![Brychan (straightened) Eglwys Aberhonddu (Brecon, Wales) 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Brychan_%28straightened%29_Eglwys_Aberhonddu_%28Brecon%2C_Wales%29_02.jpg)
Brychan Brycheiniog was a
legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
ary 5th-century king of
Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans be ...
(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
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the son of a Prince
Anlach, son of
Coronac, and his wife, Marchel, heiress of the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
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
Saint Cadoc or Cadog ( lat-med, Cadocus; also Modern Welsh: Cattwg; born or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the British church as a centre of learnin ...
'' by Lifris (''c''. 1100) portrays Brychan fighting
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
,
Cai and
Bedivere
Bedivere ( or ; cy, Bedwyr; la, Beduerus; french: link=no, Bédoier, also Bedevere and other spellings) is one of the earliest characters to be featured in the legend of King Arthur, originally described in several Welsh texts as the one-hand ...
because of King
Gwynllyw
Gwynllyw Filwr or Gwynllyw Farfog (), known in English in a corrupted form as Woolos the Warrior or Woolos the Bearded ( la, Gundleus, Gundleius or Gwenleue; 450 – 500 AD) was a Welsh king and religious figure.
He was King of Gwynllwg in South ...
of
Gwynllwg
Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of mediaeval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref.
Location
It was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk rive ...
's abduction of his daughter St.
Gwladys
Saint Gwladys ferch Brychan () or St Gladys ( la, Gladusa), daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog,
was the queen of the saint-king Gwynllyw Milwr and the mother of Cadoc "the Wise", whose ''Vita'' may be the earliest saint's life to mention ...
from his court in
Talgarth
Talgarth is a market town, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century parish church and a ...
.
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
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
instead, and he has no
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
es 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
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
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
Saint Gwladys ferch Brychan () or St Gladys ( la, Gladusa), daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog,
was the queen of the saint-king Gwynllyw Milwr and the mother of Cadoc "the Wise", whose ''Vita'' may be the earliest saint's life to mention ...
– and had a very large family. These wives are mentioned in several
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...
s, including those by
William Worcester
William Worcester, also called William of Worcester, William Worcestre or William Botoner (1415) was an English topographer, antiquary and chronicler.
Life
He was a son of another William of Worcester, a Bristol whittawer (worker in white leather ...
,
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
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
to evangelise
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
and North
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, 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
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
,
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 i ...
, Dyfrig, Hychan, Llecheu, Neffei, Rhawin, Llofan, Llonio, Heilin, Afallach and Gwynnws.
Daughters in Welsh sources
The ''De Situ Brecheniauc'' lists:
Meleri
Saint Meleri was a late 5th century Welsh saint and Queen of Ceredigion.
Meleri was one of the 24 daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog of Brycheiniog (now Brecknockshire) in Wales.
She married King Ceredig of Ceredigion, one of the son of Cun ...
, Hunydd, Gwladys, Ceingar, Tudglid, Nyfain, Gwawr, Marchell, Lluan, Gwrygon Goddeu, Arianwen, Bethan, Ceinwen (
Keyne
Keyne (; also referred to as Keane, KayaneJ. Meyrick ''A Pilgrim's Guide to the Holy Wells of Cornwall'', pp. 68–69 Keyna, Cenau, Cenedion, CeinwenRay Spencer ''A Guide to the Saints of Wales and the Westcountry'', pp. 51–52David Hugh Farme ...
), 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
Bilo, formerly spelled Billo and Billò, is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located in the East Welega Zone of the Oromia at an elevation of above sea level. Bilo is the administrative center of Wama Bonaya woreda and was sometimes also known ...
), 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
Menefrida is the 5th-century Cornish saint associated with the parish of St Minver, near the Camel estuary in Cornwall, England. Alternative spellings of her name include Menefreda, Menwreda, Menfre, Mynfreda and Minefreda. At the time of King ...
(Menefrewy), Merewenne (Marwenna), Morewenna (
Morwenna
Morwenna is the eponymous patron saint of Morwenstow, a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, UK. Her name is thought to be cognate with Welsh '' morwyn'' "maiden", although the first name is also used in Brittany and said to be composed o ...
