CHAPTER VII. THE WELSH CHURCH. Llandaff oldest See-Archbishopric of Caerleon — Dyfrig, or DubritiusSt. Teilo-Sampson, bishop of Dole - Oudoceus-Bledri-JosephUrban-Present Presbytery at Llandaff Urban's work-Diocesan Synod at Llandaff-St. David-His Birth-Education-Founds a Monastery at Rosevale, near Menevia-St. David's Rule-Appears at Synod at Brevi-Archbishop of Caerleon transfers See to MeneviaCharacter and personal Appearance of St. David-Bishop SampsonBishop Morgeneu the Beefeater-Bishop Sulien-Bishop Rythmarch— Bishop Bernard-Bishop Titular, Daniel ap Sulien-Bishop Fitzgerald -Bishop Peter de Leia Giraldus's Opinion of Caerleon and St. David's -Causes of the Depression of the Metropolitan See of St. David's - Giraldus's memorable Words - Deiniol founds Bishopric of Bangor-Elbodius assumes title of Archbishop-Easter Computation changed-Doubts on this Question-St. Kentigern founds a Church at Llanelwy-Legend of the White Boar-St. Kentigern's Zeal and Virtues-St. Asaph-His great Saying-Hiatus in the succession of Bishops of St. Asaph-Geoffry of Monmouth dealt with harshly-Bishop Reyner-Bishopric of Llanbadarn-Bishopric of Margam-Professor Rees's theory of Welsh Parochial Divisions-Churches dedicated to the Blessed Lady, to St. Michael, and St. David-No Churches dedicated to St. David in North Wales-Welsh Liturgy not extant-Welsh Prayers -Lighted Candles-Reverence for Holy Scripture. It is my intention to devote this chapter to the organisation of the ancient Welsh Church; the hierarchy, in the order of their rank, and such other interesting particulars as I can find room for. The most ancient see in Wales, if tradition can be depended on, and I see no reason why it should not, is Llandaff, founded by King Lucius in 182. The Triad, which contains the three archbishoprics of the Isle of Britain, gives, "The first Llandaff, endowed by Lleirwg, son of Coel, son of Cyllin, who first granted land and constitutional privileges to the first Christians." The first archbishop was Dyvan, the "proto-martyr of the Cambrian Church." Merthyr Dyvan Church stands where he suffered. To him succeeded Fagan, whom Pope Eleutherius, at the king's request, sent to instruct this humble-minded prince more perfectly in the way of righteousness. A blank follows to the fifth century, and having nothing in the meanwhile to say of Llandaff, we will turn to Caerleon. This city was the seat of the Roman province Britannia Secunda, and the see of an archbishop, who had under him, as suffragans, several chorepiscopi, without any settled place of residence. The names occur of Tudwal in Caernarvonshire, Cynin at Llangynin, Gistlianus at Menevia, Paulinus at Tygwyn, all of whom are called bishops.* About 447 Germanus and Lupus procured the appointment of a great scholar, and very popular teacher, Dyfrig, or Dubritius, to the see of Llandaff. Dyfrig was a grandson of Brychan, a chief to whose honour the Triads record, "that he brought up his children and grandchildren in learning and the liberal arts, that they might be able to show the faith in Christ to the nation of the Cymry wherever they were without the faith."+ Brychan had his quiver full; three wives in succession paid the debt of nature, and left their living images in twentyfour sons and twenty-five daughters. Dyfrig came through the male line, and was worthy of his saintly progenitor. He is said to have founded a college at Henllan, near the Wye. Hentland, in Erchenfield, is dedicated to St. Dubritius; and there is within the district a farm, Llanfrother, on which ruins may be traced.‡ Dyfrig from Llandaff was chosen Archbishop of Caerleon, and held both bishoprics-I wish he had not-twenty-two years, till the Synod of Brevi. After which he resigned his preferments, and retired to the Isle of Bardsey, to spend the remainder of his life in solitary meditation and prayer: an edifying example to pluralists present and to come. St. David succeeded to Caerleon, whence he removed the see to Menevia. St. Teilo succeeded to Llandaff, the history of which we will now follow, and on the death of St. David was nominated to Menevia, in which he put his nephew Ismael as suffragan, and continued at Llandaff with the title of archbishop. He *Rees's Essay, p. 173. Williams's Cymry, p. 98. is commemorated as one of the three blessed visitors of the Isle of Britain, Dewi (St. David) and Padarn being the other two. "They were so called because they went, as guests to the houses of the noble, the plebeian, the native, and the stranger, without accepting either fee or reward, or victuals or drink; but what they did was to teach the faith in Christ to every one without pay or thanks: besides which, they gave to the poor and needy gifts of their gold and silver, their raiment and provisions."* Teilo had been out of Wales seven years in the earlier part of his life. The appearance of a virulent pestilence had driven him to Armorica, where he resided with Sampson, bishop of Dole. This Sampson was himself a native of Glamorganshire, and, it is said, returned to and died in Wales. In the churchyard of Lantwit Major two large stone crosses still remain; † one of them having three several inscriptions. The first purporting that it was the cross of Iltutus and Sampson; the second, that Sampson erected the cross for his soul; and the third, that one Samuel was the carver. The other cross has but one inscription, which states that it was prepared by Sampson for his soul, and for the souls of Juthael the king, and Arthmael. Oudoceus, another nephew of St. Teilo, and so much reverenced as to be ranked one of the patron saints of the cathedral, succeeded his uncle at Llandaff; he * Williams's Cymry, p. 133. †The late Mr. Edward Williams (Iolo Morganwg), the Bard of Glamorgan, discovered one of these interesting memorials. I