S. CLYDOG, King, Martyr

THE legend of Clitauc or Clydog is first told in the twelfth century Book of Llan Dâv, ed. Evans and Rhys, pp. 193-5.

A Life in the Cotton MS. Vesp. A. xiv (early thirteenth century) is an imperfect transcript from the above (ibid., preface, p. xxxiii).

A Life by John of Tynemouth, Cotton MS. Tiberius, E. i (fourteenth century) is from the same, condensed. This has been printed in Capgrave's Nova Legenda Angliæ, and in Acta SS. Bolland., Aug. iii. P. 733.

Both series of the Cognatio de Brychan make Brychan's son, Clydwyn, father of SS. Clydog and Dedyu, or Dettu; but the later Brychan lists make Clydog son of Brychan.1

The Taliessin pedigree in Iolo MSS. pp. 72–3, like most of the documents in that collection, is late. There are three copies of it there, and it runs thus, taken together—Taliessin ab Henwg Sant (al. Henwg Hên, Fardd) ab Fflwch Lawdrwm ab Cynin ab Cynfar (ch) ab Clydog (al. Clydog Sant, Clydog Sant o Dir Euas) ab Gwynnar the mythical Brân.

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up to

If we might trust this pedigree, there were two S. Clydogs. The name Clydog, however, was not uncommon, and the portion within brackets is clearly an interpolation; for the first copy gives Clydog simply, without the addition.

According to the Vita, Clitauc was a king in Ewyas (now partly in Herefordshire and partly in Monmouthshire), son of Clitguin, ruling with justice and peacefully.

A certain girl, daughter of a noble, fell in love with him, and declared that she would marry no one else. One of the comrades of Clitauc, filled with jealousy, he having already made up his mind that this girl should be his, murdered the king one day, when he was out hunting, with his sword.

The body was placed on a cart to which were yoked a couple of oxen, which were driven towards the river, where was a ford. The river was the Monnow. On reaching the bank the yoke broke and the oxen refused to be driven further; it was, therefore, resolved to build a church on the spot, and this is Clodock.

The legend then goes on to relate how two men who had long been enemies, vowed upon the tomb of S. Clydog to be reconciled. On their way back one treacherously murdered the other; but immediately after, conscience stricken, fell on his own spear and died miserably.

1 Iolo MSS., pp. 111, 119, 140; Myv. Arch., pp. 419-20.

One church alone seems to have been dedicated to this Saint, Clodock, in Herefordshire, which in the Book of Llan Dâv is sometimes called Merthyr Clydog-his martyrium.

In the Iolo MSS., p. 119—“ His church is in Euas, where he was killed by pagan Saxons." In the Myv. Arch., p. 420, he "is in Caer Gledog in England," where notice the word caer. By it is probably meant Longtown, where is an ancient camp. This Life affords proof

that the Brychan rule extended into Herefordshire.

The hermits Llibio, Gwrfan and Cynfwr were the first inhabitants and cultivators of the place after the martyrdom of Clydog the Martyr.” They built there an improved church.1 Ithael, King of Glywysing in the time of Bishop Berthwyn, made a grant of it to the church of Llandaff.

In the churchyard of Llanychllwydog (dedicated to S. David), in Pembrokeshire, are two upright stones supposed to mark the place where is buried the Saint who gave his name to the parish; but this is more probably S. Llwydog or Llwyddog, than S. Clydog, as Fenton supposed. 3

The festival of S. Clydog is November 3 in the Calendars in Cotton MS. Vesp. A. xiv, the Iolo MSS., the Welsh Prymers of 1546, 1618 and 1633, Nicolas Roscarrock, and a number of old Welsh Almanacks, principally of the eighteenth century. But Allwydd Paradwys (1670) and Rees, after Cressy,1 give August 19. So also Wilson's Martyrologie, 1608, and the Bollandists, who follow him.

Whytford gives, on November 3:-" In Englond ye feest of Saynt Clitauke a martyr, a kynges son of strayte iustyce, a louer of peace, and of pure chastite, and of strayte and perfyte lyfe y' was cruelly slayne by a fals traytour at whose deth were shewed many myracles and at his tombe after many moo."

