Old Mother Ludlam and the Frensham Cauldron
Once upon a time there was an old woman who lived in a cave. Some times people called her a henwife; sometimes they called her a witch. But whatever they called her, she was very clever and very wise, and learned all the healing ways of herbs, and trees and plants. She had a very big cauldron, a large cooking pot that she would make her potions in. With a lot of hard work, a few words, and a little healing magic she could make a potion to ease aches and pains. She was called “Old Mother Ludlam”, and the villagers would come and ask her for help. Sometimes they asked for potions to help with their pains and aches, sometimes to make themselves pretty or handsome, or sometimes to make themselves clever. Old Mother Ludlam would always try to help either with words or with some potion.
Sometimes people were too shy to ask her, so they would ask to borrow something, like a pot or a ladle, and she would smile and say “Of course, and while you are here, would you like to try one of my lotions and potions”. When they brought back the pot or ladle, there would always be a small gift like a chicken, or some vegetables like carrots or onions. It was a good way to live.
One day, she was sitting by her fire warming herself, and she heard a noise in the front of her cave. She turned around and there was a man standing there. He was tall and stayed in the shadows. It was a bit late in the day, but people came at all times to see her
. “Hello” she said “how can I help you?”
The tall man stayed in the shadows.
“Oh” he said, “I want to borrow your cauldron that you make your potions in.”
Old Mother Ludlam was used to people asking to borrow many things, but nobody had ever asked to borrow her cauldron. She wasn’t happy with that.
“I’m sorry” she said, “No, I can’t lend you that one, but I have another smaller one you can borrow.”
The tall man in the shadows shook his head. “No, I want your cauldron that you make your potions in, it has a magic that will be useful to me.”
Now, Old Mother Ludlam definitely wasn’t happy with that, and so she said, politely “I am happy to help you- maybe you would like a potion? But No, I can not lend you my cauldron.”
As she said that, the fire crackled and something went pop, and the tall man stepped out of the shadows. Old Mother Ludlam could see his footprints in the dirt floor. They looked like cloven hooves, and she could just see the tips of small horns on the top of his head, and behind him, beginning to swish a bit, was a pointed tail.
It was the Devil! Come to take her cauldron.
He most definitely, absolutely not was going to have her cauldron, not with all her healing powers put into it over all the years. What kind of a mess would the devil make with that? So she stood up and said “NO!”
With that the devil gave a shout, and lunged forward, seizing the cauldron from over the fire. It was hot, but the devil didn’t care, and he turned and run out of the cave with the cauldron in his hands. On his feet he put on a pair of seven league boots, and he was able to take huge strides to get as far away from Old Mother Ludlam as possible. And as his feet came down to the Earth, the Earth rose up to meet him, and there was a pathway of hills where the land had been flat before. And today they are known as the Devil’s Jumps just at Churt, and you can see them for yourself.
But Old Mother Ludlam wasn’t going to let the devil get away like that. And summoning all he energy, she took hold of her broomstick, and muttering a few words, the broomstick rose up in to the air with Old Mother Ludlam on it.
And so there was the devil- on his last jump, just about at Kettlebury Hill. He stopped to catch his breath- and held up the cauldron to look at it in the light of the moon when Swoosh! Down came Old Mother Ludlam on her broom- and snatched out of his hands- and she was away!
Now the devil was so furious that he stamped his foot so hard that he fell back down into hell!
Old Mother Ludlam wasn’t going to risk taking the cauldron back to her cave. Now where could she keep it so that the devil couldn’t get it? Then she saw Frensham Church, and knew that was probably the safest place. So she landed in the church yard, and very quietly slipped into the church. And right next to the font was a space just the right size. So she left it there without even a note.
And when the good people of Frensham found it the next day, they thought the fairies had brought it. So they used it in their weddings and celebrations to bring them luck.
And Old Mother Ludlam was happy that the healing magic in her cauldron was safe and sound.