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No Butter

There was such a carry on, on a June day in 1853 at a prosperous farm in the hamlet of Efenechtyd, near Ruthin. Never in it's 200-year history had anyone failed to churn butter at Foel Fawr farm. The next day would be market day at the nearby county town of Mold, and there would be no butter to take. The farm butter was in great demand and it would mean a considerable loss to the farmer. For hours various servants had been trying hopelessly to get the milk in the churns to separate. When ten o'clock arrived with no joy, the farmer's wife became more frantic and furious. She sent a little serving maid to the fields to fetch the farmer himself. "Hurry child, tell him something awful has happened" she urged. It took a little while to get the farmer, as he was working in one of the further fields, but soon he came into sight striding purposefully through the field, with the little servant girl tagging along behind. When he arrived at the farm, he found his wife nearly hysterical. "Whatever is the matter with you woman" he asked. "I cannot make out a word this girl is saying". At this everyone started telling him all at once, until he shouted "One at a time!" Finally he understood what was causing his wife's agitation. "It is as if the churns are bewitched," said his wife. Then the farmer remembered that the day before a local witch had asked him for some milk, and buttermilk, not only had he refused, but had chased her off with his shotgun. She had left in a hurry, uttering what could have been curses, this convinced him that it was useless to try and churn the milk until the witch's spell had been taken off. "The churns are bewitched" he told his wife and servants, I will go to Denbigh and see a wise man who will remove the spell for us. Now all of you get back to work, the dairymaids can go back into the house and help my wife, all except you Nellie. You can clean the dairy after all the muddy boots." Nellie was only fourteen and a little afraid of the farmer so quickly set off to the dairy to do as she was told. She thought she would have just one more go at churning, and thought how pleased her master would be if she succeeded in making some butter. As she turned the heavy handle of one of the churns, there was a splashing noise coming from inside it. "Good, it's starting to separate the milk" she said to herself. A few more turns and a lot more splashing made her decide to have a look inside the churn. She lifted the lid with difficulty and looked inside. Whoosh! She screamed loudly- a large hare jumped out of the churn stuck its forefeet on he chest and leaped back into the churn. In a terrible state she rushed from the dairy and into the farmhouse, where she feinted away. Quite some time later when she came to she recounted what had happened to the farmer's wife. "I am sure that it grinned horribly at me" she sobbed. No one disbelieved her if the churns were bewitched, then a hare could surely grin at someone. The farmer riding his hose at full speed soon found his wise man and told him about the milk refusing to separate. He also mentioned his encounter with the witch the day before. "Of course she has bewitched the churns" said the wise man. He went off to saddle his horse to ride back with the farmer. The two rode swiftly back to the far, where the little servant girl told them what had happened. "Serves you right. I told you clear up and not to churn" was her master's unsympathetic reply. The wise man, the farmer followed by his family and servants entered the dairy. The wise man thought he heard a snigger from one of the churns and said loudly "You will not laugh for long, witch." The wise man's preparations were very simple; he placed a ring of Yew branches he had brought with him around each churn. He then began an incantation but before he had finished, a large hare jumped out of each churn and made for the door. The women present screamed loudly as the animals brushed past their skirts.. "Now set to work churning the best butter you ever made" said the wise man, preparing to take his leave. The farm servants soon had the dairy back to normal and the dairymaids started to churn. Next day at Mold market the customers who regularly bought Foel Fawr butter said it was even better than before. That day the farmer gained a lot of new customers as news of the excellent butter spread around the large market. As for the witch, she knowing the farmer could always call on the Denbigh wise man to undo any spells, never bothered to cast any more on him or his family or servants.

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