Ancient law stipulated that if you could erect overnight a structure with a chimney and have a fire blazing in that chimney before morning you could claim rights to the land. Squatters’ cottages are often therefore easily identifiable by the fact that they have a large chimney which was built first and then having established a claim to the site the homeowner had time to add the cottage onto the chimney at a later date.
This particular cottage was once occupied by Nanny Morgan. She was a witch and lived here accompanied by live toads. She possessed “the evil eye” and could curse bad luck to anyone who upset her. On the other hand young girls used to come and visit her from far and near because apparently she was able to produce very effective love potions. These would ensure that those gentlemen who were a little slow in asking for a girls hand could be rapidly brought to the altar.