Brychan Brycheiniog was a
legendary 5th-century king of
Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in
Mid Wales
Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd ...
.
Life
According to
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
ic
hagiography
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...
Brychan was born in
Ireland, the son of a Prince
Anlach, son of
Coronac, and his wife, Marchel, heiress of the
Welsh kingdom of Garthmadrun (Brycheiniog), which the couple later inherited. Upon his father's death, he returned to Garthmadrun and changed its name to Brycheiniog. Brychan's name may be a Welsh version of the Irish name Broccán and that of his grandfather Coronac may represent Cormac. Brychan's education was entrusted to one Drichan.
The ''Life of St.
Cadoc'' by Lifris (''c''. 1100) portrays Brychan fighting
Arthur,
Cai and
Bedivere because of King
Gwynllyw of
Gwynllwg's abduction of his daughter St.
Gwladys from his court in
Talgarth.
Portraiture and veneration
He is occasionally described as an
undocumented saint but the traditional literature does not call him a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
, referring to him as a
patriarch instead, and he has no
churches named for him. A 15th-century
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
window in the
parish church at
St Neot in Cornwall, supposedly depicts Brychan, seated and crowned, holding in his arms eleven children. This, however, has been described by a standard modern guide as "God with Souls in his lap". He is given a saint day on April 6.
Children of Brychan
According to Christian tradition, Brychan was married three times – to Prawst ferch Tydwal, Banhadlwedd ferch Banadi, and
Gwladys – and had a very large family. These wives are mentioned in several
manuscripts, including those by
William Worcester,
John Leland, and
Nicholas Roscarrock
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...
. The number of children attributed to him varies from twelve to sixty-three, the number most frequently encountered being twenty-four. There are two main lists however, one of Welsh origin and one of Cornish origin. Most of his children appear to have travelled from
Brecon to evangelise
Cornwall and North
Devon, where they are now venerated, but there is little agreement between the two lists.
The number of Brychan's children may have grown over time, as more and more secular people as well as saints wished to claim descent from one of the "Holy Families of Britain". Listed below are children from
Welsh,
Cornish, Irish, and
Breton
Breton most often refers to:
*anything associated with Brittany, and generally
** Breton people
** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany
** Breton (horse), a breed
**Ga ...
sources:
Sons in Welsh sources
The sons listed in the ''Cognacio Brychan'', ''De Situ Brecheniauc'' and the
genealogies of Jesus College MS 20 are
Cynog, Rhain Dremrudd, Clydwyn, Arthen, Papai,
Dingad, Berwyn and Rhydog. Also listed, but not in all three, are Cynon, Pasgen, Cylflifer, Marthaerun and Rhun. Other Welsh sources claim the following additional sons: Caian, Cynbryd, Cynfran, Cynin, Dogfan,
Dyfnan
Saint Dyfnan was an obscure Welsh saint. He was sometimes accounted a son of Brychan, the invading Irish king of Brycheiniog.
Legacy
Llanddyfnan ("St Dyfnan's") was dedicated to him on Anglesey and claimed his relic
In religion, a relic is ...
, Dyfrig, Hychan, Llecheu, Neffei, Rhawin, Llofan, Llonio, Heilin, Afallach and Gwynnws.
Daughters in Welsh sources
The ''De Situ Brecheniauc'' lists:
Meleri, Hunydd, Gwladys, Ceingar, Tudglid, Nyfain, Gwawr, Marchell, Lluan, Gwrygon Goddeu, Arianwen, Bethan, Ceinwen (
Keyne), Cerddych, Clydai, Cynheiddon (identified with
Saint Endelienta
Saint Endelienta (also Endelient, Edellienta or Endellion) was a Cornish saint of the 5th and 6th century. She is believed to be a daughter of the Welsh King Brychan, and a native of South Wales who travelled to North Cornwall to join her sibl ...
),
Dwynwen
Saint Dwynwen (; 5th century), sometimes known as Dwyn or Donwen, is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. She is celebrated throughout Wales on 25 January.
History and legend
The original tale has become mixed with elements of folktales ...
,
Eiliwedd, Goleudydd, Gwen, Lludd,
Tudful, Tudwystl and Tybie. Other Welsh sources claim the following additional daughters: Beiol (
Bilo), Tydieu, Eufail, Hawystl, Edwen, Gwenrhiw, Tudwen,
Callwen,
Gwenfyl, Gwennan and Mwynwen.
