St. David at Menevia, from whence he passed over into Ireland, and was appointed the first bishop of Ferns. It was doubtless a reference to this circumstance that induced the clergy of Menevia, in a later age, to assert that the bishoprick of Ferns was once subject to the archbishoprick of St. David's, a proposition which Usher is not willing to admit. Giraldus tells a marvellous story of the manner in which St. Aeddan carried over a swarm of bees to Ireland; for such creatures were never seen in that country before, and have never been seen at Menevia since!! Traces of his memory are still retained in Pembrokeshire, as he is the reputed founder of Llanhuadain or Llawhaden in that county, and the churches of Nolton and West-Haroldston are ascribed to him under the name of Madog. His festival is Jan. 31. Cwyllog, a daughter of Caw, was the wife of Medrawd or Mordred, the nephew of Arthur; and is thought to have founded the church of Llangwyllog, Anglesey. Dirynig, one of the sons of Caw; to whom it is said there was a church dedicated at York. Cain, daughter of Caw; a saint, and the patroness of Llangain, Carmarthenshire. Eigrad, one of sons of Caw; a member of the society of Illtyd, and the founder of Llaneigrad, Anglesey. Samson, a son of Caw, was a saint of the college of Illtyd, and had a church at Caerefrog or York. This person has been magnified by certain legendary writers into an archbishop of York; and they relate that when the Saxons took the city, and destroyed its cathedral, the prelate saved himself by flight; and carrying with him the ensigns of his dignity to Armorica, he was, by virtue of their possession, constituted archbishop of Dole in that country, a see which he continued to hold until his death, when he was succeeded by another Samson, who had arrived in the same country from Wales. The history of the two persons is frequently confounded; but if the circumstances related of the archbishoprick of the elder Samson were true, it is remarkable that the Welsh authorities should have omitted to mention them; for without allusion to his station, they merely imply that he retired from the advance of the Saxons, and that, like several of his brothers, he passed the latter part of his life in the college of Illtyd. There was, however, another Samson at that college about the same time, the son of Amwn Ddu, who is recorded in Achau y Saint to have passed over into Armorica, and to have been elected bishop of Dole. His history, which is better attested than that of his namesake, is reserved to the next generation. But the question of the dignity, as well as the identity, of the elder Samson derives importance from its having been the subject of an appeal to Rome, grounded on the assertion that he had carried a pall into the country of his exile; in consideration of which, it was alleged, palls were likewise granted to his successors at Dole, who exercised archiepiscopal authority until their privileges ceased through the intervention of the archbishop of Tours.* In the twelfth century, the clergy of St. David's maintained, that the pall, which was taken to Armorica, belonged to their church, and that it was carried over, not by an archbishop of York, but by Samson, the the twenty-fifth archbishop of Menevia; they, therefore, appealed to the Pope for the restoration of the dignity, and claimed to be independent of the jurisdiction of Canterbury. Their cause was advocated with all the learning and ability of Giraldus Cambrensis, who made three several journeys to Rome in its behalf; but after a long hearing, the prerogatives of Canterbury were confirmed; the evidence, adduced upon the occasion, not being sufficient to prove, that a pall had been sent from Rome to Menevia, or to any bishop in Britain before the mission of St. Augustin. *"Contigit ut ob Pallii gratiam quod Samson illuc attulerat, succedentes ibi Episcopi usque ad nostra hæc fere tempora (quibus prævalente Turonorum Archipræsule, adventitia dignitas evanuit) pallia semper obtinuerunt."-Giraldus in Dialogo de Ecclesiâ Menevensi. Eigron, the son of Caw, is stated to have founded a church in Cornwall. Gwenafwy, Peillan, and Peithien; daughters of Caw, and saints, but there are no churches which retain their names. Gallgo ab Caw, a saint, to whom Llanallgo, a chapel subordinate to Llaneigrad, Anglesey, is dedicated. Festival, Nov. 27. Peirio ab Caw, a member of the congregation of Illtyd, after whose death he was elected principal of that society; but he is said to have died on the following day, and to have been succeeded by Samson ab Amwn Ddu. Rhospeirio, subject to Llanelian, Anglesey, is dedicated to his memory. Cewydd ab Caw was the founder of Aberedw, and Diserth, Radnorshire, and of Llangewydd, an extinct church near