has also, but wrongly, been attributed to S. Baglan ab Dingad. Near the church there is a well "famous for curing rickety children; but, according to the vulgar opinion, only on the three first Thursdays in May." 1

Edward Lhuyd, in his Reliquiæ, has the following note on Baglan Church: " Its name from St. Baglan, which tradition says was a disciple of St. Illtud, and one time carried fire in the skirt of his garment from St. Cattwg without singeing it. Illtud seeing, took it for a miracle, and gave him a staff with a head of brass (which was preserved a sacred relick till of late years, which had a wonderful effect upon the sick), and said it should guide him to a place where he should find a tree bearing three sorts of fruit, there he should build a church for himself. In a short time he came to the place where the church now is, and found a tree with a litter of pigs at the root, a hive of bees in the body, and a crow's nest in the top; but not liking the situation, it being on a proclivity, intended to build it at some distance in a level plain, but what was built by day fell in the night, and was at last forced to take the hilly place where it now is." The present church is on level ground a little below the spot where the old church is situated. He adds, "Under the North part of Mynydd y Ddinas is a spring, formerly much resorted to by rickety children, and especially on three Thursdays in May, Ascension Day to be one of them without fail."

There is a small brook in the parish called Nant Baglan.

A place called Carn Baglan, situated somewhere in the neighbourhood of Tenby, is mentioned in the Book of Llan Dâv.2

In the Celtic Litany of the tenth century, now in the Library of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury, and published by Mr. Warren,3 occurs the name of Bachla, who is invoked. He appears also in the Celtic Litany of the same period, published by Mabillon from a Rheims MS.4 M. J. Loth supposes him to have been a disciple of S. Winwaloe at Landevenec, and that he is honoured as Balag at Penflour near Châteaulin. "Bachla," says he, "has given Bala, as Machlow, Malo, as Machteth, a servant maid,' becomes matez, as Mochdreb has become Motreff, near Carhaix." 5

་

There is a Ploubalay in Côtes du Nord near Matignon. Of Balay nothing is known. But in the Cartulary of Landevenec, Bachla is not

1 Carlisle, Topographical Dictionary of Wales, 1811, s.v. Baglan.

3 Revue Celtique, 1888, p. 88.

5 Revue Celtique, 1890, p. 138.

VOL. I.

2 P. 126. Vetera Analecta, ed. 1723, ii. p. 669.

0.

the form of name given to the pupil of S. Winwaloe but Biabil.1 He lived an eremitical life, and as many miracles attested his merits, he was regarded as a saint.

Bachla cannot be identified with Biabil, he is more probably the Baglan ab Ithel Hael, who, having come from Armorica, may have returned to it.

S. BANHADLEN, Matron

S. BANHADLEN was the daughter of Cynyr of Caer Gawch,2 by, according to Rees,3 Mechell, daughter of Brychan, his first wife. This statement is made apparently on the authority of Owen Pughe's Cambrian Biography; but it is quite wrong. In the Vespasian Cognatio we have this entry, "Marchel filia Brachan uxor Gurind barmbtruch de Merionyth." From this we learn that Marchell (not Mechell) was the wife of Gwrin Farfdrwch, of Meirionydd, a descendant of Cunedda Wledig, and a totally different person from Cynyr of Caer Gawch. Banhadlen became the wife of Dirdan, "a nobleman of Italy," Her also reckoned among the Saints, and was the mother of S. Ailbe. name is sometimes wrongly given as Danadlwen. No churches are dedicated to her, nor is her Festival known. As a common noun banhadlen means the broom.

5

S. BAR, see S. FINBAR

S. BARRUC, Monk, Confessor

"Baruck,

CRESSY in his Church History of Brittany, Rouen, 1668, says, a Hermit, whose memory is celebrated in the Province of the Silures and Region of Glamorgan. He lyes buried in the Isle of Barry, which took its name from him," and he adds, "In our Martyrologe this Holy Hermit Baruck is said to have sprung from the Noble Blood of the Brittains, and entering into a solitary strict course of life, he at this time (A.D. 700) attained to a life immortall."

