There is a great deal of debate over who was the first to discover the famous Harrogate waters. It is generally believed to have been Sir William Slingsby, but the date of the discovery of the Tewit Well is even more disputed. Some sources claim that it was as early as 1576 and others as late as 1620. Sir William was born in Scriven in 1562, so would have been only 14 years old in 1576, and was on his travels on the continent until 1594. As the discovery is said to have taken place some time after his return, a date around 1596 is thought to be the most likely.

John’s Well or the Sweet Spaw was discovered in 1631 by Dr. Michael Stanhope of York who described its reputed medicinal qualities in his book entitled "Cures without Care; or a Summons to all such as find little or no help by the use of physick, to repair to the Northern Spaw, &c".

The Old Sulphur Wells in Low Harrogate did not need to be ’discovered’. Their smell would have made their presence known to anyone in the area. They were one of the earliest set of wells in operation in Harrogate. The others were in Bilton Park and Harlow Car. The number of Wells and springs in use for medicinal purposes was relatively small until the 18th and 19th centuries when the market for Spa cures expanded.