copy his own account from Mr. Waring's recently published "Recollections and Anecdotes" of the poet. I must premise that a tradition ran, that the cross had once stood by the church porch, but had been undermined by a newly-dug grave, and fallen in, and been covered with earth. "In the year 1789," writes Mr. Williams, "being at work in Lantwit Church, and being one day unable to go on with what I had in hand for want of assistance, I employed a great part of one afternoon in digging in search of this stone, and having discovered it, I cleared away all the earth about it. Evening brought the farmers and their workmen home, and Mr. Christopher Wilkins and the late Mr. David Jones (two very respectable gentlemen farmers), on seeing this stone, ordered their men to assist me. We with great difficulty got it out of the ground." Then follows the inscription. "It lay on the ground, where it had been raised out of the grave, till August 1793, when I procured assistance to erect it on the east side of the porch, where it now stands. It must have been buried in the ground before the continuator of Camden copied the inscriptions on Illtutus, or otherwise he would certainly have copied this also." is reported to have received consecration from St. Augustine, but this is strenuously denied by Welsh Church writers. Having faithfully fulfilled his part and ministry, he retired in his old age to a monastery, which he had built upon the banks of the Wye, where many brethren placed themselves under his direction and instruction, for the religious houses of those days were all places of education. Here Oudoceus remained many years, in great abstinence and sanctity, to his dying day. The clergy of Llandaff stood on their rights, as theirs was the most ancient archiepiscopal see, and disputed jurisdiction, first with Caerleon, and afterwards with St. David's. On one occasion this spirit of rivalry carried them to very unjustifiable lengths, even to the compromise of national independence; rather than pay obedience to St. David's they chose to subject themselves to the English primate. In 982 Gwgan submitted to receive consecration to the bishopric of Llandaff from the hands of Archbishop Dunstan.* In the eleventh century Llandaff had a very learned and enlightened bishop, Bledri. He enjoined his clergy, in their several churches, to instruct the people in learned books, that everybody might know his duty towards God and man. Bledri was consecrated 993, and died 1022.† His successor, Joseph, forbad secular work on Sundays and holidays, enjoined the priests to teach the reading of the Scriptures to the people without money and without price, put the parish festivals and wakes on a better system, to the promotion of piety and charity, and suppression of disorders and irregularities. In 1108 Urban ascended the episcopal throne of Llandaff, an active, energetic, munificent prelate; he found the cathedral church in ruins, the revenues wasted and alienated, and devoted himself heart and soul to the restoration of the one and recovery of the other. The old cathedral, erected, perhaps, by King Lucius, being only twenty-eight feet long, fifteen wide, and twenty high, was judged too small to receive the shrine of St. Dùbritins, which Urban piously designed to transfer thither. So he went and saw Pope at the Council of Rheims, 1119,‡ and procured from * Williams's Cymry, p. 159. + Rees's South Wales, p. 622. Rees's South Wales, p. 623. the the Holy Father a brief addressed to the King, Archbishop of Canterbury, and all good and charitable persons, lay and secular, exhorting them to assist in the benevolent work of rebuilding the cathedral of Llandaff. The subscription was liberal, and Urban began his restorations, and carried them on so far as the remaining fourteen years of his episcopate allowed him. Mr. Conybeare✶ is of opinion, that traces of Bishop Urban's work are to be found only in the present presbytery. This good prelate had much of his time taken up in journeys to and from Rome and the English court about the recovery of lands, rightfully belonging to his see, which had been seized by the Bishops of St. David and Hereford. I am sorry to write this of those venerable personages. Bishops, after all, are but men, and sometimes have itching fingers. Bishop Nicholas ap Gwrgant died 1183. He was a good Welshman, loved his country, and cared for the instruction of the people. William Saltmarsh was bishop of the diocese when Archbishop Baldwin visited Wales, in 1188, and is called by Giraldus a discreet, good man. Synods were held in Llandaff from the sixth to the tenth century. They exhibit Church authority put to a noble use, in enforcing spiritual censures against those whom the insolence of power made regardless of human laws. In almost every instance excommunication is inflicted on some royal offender. In 519 the metropolitan see was removed from Caerleon to Menevia by St. David. David, or Dewi, was great grandson of Cunedda, a north-country chieftain, who at the beginning of the fifth century sought an asylum in Wales, and whose sons, a numerous progeny, expelled from their new country the Irish marauders, and recovered a great part of South and North Wales. This was about 420. The recovered lands the sons of Cunedda divided among themselves, putting in a claim in right of their grandmother, a Welsh heiress; but I suspect that their trusty broadswords proved their best title. David+ was noble both by father and mother; he was born at New Menevia about 451, and brought up at Hen Meneu, or Old Menevia. He received his education first in the school of Illtutus, and afterwards in that of Paulinus, in the Isle of Wight, where he is said to have spent ten years in the study *Archæol. Camb. Jan. 1850. † Britannia Sancta, vol. i. p. 140. |