ON SS. TUDYR AND COMPANIONS: TUDYR OR TUDUR, ARWYSTLI GLOFF, TWRNOG OR TEYRNOG, DIER OR DEIFER, TYFRYDOG, MARCELLA, GWYNODL, MERIN, SENEFYR, TUDGLYD, TUDNO, AND TYNEIO, CONFESSORS, NOT BISHOPS, IN WALES,
IN THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES.
COLLECTION.
Tudyr, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Arwystli Gloff, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Twrnog or Teyrnog, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Dier or Deifer, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Tyfrydog, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Marcella, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Gwynodl, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Merin, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Senefyr, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Tuglyd, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Tudno, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Tyneio, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
BY V. D. B.
§ single. The memory of those saints of one family in the Genealogy of the saints, in churches and in the sacred calendars.
In the Genealogy of the saints of Britain or Wales, which is called in Welsh Bonedd Saint Ynys Prydain, and which was published in the Archaeology of Wales at London in the first year of this century and was reprinted some years ago, Saints of the race of Seithenin the Drunkard. there is read the family of St. Tudyr or Tudur The myvyrian archæology of Wales, vol. II, pp. 52, 54 and 55. Edition of 1801.; from which the following tree can be made up Cf. Rice Rees, Essay on the Welsh Saints, p. 276..
[2] [How it came about that the birthday of St. Tudyr, formerly celebrated on the 15th of October, is now kept eleven days later.] Although none of these saints seems to belong to the present day, yet St. Tudyr must be spoken of, since he was omitted at the 15th day of October, and on the 25th day of October he is said by Carlisle to be venerated Topographical dictionary of Wales, under Darowain., but in fact he is venerated on the following day; not indeed lawfully; but because the Welsh rustics, then still Catholic in mind and averse to the ministers of the Anglican church and to the government and most tenacious of their old customs, long took no account of the Gregorian correction of the calendar, even after the king of England, parliament consenting, admitted it and ordered eleven days to be omitted in the month of September of the year 1752. Hence it has come about that here and there in Wales the feasts of patrons and of dedications of churches are celebrated eleven days later than is proper R. Rees, Essay on the Welsh Saints, p. 240.: which thing is singularly observed in the birthday of St. Tudyr Ibid., p. 276, note 1.. Since, then, this is a fit place to speak of him, it is fitting to join with him three brothers and a sister, with his father and six uncles, especially because we have only a few things about all of them and they were passed over in their time.
[3] [Their patrimony lost, SS. Gwynodl, Merin, Senefyr, Tuglyd, Tudno and Tyneio embrace the monastic life, in the college of St. Dinoth at Bangor;] It is reported by Rees Ibid., pp. 235 and 236. that Seithenin, surnamed the Drunkard, together with Gwyddno possessed a corner of land on the shores of the counties of Cardigan and Merioneth, by name Cantref y Gwaelod; which, since Cantref is to the English a hundred, does not seem to have been greater than a hundred, or a territory of a hundred villages (so Giraldus Cambrensis interprets cantref Description of Wales, ch. 4.). About the year 520, through the carelessness of Seithenin, this territory is said in the Triads of Britain to have been covered by the waves of the sea: which perhaps was the occasion for his sons, St. Gwynodl, patron of Llangwynodl in Carnarvon, venerated on the 1st day of January, St. Merin or Merini, whose birthday is kept on the 6th day of January, and who seems to have lived in Bodferin or the Dwelling of Merin, which is a chapel of the parish of Llaniestin in Carnarvon, and to be founder or patron in Llanferin or Llanfetherin in Monmouth, — St. Senefyr or Senewyr, — St. Tudglyd, St. Tudno, patron or founder of Llandudno in Carnarvon, whose festival is celebrated on the 6th day of June, — and St. Tyneio, by whose name is said to be called Deneio or Pwllheli, a chapel in the parish of Llanfor in Carnarvon, — to have embraced the monastic life in the celebrated college or monastery of St. Dinoth, in Welsh Dunawd, Dunod, of Bangor, also Bangor Iscoed, in Carnarvon.