Descendants in Cornish sources
Listed in the ''Life of Saint Nectan'' are, by his wife, Gwladys:
Adwen
Adwen or Adwenna was a 5th-century Christian virgin and saint.Baring-Gould, Sabine & al''The Lives of the British Saints: The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and Such Irish Saints as Have Dedications in Britain'', Vol. II, pp. 107& ...
, Canauc (Cynog), Cleder (Clether), Dilic (Illick),
Endelient
Saint Endelienta (also Endelient, Edellienta or Endellion) was a Cornish people, Cornish saint of the 5th and 6th century. She is believed to be a daughter of the Welsh King Brychan, and a native of South Wales who travelled to North Cornwall to ...
(Endelienta), Helie, Johannes (Sion), Iona, Juliana (Ilud), Kenhender (Cynidr), Keri (Curig), Mabon (
Mabyn
Mabyn, also known as Mabena, Mabon, etc., was a medieval Cornish saint. According to local Cornish tradition she was one of the many children of Brychan, king of Brycheiniog in Wales in the 5th century. The village and civil parish of St Mabyn ...
),
Menfre (Menefrewy), Merewenne (Marwenna), Morewenna (
Morwenna), Nectanus (
Nectan), Tamalanc, Tedda (
Tetha), Wencu (Gwencuff, Gwengustle, name of Saint Nennocha), Wenheden (
Enoder),
Wenna (Gwen), Wensent, Wynup (Gwenabwy) and Yse (Issey).
According to
Robert Hunt, of the holy children that settled in Cornwall, we learn that the following gave their names to Cornish churches
# Johannes at
St Ive
#
Endelient
Saint Endelienta (also Endelient, Edellienta or Endellion) was a Cornish people, Cornish saint of the 5th and 6th century. She is believed to be a daughter of the Welsh King Brychan, and a native of South Wales who travelled to North Cornwall to ...
at
St Endellion
#
Menfre at
St Minver
#
Tethe at
St Teath
#
Mabon at
St Mabyn
# Merewenne at
Marhamchurch
#
Wenna at
St Wenn
#
Keyne at
St Keyne
St Keyne ( kw, Sen Keyn) is a village in the civil parish of St Keyne and Trewidland, in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish lies between the parishes of Liskeard and Duloe. The parish population at the 2011 census was 492.
The ...
# Yse at
St Issey
#
Morwenna at
Morwenstow
# Cleder at
St Clether
St Clether is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the east flank of Bodmin Moor approximately eight miles (13 km) west of Launceston in the valley of the River Inny. The population o ...
# Keri at
Egloskerry
# Helie at
Egloshayle
#
Adwen
Adwen or Adwenna was a 5th-century Christian virgin and saint.Baring-Gould, Sabine & al''The Lives of the British Saints: The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and Such Irish Saints as Have Dedications in Britain'', Vol. II, pp. 107& ...
at
Advent
Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity.
The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''.
In ...
# Lanent at
Lelant
Irish sources
The
Book of Leinster lists the following sons by Brychan's wife, Dína daughter of the King of the Saxons:
Mo-Goróc, Mo-Chonóc (Cynog), Diraid, Dubán (Dyfnan), Cairinne (Caian), Cairpre, Iast, Ellóc (Dilic), Paan, Cáemán and Mo-Beóc.
Breton sources
Breton tradition says that Brychan married Menedoc daughter of Constantine, King of the Scots. Together they were the parents of
Saint Nennocha.
References
Secondary sources
*Thornton, David E. "Brychan Brycheiniog (''fl''. c.500)."
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Further reading
*Wade-Evans, A. W. "The Brychan documents." ''
Y Cymmrodor
''Y Cymmrodor'' ('The Welshman') was the annual journal of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, published between 1821 and 1951. It contained essays and lectures on historical and literary topics and Welsh poetry.
''Y Cymmrodor'' was first pu ...
''; 19 (1906): 18–50
Available from the Internet Archive
External links
*
Brychan of Brecknock at OrthodoxWiki.
{{authority control
5th-century Irish people
Monarchs of Brycheiniog
5th-century Welsh monarchs
5th-century births
Medieval Welsh saints
Children of Brychan
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
5th-century Christian saints
Welsh hermits
Irish hermits