Cressy's dates are set down, like those of Albert le Grand, very

1 Cart. de Landevenec, Rennes, 1888, p. 159. "Fuerunt duo ex discipulis sancti Uningualoei in pago Enfou in ploe Ermeliac, nomina eorum sanctus Biabilius et sanctus Martinus, jussu abbatis sui degentes vitam heremicam, et in finem claris miraculis sancti effecti."

2 Iolo MSS., pp. 107, 146.

3 Welsh Saints, p. 162, cf. p. 147.

4 P. 241.

5 See also the O. Welsh genealogies in Harl. MS. 3859.

• Iolo MSS., p. 314.

arbitrarily. Barruc is the monk of that name who was a disciple of S. Catwg, and who is mentioned in the Vita S. Cadoci.1

"It happened that the blessed Cadoc on a certain day sailed with two of his disciples, namely Barruc and Gualehes, from the island of Echni, which is now called Holme, to another island named Barry. When, therefore, he prosperously landed in the harbour, he asked his said disciples for his Enchiridion, that is to say, his manual book; and they confessed that they had lost it through forgetfulness, in the aforesaid island. On hearing this, he at once commanded them to go aboard a ship, and row back to recover the codex, and blazing with fury broke into the following invective, saying, 'Go, and never return!' 2 Then the disciples, making no delay, at the command of their master quickly entered the boat, and rowed out to the aforementioned island. When, having recovered the volume, they were on their way back about midcourse, and were seen in midsea by the man of God sitting on top of a hill in Barry, the boat unexpectedly upset, and they were drowned.

The body of Barruc being cast by the tide on the shore of Barry, was there found, and was buried in that island, which bears his name to the present day. But the body of the other, that is to say, Gualehes, was swept by the sea to the Isle of Echni and was there buried." The story as told is not to the credit of Catwg, but his curse is an after invention. Naturally he wanted his book back, and would not ill-wish the men who were to recover it for him; but the writer of the Life, to enhance the credit of his hero, as he thought, made him predoom the poor fellows to death, that the accident might seem to be a fulfilment of his word.

Barry Island is an islet about a mile and a half in circumference, situated in a sandy bay, and separated from the mainland by a narrow isthmus, which at low water is dry. It is treated as being in the parish of Barry opposite, which is said to have taken its name from it. Barry, not so long ago a tiny village, is now celebrated for its extensive docks. In Norman times William de Barri founded the Castle of Barry on the island, and from him was descended Giraldus de Barri, better known as Giraldus Cambrensis. Leland, writing of the island, says, "Ther is in the midle of it a fair litle Chapel of S. Barrok, wher much Pilgrimage was usid.' 3 There are no traces of it now to be seen. The hermit is said to have been buried in it. Towards the south of the island, at

1 Cambro-British Saints, pp. 63-4.

"

2 Hujuscemodi invectionem in eos cum furore inurens, inquit: Ite nunquam rediturus." Vita S. Cadoci, Cambro-British Saints, p. 63.

3 Itin., iv, f. 62.

a spot called Nell's Point, is the saint's holy well, once much resorted to. Great numbers of women visited it on Ascension Day, and having washed their eyes with its water, each would drop a pin into it. As many as a pintful were once found on cleaning the well out.

In the Vita S. Cadoci (written in the early thirteenth century), already quoted, the island is said to have been so called from S. Barruc. Its name occurs there as Barren.1

The Iolo MSS. credit S. Barrwg with having founded Barri and Penmark, in Glamorganshire. The parish church of Barry is now dedicated to S. Nicholas, and Penmark to S. Mary. Rees 3 adds Bedwas, in Monmouthshire, but see the next notice. Ffynnon Farrwg near the church there.

There is a

Cum Barruc-Cenubia, in the Valley Dore, Herefordshire, is mentioned several times in the Book of Llan Dâv. It was probably identical with Lann Cerniu.