[4] [and St. Arwystli Gloff, his children having been holily brought up, in the monastery of Bardsey.] On the contrary St. Arwystli Gloff, who is also reckoned among the children of Seithenin, entered into matrimony with Tywynwedd, daughter of Amlawd Wledig, by whom he had five children, inscribed in the roll of the saints of Wales, four sons and one daughter. When he had brought these up, he withdrew into the monastery of Bardsey, which was also sometimes called the Island of the saints and which to the end of the last century Welsh sailors passed by not without prayers and veneration Monasticum Anglicanum, vol. IV, pp. 659 and 660.. Thither St. Dubricius, bishop of Caerleon, had withdrawn about the year 516; so that St. Arwystli Gloff could have lived with him. He is said to have founded a church; but where it is not known Rice Rees, Essay on the Welsh Saints, p. 236.. We know no more of his children.
[5] Where the memory of SS. Tudyr, Tyfrydog, Twrnog is kept, In the Bonedd y Saint or Genealogy of the saints of Britain St. Tudyr is said to be venerated in Dar Owain, which is there called by the corrupt forms Darewein, Narwain, Arwain and Nargwain and lies in the county of Montgomery; whether he was founder of the church or patron. Ecton reports that the church of Mynyddyslwyn in Monmouth is also dedicated to his name; but Rees judges this doubtful Ibid., p. 276.; and indeed Rees himself in the catalogue of parishes of Wales Ibid., p. 344. affirms that St. Tudur, son of Hywel, is honoured there. And St. Tyfrydog, who in the manuscript codices of the Bonedd y Saint Myvyrian archæology, vol. II, p. 55. is called also Tyfrydawc and Tyurydavc, was venerated, as is reported there, on the island of Mona or Anglesey, and indeed in the parish of Llandyfrydog, of which he is called the founder; namely on the 1st day of January. The feast day of St. Twrnog, also Teyrnog and Tyrnog, I have found in the English Martyrology Memorial of ancient British piety, supp. p. 11., into which it was brought from Willis: it was kept on the 3rd day of April in Llandyrnog in the county of Denbigh; which parish, as is clear, received its name from him.
[6] of Dier or Deifer, who was counsellor of St. Winefred, Of St. Dier, also Diheyuyr and Diheufyr, a little more is known. In the Bonedd y Saint Myvyrian archæology, vol. II, p. 38. he is said to be venerated in Modffarry, now Bodfary, that is, the dwelling of Diheufyr, in the county of Flint; but now the church of this parish has as title the name of St. Stephen, as is read in Carlisle Topogr. Dict. of Wales, under Bod Fary.. In Latin he is called Deifer, the same, namely, as the hermit who is read in the Life of St. Winefred. For St. Beuno, who was omitted by our predecessors at the 14th day of January, on which he is venerated, when he had veiled St. Winefred and taught her the laws of the monastic life, had gone away from this earth to heaven; but God did not will that counsels should be lacking to the most pious virgin, but he himself designated what master she should go to. So the holy woman, by divine admonition, went to a holy man, named Deifer. For that man was great before the Lord; of whom it is related that he caused a spring to burst from the earth, conferring health on many sick persons. And when St. Winefred came to St. Deifer, as the saint persisted in prayer that night a voice sounded from heaven, saying: Tell my dearest daughter Winefred to go to a man named Saturnus, and to hear what she is to do and in what place she is to remain all the time of her life [Robert, abbot of Shrewsbury, in the Life of St. Winefred, in Capgrave and hence in Alford, also called Griffith, Annales ecclesiæ Anglosaxonicæ, at the year 660, number 30, vol. II, p. 304.]. Both did the commands of God and the blessed virgin went away to Witheriacum to St. Elerius. And St. Deifer, renowned for miracles, adds Alford Ibid., number 32., is placed among the number of the saints as having died in the year 664, and his name is read in our calendars at the 7th of March; and in the English martyrology Memorial etc., p. 52. on the 16th day of March, new style.
[7] and of St. Marcella, their sister. In the supplement of the same Martyrology, from Willis, there is announced at the 5th day of September the birthday of the sister of those four full brothers, namely St. Marcella, who in the Bonedd y Saint Myvyrian archæology, vol. II, p. 47. is called Marchell and is said to be venerated in Capel Marchell in Llanrwst, which is a parish of the county of Denbigh. Whether traces of this chapel, which Leland still mentions in volume V of his Itinerary Cf. Memorial etc., suppl. p. 23., even now exist is doubtful to me; but the memory of the holy virgin survives in Ystrad Marchell in the county of Montgomery; where in the 12th century there was built the Cistercian abbey of Strata Marcella; whose origins we have explained in volume VIII of October and on which Dugdale or rather his continuators will give more Monasticum Anglicanum, vol. V, p. 636 and following.. It should be enough for us to have rescued the names of this holy family from oblivion in the best way we could.