Llan Dâv would not have stultified himself by making a king give land to his middle-aged great-grandson.

We may suspect that Efrddyl was sister, and not daughter of Pepiau.

Matle,' the birthplace of S. Dubricius, is Madley, in Herefordshire, seven miles from Hereford. The church is nearly two miles from the Wye. The Watling Street, a Roman road, crosses the Wye and runs through the parish, aiming at Abergavenny. Beyond the river rises a wooded hill, 720 ft. high, commanding the ford, and crowned with strong earthworks. We may suppose that here Pepiau had his residence.

The name Dyfrig seems to mean "Waterling," and had originally the same significance as Dyfrwr. There is a small affluent of the Severn close to Worcester that was called Doferic (i.e.) Dyfric. A form Dyfrog also occurs in Dowrog Common and Dowrogpool, northeast of S. David's.

We are not informed as to who was the instructor of S. Dyfrig, for we are obliged to reject as worthless the assertions of Benedict of Gloucester concerning his association with SS. Germanus and Lupus. The narrative in the l'ita Ima hurries on to the time when he was an abbot and master of Saints. We may suppose that in his early life he was much at Madley.

The first important settlement made by Dyfrig was at Henllan, now Hentland on the Wye, about four and a half miles north-west from Ross, in low ground, a combe that descends to the river. Here he collected about him a great number of disciples, as many, it is said, as two thousand, probably at Llanfrother, in the parish, near the river. He remained there, however, for seven years only,3 and then removed to Mochros, now Moccas, nearer his native place, from which it is distant five miles.

It speaks well for the honesty of the compiler of the Book of Llan Dâv that he gives no grant of either Henllan or Mochros to Dubricius. The record of these donations was lost, and he did not fabricate false charters. The claim of the Church of Llandaff to Mochros was based on a grant of the devastated site to Berthguin by Ithail.*

1 "

Bonus locus; eo quod in co natus fuisset beatus homo." Dar, p. 79.

Book of Llan

* Owen, Pembrokeshire, i, p. 207, note. A Dubric, as clerical witness, attested three grants to Llandaff in the time of Bp. Catguaret (Book of Llan Dâv), pp. 209-II.

3 Mille clericos per septem annos continuos in podo Hennlann super ripam Gui in studio litterarum . . retenuit." Book of Llan Dâv, p. 80.

↳ Ibid., p. 192.

366

Lives of the British Saints

. 1

"There existed," says Mr. Newell, "a great monastic organization, of which Henllan or Mochros was regarded as the archmonastery'"; ' and it was because Dubricius was head of this archmonastery that some colour was given to the conception of him as archbishop. "In later times the term archbishop was misunderstood, and was regarded as involving a primacy over other diocesan bishops, whereas it meant only the primacy of the episcopal abbot of the archmonastery over the episcopal abbots of subordinate monasteries. The claims both of the bishops of S. David's, and of the bishops of Llandaff to the title of archbishop were justifiable (for S. David's also was an archmonastery), but only so long as they retained their daughter monasteries in subordination. When the episcopates became diocesan, the reason for the title expired, and in the time of Giraldus Cambrensis, or of the compiler of the Book of Llan Dâv, it was an anachronism.”

The choice of a site for his new monastery at Mochros was determined characteristically. Dyfrig had possession of the land northwest of Madley, which belonged to his mother, and was called Inis Ebrdil.2 It was not an island, but at Mochros the Wye made a great loop infolding a wooded tongue of land. The whole tract was also called Mais Mail Lochou, the Field of Mail Lochou or Malochu.3 As Dyfrig was searching in the tangled brake for a suitable spot on which to settle, he roused a white sow with her piglings, and at once accepted this as a good omen. There he planted his monastery Moch-ros, the Swine-moor. 4 Compare the similar legends in the

Lives of SS. Kentigern, Cadoc and Brynach.

About him swarmed students from all parts of Britain, and the names of the most important are given. The list begins with Teilo, but it is doubtful if he were ever under Dubricius. In the Life of S. Teilo nothing is said of this discipleship. Teilo was under Paulinus at Ty Gwyn, according to the narrative, but the compiler of the Book of Llan Dâv prefixed an introduction to the Life in which he pretends that Teilo had been a pupil of Dubricius.5

The second named is Samson, who was not a disciple of Dyfrig but of Illtyd. He was, however, ordained deacon and priest, and afterwards consecrated bishop by Dyfrig. Then come Ubeluius, Merch

1 Newell (E. J.), Llandaff, S.P.C.K., pp. 17-8.

2 "Et per aliud spatium in nativitatis suæ solio, hoc est Inis Ebrdil, eligens locum unum in angulo illius insulæ opportunum silva et piscibus super ripam Gui," etc. Book of Llan Dâv, p. 80.