In art he should be represented holding a sword in one hand and a lily in the other, and crowned as a prince.

Clydog was the name of the eleventh or twelfth bishop of S. David's. 5

S. CLYDWYN or CLEDWYN, King, Confessor BOTH versions of the Cognatio de Brychan give Clydwyn as son of

1 Book of Llan Dáv, pp. 194-5.

2 Arch. Camb., 1865, p. 182; Westwood, Lapid. Walliæ, p. 122.

3 Fenton, Pembrokeshire, 1811, p. 570; Cressy, Church Hist. of Britt., lib. x, 4 Welsh Saints, p. 146.

C. 15.

5 Giraldus Cambrensis, Opera, vi, ed. Dimock, p. 102; Stubbs, Registrum Sacr. Anglic., p. 155.

that great father of Saints. They state that he "invaded the whole land of South Wales," or "conquered Deheubarth," and that he was the father of SS. Clydog and Dedyu or Dettu. In Jesus College MS. 20 his second son is called Hedetta sant, which stands for ha Dettu, “and Dettu,” and this name is the daughter, S. Pedita, that has been ascribed to him.1 All the late Brychan lists make him a son of Brychan. One entry adds that he "conquered Deheubarth," and another that he was "King of Ceredigion and Dyfed.” 2

The statement that he conquered South Wales cannot be strictly accurate, as Rees has shown.3 What is meant is the Dyfed of that time. His reputed conquest has brought him into the pedigrees of the kings of Dyfed, one form of which gives him a daughter named Gwledyr. 4

The only church said to be dedicated to him is Llanglydwen in Carmarthenshire, on the confines of that county and Pembrokeshire ; but the identification of Clydwyn with Clydwen is to be assumed.

It is stated in a poem in the Book of Taliessin, relating to the northern chieftain Gwallog ab Lleenog, that "the following of Clydwyn cooperated" with him; 5 but another person of the name may be intended. A place called "Cruc Cletwin" (his Mound) is mentioned in the Talley Abbey charter of 1331.6

According to Willis his festival is All Saints' Day, which is the festival also of his sister, Clydai. Clydvn, Clydyn, or Clydau occurs in the Demetian Calendar (S) on November 3, on which day we have also Clydog.

S. COEL, King, Confessor

COEL HÊN, or, as often, Coel Godebog, is included among the Welsh Saints in the Jolo MSS.8 only, but more especially as the ancestor of Saints. He is there said to have founded a church in Llandaff,” and to have been the father of SS. Elen, Gwawl and Ceneu. He is mentioned as king of the Isle of Britain, and son of Tegfan, whose

1 Rees, Welsh Saints, p. 146.

2 Myv. Arch., p. 420; Iolo MSS., p. 119.

3 Welsh Saints, p. 140.

4 Owen, Pembrokeshire, ii, pp. 277–8. His name as Gloitguin has been foisted into the Demetian pedigree in Harleian MS. 3859, and he is given a son, Clodri (Y Cymmrodor, ix, p. 171).

5 Skene, Four Ancient Books, ii, p. 149.

6 Dugdale, Monasticon, 1825, iv, p. 162; Daniel-Tyssen and Evans, Carmarthen Charters, 1878, p. 63.

7 Parochiale Anglicanum, 1733, p. 188. On the paten cover (1574) belonging to the church the parish-name is engraved "Llangloydwen." 8 Pp. 126, 147.

genealogy is traced up to Aedd Mawr, the mythical" first sole monarch of the Isle of Britain."