), Nectanus (
Nectan), Tamalanc, Tedda (
Tetha
Tetha ( kw, Tedha; cy, Tedda), also known as Teath (), Tecla, and by a variety of other names, was a 5th-century virgin and saint in Wales and Cornwall. She is associated with the parish church of St Teath in Cornwall. Baring-Gould gives her ...
), Wencu (Gwencuff, Gwengustle, name of Saint Nennocha), Wenheden (
Enoder
Saint Enoder, (also known as Tenenan, Tinidor and Ternoc) was a 5th-century Cornish saint from Brecknockshire in South Wales. He is venerated in the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches.
He is known to history mostly through the medieval lists ...
),
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
St Ive ( ; kw, Sen Iv) is a village in the civil parish of St Ive and Pensilva in eastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is split into four parts: St Ive Church End, St Ive Cross, St Ive Keason and St Ive Parkfield.
In addition ...
#
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
St Endellion ( kw, Sen Endelyn) is a civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet and parish church are situated four miles (6.5 km) north of Wadebridge.
The parish takes its name from Saint Endelienta, wh ...
#
Menfre
Menefrida is the 5th-century Cornish saint associated with the parish of St Minver, near the Camel estuary in Cornwall, England. Alternative spellings of her name include Menefreda, Menwreda, Menfre, Mynfreda and Minefreda. At the time of King ...
at
St Minver
St Minver ( kw, Sen Menvra) is the name of an ecclesiastical parish, a civil parish and a village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
The civil parish of St Minver is in Bodmin Registration District and is nominally divided into St Min ...
#
Tethe at
St Teath
St Teath (; kw, Eglostedha) is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom.
Geography
The village is situated approximately three miles (5 km) southwest of Camelford and seven miles (11 km) northeast o ...
#
Mabon at
St Mabyn
St Mabyn ( kw, S. Mabon) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated three miles (5 km) east of Wadebridge. The parish includes a hamlet called Longstone to the east and many small manor house ...
# Merewenne at
Marhamchurch
Marhamchurch ( kw, Eglosvarwenn) is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Marhamchurch village is situated south of Bude off the A39 road. The Civil Parish population at the 2011 census was 837.
History
The ...
#
Wenna at
St Wenn
St Wenn ( kw, Sen Gwenna) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated six miles (10 km) west of Bodmin and nine miles (14.5 km) east of Newquay. The parish population at the 2011 census w ...
#
Keyne
Keyne (; also referred to as Keane, KayaneJ. Meyrick ''A Pilgrim's Guide to the Holy Wells of Cornwall'', pp. 68–69 Keyna, Cenau, Cenedion, CeinwenRay Spencer ''A Guide to the Saints of Wales and the Westcountry'', pp. 51–52David Hugh Farme ...
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
St Issey ( kw, Egloskrug) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom which lies approximately two miles (3 km) south of Padstow. The parish covers an area of approximately . At the 2011 census the parish population wa ...
#
Morwenna
Morwenna is the eponymous patron saint of Morwenstow, a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, UK. Her name is thought to be cognate with Welsh '' morwyn'' "maiden", although the first name is also used in Brittany and said to be composed o ...
at
Morwenstow
Morwenstow ( kw, Logmorwenna) is a civil parish in north Cornwall, UK. The parish abuts the west coast, about six miles (10 km) north of Bude and within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Morwenstow is the most norther ...
# 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
Egloskerry ( kw, Egloskeri) is a village and civil parish in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately northwest of Launceston.
Egloskerry parish consists of the village itself and many outlying hamlets and farms, in ...
# Helie at
Egloshayle
Egloshayle (pronounced "eglos-hale" kw, Eglosheyl – meaning church and ''heyl'' meaning estuary) is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is beside the River Camel, southeast of Wadebridge. Th ...
#
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
Lelant ( kw, Lannanta) is a village in west Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the west side of the Hayle Estuary, about southeast of St Ives and one mile (1.6 km) west of Hayle.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' The vi ...
Irish sources
The
Book of Leinster
The Book of Leinster ( mga, Lebor Laignech , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled c. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18 (cat. 1339). It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' "Book ...
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