Llanddona Witches

According to one of Anglesey's most famous folk legends, a group of men and women — said to speak with Irish accents — were cast adrift in an oarless, rudderless boat as punishment for witchcraft in their homeland. They washed ashore at Llanddona Beach on the east coast of Anglesey, more dead than alive from thirst and hunger. When the local Welsh tried to drive the strangers back into the sea, the newcomers are said to have struck the sand and caused a freshwater spring to burst forth, a miracle that convinced the villagers to let them stay.

The Llanddona witches went on to settle in the parish, where tradition holds they terrorised their neighbours for generations, blamed for crop blight, swarms of biting flies, and any misfortune that befell the village. Their menfolk turned to smuggling and were said to be nearly unbeatable in a fight, since they carried flies hidden in their neckerchiefs that would dart at an opponent's eyes and blind them. The witching power was believed to pass down the female line, and two names recur most often in the tradition: Bella Fawr and Siani Bwt, remembered as the most formidable of the Llanddona witches.

The legend remains a celebrated part of Anglesey heritage, marked today at the 'Site of the Witches' Landing' on Llanddona Beach and retold in local history collections and occasional theatrical performances.