by Brian Edward Rise
In the New Testament, Joseph is a rich man who lays Jesus’ body in the tomb after procuring it from Pilate.
There is an account of his imprisonment and deliverance by the risen Christ in an apocryphal work, the Acts of Pilate. Joseph by Robert de Boron and the Estoire del Saint Graal elaborate this tale. Joseph, it is said, came into possesion of the Holy Grail and subsequently learned its mysteries from Christ. The vessel also sustained the old man during his long imprisonment. Upon his release by Vespasian, he sets off with a party of companions (some say Lazarus and Mary Magdelene) on a set of divinely guided treks that eventually bring the Grail to Britain. There is a dispute amongst romancers as to whether Joseph actually made it to Britain and they prominently feature a son named Josephe or Josephus, who actually does set foot on British soil. Joseph himself is the prototypical Grail-keeper and figurative ancestor of all after him down to Pelles and Galahad.
Witch's Well 