7th century the head of the Celtic St. Winifred (Gwenffrwd) is said to have fallen when she was decapitated. Copper, lead, and coal were mined near Holywell in the past, but the town is now important mainly for its woolen, rayon, and chemical industries. Nearby are the ruins of the 12th-century Cistercian monastery of Basingwerk. Pop. (2001) 8,715.