Bridgend, Glamorganshire. Maelog ab Caw, a saint of the congregation of Cattwg. The following curious notice of him occurs in the Life of Gildas from the Library of Fleury :*-" Caunus, the father of Gildas, is said to have had four other sons; namely, Cuillus,† a man of great prowess in arms, who, upon the death of his father, succeded to his kingdom; next, Mailocus, who was destined by his father to the study of sacred literature, in which he was well instructed; he left his father, and bidding adieu to his paternal estate, came to Lyuhes' in the district of Elmail,' where he built a monastery, in which, after having served God incessantly with hymns and orations, with watchings and fastings, he rested in peace, illustrious for his virtues and miracles. Egreas, moreover, with Allæcus, his brother, and Peteona, their sister, a virgin consecrated to God, in like manner leaving their father's estate; and renouncing all worldly pomp, withdrew to the farthest part of that country, where, not far from each other, they built their several monas *For the original, see Usher, Primordia, page 676. 66 teries, placing their sister in the midst."-In this extract Lyuhes in the district of Elmail" is obviously lowes in Elfael, Radnorshire, which according to Ecton, is dedicated to St. Meilig. Egreas, Allæcus, and Peteona, are Eigrad, Gallgo, and Peithien; and "the farthest part of the country" is the Isle of Anglesey, where Llaneigrad is situated with its chapel of Llanallgo, and another chapel called Llugwy,* which possibly may be the one intended for Peteona or Peithien. Maelog is the reputed founder of Llandyfaelog Tref-y-Graig, and another Llandyfaelog, Brecknockshire, and Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire; the syllable dy in these names being either epenthetic, or borrowed from the Norman de.t Llanfaelog, a chapel under Llanbeulan, Anglesey, is an instance where the syllable is omitted. Meilig ab Caw, a saint to whom no churches are ascribed, except Llowes, Radnorshire, attributed to Maelog in the preceding notice. It is not improbable that the author of the Life of Gildas supposed that Maelog and Meilig were merely two modes of pronouncing the name of one individual; but it would appear that they belonged to different persons from the circumstance that Maelog is commemorated on the thirty-first of December, and Meilig on the fourteenth of November.‡ The latter appears to have been the founder of Llowes, as there is a place in the parish, called Croes Feilig, or St. Meilig's cross. Gwrddelw ab Caw, a saint who is said to have had a church at Caerleon upon Usk. Gwrhai ab Caw, the founder of Penystry wad in Arwystli, Montgomeryshire. * Ecton names St. Michael as the patron of Llugwy. In the Taxation of Pope Nicholas, Llangadock, Carmarthenshire, is spelled "Landekadok." Sir Harris Nicolas's Chronology of History.-The compiler of a "History of Anglesey" says that the festival of St. Maelog is Jan. 30. Huail ab Caw distinguished himself as a warrior in the service of Arthur. He passed the latter part of his life in the monastery of Cattwg; and it is said that there was a church dedicated to him in Euas, Herefordshire. In this list of the family of Caw, the names of nine sons, who devoted their lives entirely to war, are not recounted; but the number of children assigned to him is too great to be received with credit, except upon the supposition that it includes his grand-children, and, perhaps, other relatives, who were his followers and composed his clan. The death of Geraint ab Erbin, one of the princes of Devon, who was slain, while fighting under Arthur at the battle of Llongborth, has been noticed already.* Four of his sons, who seem to have imitated the example of the children of Caw, were, Selyf, Cyngar, Iestin, and Cado or Cataw, all of whom were saints of the college of Garmon. Selyf ab Geraint was the person who is called, in the legendary accounts, Solomon Duke of Cornwall. There are no churches in Wales which bear his name. According to Capgrave, Cungarus, the founder of a monastery or college in the diocese of Llandaff, came from Cungresbury in the county of Somerset; which suggests the opinion that the founder of the college of Llangenyst was Cyngar ab Geraint, and not Cyngar ab Arthog ab Ceredig. He is the patron saint of Badgworth, and Cungresbury, Somerset; and of Hope, Flintshire, and Llangefni, Anglesey. Iestin ab Geraint was the founder of Llaniestin in Lleyn, Carnarvonshire; and also of Llaniestin in Anglesey, where a stone was seen in the last century with an inscription purporting that he was buried there.‡ Cado or Cataw ab Geraint, a saint, but there are no churches ascribed to him in Wales. * Page 169. + Page 183 antea. Mona Antiqua; Myv. Archaiology, Vol. II. p. 46. |