Mary was accused of murder by witchcraft, put on trial and jailed in Carrickfergus. Unlike many other women who had been accused of witchcraft, Mary was saved from the fate of the gallows. Thanks to a proclamation that the incident was “accidental” Mary was released.

By daybreak the next day they still hadn’t emerged from the house which aroused suspicion amongst the townspeople. Their curiosity got the better of them. Upon entering the tailor's house to find out what was going on, they found that everyone but Mary was dead.

She decided to try one final method and was asked to be left alone in the tailor’s house, along with three other local people. No one but the people in the house knew what ritual was taking place.

In 1807, at Carnmoney, the local Tailor’s cow suddenly started showing signs of enchantment. Mary Butters, a “white” witch with healing powers, was sent for. Mary done all she could to try and help the ailing cow, but her efforts proved fruitless.

Long ago, there was a commonly held belief that a cow could become cursed by witchcraft. Signs of a bewitched cow included producing milk that couldn’t be churned into butter, or not producing milk at all. A “white” (or good) witch could be sent for in order to counter the malevolent witchcraft.

Psst! Pumpkins are a treat for birds but can be harmful to hedgehogs. 🦔❌

Keep them high up out of reach and compost any leftovers to protect our garden wildlife.