Saint Gwrddlew or Gwrtheli, Gartheli, was a
pre-congregational saint of the 5th century
medieval,
Wales.
Life
Gwrddlew was born about 480 AD at
Twrcelyn
Twrcelyn is an electoral ward in the north of Anglesey, Wales. It includes the communities of Amlwch, Llanbadrig, Llaneilian, and Rhosybol. Twrcelyn elects three county councillors to the Isle of Anglesey County Council.
Twrcelyn was cre ...
commote,
Anglesey, Wales. He was the son of
Caw of Strathclyde
King Caw or Cawn ( fl. 495–501 AD) was a semi-legendary king of Strathclyde in Scotland.
Very little hard fact is known of him. He flourished in the ''Hen Ogledd'' Period of Sub-Roman Britain and ruled from a castle at ''Alt Clut''. Legend holds ...
. His father had moved from southern
Scotland with his family after being deposed in the turbulence caused by the
Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain.
He founded churches at
Llanddewi Brefi,
Cardiganshire
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
,
Anglesea Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1959) p. 91
and Caerleon
Legacy
Gwrtheli or Gartheli is entered as patron of Capel Gartheli in the Myvyrian Archaiology.
This was formerly a chapelry within the parish of Llanddewi Brefi, Cardiganshire, but as of 1907 was a separate benefice.
Other chapels in Llanddewi Brefi were Blaenpennal chapel (Saint David
Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail ab ...
), Capel Bettws Lleicu (Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...
) and Capel Gwenfyl (Saint Gwenfyl
Saint Gwenfyl was an early Welsh Christian saint from the Brychan family. Little is known of her life.
Life
Saint Gwenfyl was one of the children or descendants of Brychan.
She founded a chapel named Capel Gwenvyl, which no longer exists, subor ...
).
Nicholas Roscarrock lists 7 January as the festival of Gwrthelu, who may be identified with Gwrddelw.
Sir John Rhys in his ''Celtic Folklore'', page 537, writes of the chapelry in Llanddewi Vrevi, "The ascription of this church to a Saint called Gartheli is more than doubtful, as Gartheli is simply garth Eli, that is, Eli's enclosure. If, therefore, the name of the place involves that of a saint, it must be an otherwise unknown Eli. In the account of the hunting of the boar Twrch Trwyth, in the Welsh romance of Culhwch and Olwen, there is a huntsman of Arthur's called Eli, who pursues Grugyn, one of the Twrch's offspring, to Garth Grugyn in Ceredigion. Garth Grugyn is supposed to be near Llanilar. Possibly the original story located at Garth Eli the death of Eli, or some other incident in which Eli was concerned, just as Garth Grugyn is for some reason associated with Grugyn."
Etymology of his name
The etymology of the name is ''Vehemently Brave''.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gartheli, Saint
Medieval Welsh saints
Medieval Scottish saints
Northern Brythonic saints
6th-century Welsh people
6th-century Christian saints
People from Anglesey