Raine, A: A Welsh Witch: A Romance of Rough Places

'They say she's a real witch...Don't speak to her or let her eyes fall upon thee.'

Treswnd has elected Catrin as the village scapegoat, shunning and stoning her as a witch. But Catrin's loneliness is eased by a growing friendship with Goronwy, with whom she shares her knowledge of the underground waterways of the 'Deep Stream' lying beneath Treswnd. Before he can fully appreciate her strength, however, he must undergo a shipwreck and a coal pit disaster in south Wales that leaves them trapped for days underground, 'along with the dead, the dying, and the frenzied around him,' while Catrin escapes the opprobrium of her neighbours by running away with Nancy Wood and her Welsh gipsy tribe.

First published in 1902, A Welsh Witch parallels a superstitious fishing village and an early industrial community with its harsh working conditions, and explores the ways in which human resilience and empathy can make a 'romance of rough places'.