In 1843, a Harrogate newspaper printed the following obituary:

"On Tuesday, August 22nd, died at the house of Mrs Downham her daughter, aged 83, Mrs Elizabeth Lupton, better known as Old Betty Queen of the Wells; she having attended there for a period of upwards of 60 years."

The Queen of the Wells was elected annually from among the volunteer water servers and a coronation would take place each May. We do not know when this tradition began, but we do know that ’Old Betty’ was Queen for many years, and at her death the crown passed to Mrs Anne Watson. By this time, however, the days of the Queen of Wells tradition were numbered. The Royal Pump Room had been built over the Old Sulphur Well and the Improvement Commissioners were making serious changes to the Spa - the volunteer servers we relegated to the free taps.