His correct pedigree, however, will be found in the Old-Welsh genealogies in Harleian MS. 3859,1 where he is made to be the son of Guotepauc, the son of Tecmant-Godebog being his father's name, and not his epithet, which was Hên. According to these genealogies he was the father of Garbaniaun and Ceneu. Of his race, especially through Ceneu, were descended most of the Men of the North." "2 Skene says that " Ayrshire-divided into the three districts of Cuningham, Kyle, and Carrick-seems to have been the main seat of the families of the race of Coel, from whom indeed the district of Coel, now Kyle, is said traditionally to have taken its name. There is every reason to believe that Boece, in filling up the regions of his phantom kings with imaginary events, used local traditions where he could find them; and he tells us Kyl dein proxima est vel Coil potius nominata, a Coilo Britannorum rege ibi in pugna cæso'; and a circular mound at Coilsfield, in the parish of Tarholton, is pointed out by local tradition as his tomb." 3

Geoffrey of Monmouth, who styles him Earl of Gloucester, says that he had only one child, Elen Luyddog, or Helen, the wife of Constantius, and the mother of Constantine the Great. However, the old Welsh saga, the Dream of Maxen Wledig, makes Elen Luyddog the daughter of Eudaf, son of Caradog, and the wife of Maxen.

S. COF, Confessor

THERE were two Saints of this name.

I. Cof, the son of Ceidio ab Arthwys, of the race of Ceneu ab Coel. He and his brothers, Gwenddoleu and Nudd, were Saints at Llantwit.4

II. Cof, the son of Caw. His name occurs in two lists of Caw's children, reputed to have been Saints.5

The saintship of both rests entirely upon the authority of the Iolo MSS.

1 Y Cymmrodor, ix, p. 174.

3 Four Ancient Books, i, p. 170. Iolo MSS., pp. 106, 128.

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the North (Peniarth MS. 45).

5 Iolo MSS., pp. 137, 142.

2 Peniarth MS. 45.

His name occurs in the "Descent of the Men of

S. COFEN, see S. CWYFAN

S. COLLEN, Abbot, Confessor

THERE is a Life of S. Collen in Welsh, but no copies of it appear to exist of earlier date than the sixteenth century.1

According to this Life he was the son of Gwynog ab Caledog (al. Cydebog) ab Cawrdaf ab Caradog Freichfras, and his mother was Ethni (al. Eithinen) Wyddeles, daughter of Matholwch, an Irish lord.2 The Welsh genealogies differ as to his pedigree. Some agree with the Life 3; others make him son of Pedrwn ab Coleddog ab Gwyn.4 They give his mother as Ethni or Ethinen Wyddeles, a name not uncommon as Ethne or Eithne in Irish. The Life states that she was Matholwch's daughter by one of his wife's handmaids, and was sent to Britain to be reared.

Ethni, the night she conceived, dreamt that a dove flew to her, took her heart out of her bosom, and bore it up to heaven, whence the bird returned, and restoring it to its place, with sweet odours, disappeared.

Collen, when a youth, was sent to France to study at Orleans, where he remained for over eight years, during the time, it is said, of Julian the Apostate, but this is an anachronism, as Collen lived in the seventh and not the fourth century.

To bring the incessant wars that were then being waged between the Pagans and Christians to a speedy termination, a paynim named Bras (possibly a Saracen) challenged to fight in single combat any one that the Christians might choose to pit against him, stipulating

1 The earliest known MS. containing the Life is Hafod MS. 19, written in 1536. The copy to be printed in the appendix to this work is from this MS. There are also copies in Llanstephan MSS. 117 (1544-52), 34 (late sixteenth century), 18 (early eighteenth century), and Brit. Mus. Addit. MS. 14,987. The Life has been printed in Y Greal, London, 1807, pp. 337-41. In Llanstephan MS. 117 he is called " Collen Filwr." Collen (pl. cŷll) is the common name for the hazel, but it also occurs, very rarely, for a sapling, as in collen derwen (Mabinogion, ed. Rhys and Evans, p. 129). For the name compare Onen Greg, Yspyddaden Bencawr, etc.

2 The Life tells us that his "lordship" or district was called Rwngcwl, al. Rwngkwc, at the time it was written. Its situation is unknown to us. There is a Rathcoole near Dublin, another in co. Cork, and another in co. Louth.

3 Cambro-British Saints, p. 270; Myv. Arch., p. 420; Iolo MSS., pp. 108, 123. They, however, give his grandfather as Coleddog, Clydog, Cadellog, and Cadell. Hafod MS. 16 (c. 1400); Cambro-British Saints, p. 268; Myv. Arch., p. 420.