3 Ibid., p. 165.

4 There is a Mochras near Pwllheli, and another south of Harlech.

Sanctus Dubricius, qui huc usque fuerat suus præceptor." Ibid. p. 98. This was written for a purpose, to link Dubricius with Teilo and Llandaff,

guinus, Elguoredus, Gunuinus, Congual, Arthbodu, Congur, Arguistil, Junabui, Conbran, Guoruan, Elheharn, Judnou, Guordocui, Guernabui, Louan, Aidan and Cinuarch.

Most of these can be traced, but unhappily of none of them are Lives extant. Ufelwy or Ufelwyw (Ubeluius) is almost certainly the son of Cenydd, and grandson of Gildas. He must have been young when

with Dyfrig; he became a bishop and founded a church, Llancillo, in Herefordshire. He does not sign as witness otherwise than cleric in the lifetime of S. Dubricius, but was a bishop in the time of Meurig ab Tewdrig.1

7

Merchguin and Elguored became clerics at Llandaff, with S. Teilo, and are spoken of as electing S. Oudoceus, after the death of Teilo, to be his successor.2 Gunuin was eventually a "magister" at Llandaff. 3 These three men probably retreated thither when Mochros was devastated by the Saxons. Arguistil became a bishop, and had a church at Llangoed, possibly Llangoed in Brecknockshire. Junabui, Junapeius or Lunapeius was also a bishop. He was a cousin, "consobrinus," of S. Dubricius, and had churches at Lanloudy and Ballingham,5 Guoruan or Gwrfan was a bishop as well, and settled near Llangors Lake in Brecknockshire.6 Elheharn, Elhaiarn or Aelhaiarn was abbot of Garway. Judnou was abbot of Bolgros in Madley.8 Gwrddogwy was abbot of Dewchurch in Herefordshire." Aidan was a bishop in the Golden Valley, on the Dore, 10 Cynfarch was patron of Llangynfarch, now S. Kinemark's, in Monmouthshire, the boundaries of which include the site of the present town of Chepstow.11 Congual, 12 Congur 13 and Arthbodu 14 were abbots and founders in Gower. Gwernabwy was princeps of Garth Benni, or Welsh Bicknor. The compiler of the Book of Llan Dâv has prefixed to the charters a tract "De primo statu Landavensis Ecclesiæ," from his own pen, and he says that Dubricius, having obtained large concessions of land, separated his disciples, and sent them about to the churches given to him, and founded other churches and ordained bishops throughout Deheubarth as suffragans to himself.16 The

15

15 Ibid., pp. 75, 77, 80, 164, 166. 16" Partitus est discipulos; mittens quosdam discipulorum suorum per ecclesias sibi datas, et quibusdam fundavit ecclesias et episcopos per dextralem Britanniam coadunatores sibi ordinatis parochiis suis consecravit.”Ibid., p. 71.

same tract asserts that Dubricius was created

summum doctorem

by King Meurig, and was consecrated archbishop by Germanus and Lupus, and that his archiepiscopal seat was placed at Llandaff. This is, of course, wholly false. It was what the compiler wished and imagined might have taken place, but which never did happen.

When the compiler set to work arranging and amplifying the notices of grants made, not in the least understanding the conditions of ecclesiastical affairs in the Celtic Church, and finding a number of bishops among the disciples of S. Dubricius, he assumed that they must have been Bishops of Llandaff, and he accordingly arranged them, as such, in an arbitrary succession after Oudoceus, and by dexterously manipulating the deeds of grants, he made it appear as if all these concessions had been made to the Church of Llandaff.

The number of churches founded by S. Dubricius, as far as can be ascertained, and settled by his disciples, was about four-and-twenty; and the sites of the majority of these can be determined with some approach to certainty.

The tract of land from Madley to the line of hills that encloses the Dore Valley juts into the river Wye. Between that range and the Wye was Ynys Efrddyl. Ynys did not necessarily mean an island; the word was employed for a tongue of land, and even sometimes for a monastic possession shut off, insulated from the world. Here, perhaps at Madley, was Llan Efrddyl, and near it the Abbey of Bolgros. At its extreme limit to the north was also Mochros.

The Valley of the Dore bore the name of Cornubium. The name also occurs as Cerniu. But it may be questioned whether this is not a misconception for Coenobium. There seems to be no reason why a valley should be called after a "horn," and it does appear to have been given up to monastic establishments. Here was Cum Barruc, otherwise known as Lann Cerniu, and also Mavurn, the exact position of which is not known.

Another foundation of Dyfrig was Henllan, now Hentland, already mentioned, but the original situation was near the river.

Lann Custenhin Garth Benni was Welsh Bicknor, folded about by the Wye. Lann Junabui is now Llandinabo, and not, as the editors of the Book of Llan Dâv supposed, Bredwardine.

Lann Bocha or Mocha is now S. Maughan's. Tir Conloc is thought to be Eaton Bishop. Cilhal is probably Pencoyd. Lann Garth, now Llanarth, in Monmouthshire; Lann Sulbiu, now Llancillo; Lann Guorboe was in Ynys Efrddyl. Lann Loudeu is now Lanloudy in Herefordshire; Lann Coit perhaps Llangoed in Brecknockshire.

VOL. II.

BB