Welsh Journals

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Fawr. Saint Padarn became the first Bishop of Llanbadarn, and after presiding over the diocese for 21 years, he returned to Brittany, his native country, and became the first Bishop of Vannes. Vannes is a large town in the south of Brittany and was at one period the capital of Lower Brittany. The people of the district were well- known in ancient times, as they made a vigorous resistance against Caesar. The name of this important place in the Breton language is Gwened, which means white-wheat, (Welsh, Gwynyd). Another Breton Saint who came to Cardiganshire from Brittany with Saint Padarn was Saint Rhystid, to whom Llanrhystyd is dedicated. It is not known for certain whether Llanilar bears the name of Saint Ilar, a companion of Padarn, or of Saint Hilary, of Poicteirs; but I shall quote what is said by the best authorities on the subject. Rees, in his "Welsh Saints," says — Ilar, sometimes styled Ilar Bysgottwr, or the fisherman, was the founder of Llanilar, Cardiganshire, and probably of all other Churches now thought to be dedicated to Saint Hilary." Baring-Gould and Fisher say as follows — The only Church that can with any degree of certainty be said to be dedicated to liar is Llanilar in Cardiganshire, with which he is associated under the name of Ilar Bysgottwr, but this Church is also claimed for Saint Hilary." Perhaps it may be of interest to add that there is near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, a parish of the name of Saint Hilary, at which place, according to Dafydd Morganwg, once lived the Seisyllt, ancestors of the Marquis of Salisbury. Another parish in Cardigan- shire in all probability named in honour of a Breton Saint is Llanwenog. In a book written in French, entitled Les Vies des Saints de la Bretagne Armorigue," it is stated that a Saint of the name Gwen-ael was born about the year 500 in the neighbourhood of Lanrivoare, in the north west of Armorica, and that his native place and his patrimony were afterwards known as "Langwenoc." It is stated in the same book that Gwen-ael, or Gwenant, came over to Britain, where he devoted many years to founding religious houses. The fact that a Breton Saint, whose patrimony was Langwenoc," came over to establish churches in this country, seems to prove that Llanwenog in Cardiganshire was founded by him, especially when we consider that there are only two places of that name, one in Wales and one in Brittany. Other legends may be briefly referred to. Another Breton Saint, Curig, landed at Aberystwyth while on his way from Brittany to Montgomeryshire. An old legend says that a parish in this County, Llangwyryfon, was named from eleven thousand virgins, who, whilst on their voyage to Brittany, fell into the hands of Barbarians. In Cardiganshire we have the story of The Devil's Bridge." The legend of a Devil's Bridge is also well known in Brittany. The most popular tradition in Cardiganshire, undoubtedly, is the story of Cantref y Gwaelod," or the inundation of Cardigan Bay. There is a similar story in Brittany. At Quimper, in the Museum, is a picture of Grallon, the great King of the á Lowland Hundred of Brittany,