His Festival in the Calendar in Cotton MS. Vesp. A. xiv, is on September 27; on which day he is also given by Wilson in both editions. of his Martyrologie, 1608 and 1640, also by Nicolas Roscarrock, but in the Calendar prefixed to Allwydd Paradwys, 1670, November 29. Browne Willis gives September 26.

The Irish abbot Barri, mentioned in the Life of S. David as having ridden S. David's favourite horse across the sea from Pembrokeshire to Ireland, is Finbar. They have been wrongly identified by some writers.

S. BEDWAS, Confessor

BEDWAS was one of the twelve sons of Helig ab Glannog, of Tyno Helig, whose lands the sea overwhelmed. The Lavan Sands of to-day form a portion of the territory, on losing which Helig and his sons devoted themselves to religion and became saints, or monks, in Bangor on Dee. Some of them afterwards went to Bardsey.4 Rees classes him with the saints of the middle of the seventh century., He may, if he ever existed, have been the original founder of Bedwas, in Monmouthshire. Browne Willis, Coxe, Rees and others ascribe it to S. Barrwg, and the Iolo MSS. to S. Tewdrig.

In the Book of Llan Dâv 7 a brook called Betguos or Betgues is mentioned as forming the boundary of, apparently, Llangoven, Monmouthshire, on the further side of the county. Betgues would yield later Bedwes, which also occurs for Bedwas.

1 Pp. 45, 63-4; Barren in MS., and not Barreu.

2 P. 220.

4 Iolo MSS., p. 124.

3 Welsh Saints, p. 342.

5 Welsh Saints, p. 302.

S. BEDWINI or BEDWIN, Bishop, Confessor

How this bishop came to be reckoned among the Welsh Saints it is difficult to say. His name does not occur in any of the usual genealogies, nor does he appear to have been connected in any special manner with Wales. In the references there are to him in Welsh literature he is associated with King Arthur, and generally with Cornwall. "The Triads of Arthur and his Men "state that there were Three Throne-tribes of the Isle of Britain. The one at Celliwig, now Callington, in Cornwall, had Arthur as supreme king, Bishop Bedwini as chief bishop, and Caradog Freichfras as chief elder. Another Triad makes Celliwig one of the three archbishoprics of Britain,2 over which Bedwini presided as archbishop. His name occurs again in two of the Mabinogion talesin that of Culhwch and Olwen (as Bedwini), where he is mentioned as the one who blessed Arthur's meat and drink,” and in the Dream of Rhonabwy (as Bedwin).3 In these tales Arthur figures as the Champion of Britain, and the persons among whom the bishop appears are as mythological as could well be.

One of the "Sayings of the Wise" is attributed to this Saint thus :— Hast thou heard the saying of Bedwini, Who was a bishop, good and grave? "Consider thy word before uttering it." (Rhagreithia 'th air cyn noi ddodi.)

There was a Badwin, Badwini, or Bedwin, first Bishop (673-80) of the East Anglian see of Elmham, now included in that of Norwich, 5 but from Norwich to Callington is a far cry.

There are no churches dedicated to this saint, nor is his festival given.

S. BELERUS, Confessor

IN Iolo MSS. (p. 134) we read: "The religious foundation of the Emperor Tewdws (Theodosius) and Cystennin of Llydaw was Bangor Illtyd, where Belerus, a man from Rome, was superintendent, and Padrig, the son of Maewon, principal, before he was carried away captive by the Irish." The college mentioned is that of Caerworgorn, which was also called Côr Tewdws.

The only Theodosius who was in Britain was he who was sent thither in 368, by Valentinian, then at Amiens, against the Picts and Scots. 1 Skene, Four Ancient Bks. of Wales, ii, p. 456; Myv. Arch., p. 407. 2 Myv. Arch., p. 407. 3 Rhys and Evans, Mabinogion, pp. 112, 148. The triplet occurs in a slightly different form in Myʊ.

4 Iolo MSS., p. 253.

Arch., p. 129.

5 Bright, Early English Church History 3rd ed., p. 285; Haddan and Stubbs,

Councils, iii, p. 126.