Glamorgan Bishops & Pope's
In the beginning the dioceses and the authority of the bishops were organised on monastic lines, during many years the authority and freedom of a bishop came under the control of the local king. When Herwald was appointed bishop of Llandaff in 1056, it was recorded that he had been elected by the clerics of Glamorgan under the patronage of the king of Glamorgan and his overload namely Gruffudd ap Llywelyn of Gwynedd. Glamorgan had been without a bishop since the death of Joesph in Rome in 1045. This uncertanity about how a bishop was elected and the fact that the borders of a kingdom and the effective authority of a bishop could change was a cause of concern in the church and was unacceptable. It was not just in Wales that this difficulty arose in appointing bishops, Canterbury Cathedral was without a bishop for 4 years until Anslem was chosen.
St Dyfrig's Tomb at Llandaff Cathedral
St. Dyfrig Bishop, Confessor
Dyfrig is the saint who links the Christanity of the Roman period in Britain amd the monastic revival in the sixth century. The life of him in the "Book of Llandaff" says he was of royal lineage. He became famed Christian scholar and founded the monastery in Henllan (Hentland-on-Wye) where he taught pupils from near and far for 7 years. He then moved to his second foundation in Mocgros or Moccas, where he stayed for a long period.
One of the great contributions of the Celtic Church was to accept that all branches of knowledge, scriptural, theological, philosophical and literary tell us of god the creator. It was not the intenetio of Dyfrig and followers to develop scholars, what was important for them was to instruct Christians and clerics as a means of preserving all the Roman inheritance for the future and would all becomeone splendid whole in the Christian revelation.
Dyfrig was the bishop who ordained Illtud's monastery, in books it says of "Pope" Dyfrig arriving, in the early decades of the third century the title Pope was used to denote bishop. In the sixth century in the west that the title began to be reserved for the bishop of Rome, following the custom of the Imperial Court on Constantinople in this matter, it was bishop Dyfrig who ordained deacons, priests and bishops.
It was Dyfrig who had secured and defended the orthodoxy and faithfulness of the Christians of Britain in a critical period, Dyfrig also concecrated the bishops of southern Britain and appointed Deinol as Bishop of Bangor. Wise men and learned men of Britain swarmed to Dyfrig's monastery to encapsulate the tradition that the abbot-bishop Dyfrig had a role and special importance in the persistence of the true Christianity of Wales and Roman Britain. As an old man it is said he retired from his laborious work and retreated to Bardsey Island, where he died and was buried amongst the multitude of saints.
In 1120 bishop Urban of Llandaff Cathedral and his clerics went up to Gwynedd, Urban was the first to call himself bishop of Llandaff and claimed Dyfrig and Teilo as his predecessors. He already had Teilo's body in Llandaff Cathedral the problem is that other place claimed tpo have Teilo's body Llandeilo Fawr and Tenby, which he could dare to deny that Teilo had been buried at Llandeilo.
Therefore Urban felt he had to get hold of Dyfrig's body for Llandaff, on co-operation with the prince of Gwynedd and the Bishop of Bangor Urban went to dig on Bardsey. Early in May he found Dyfrig's bones and they borne, together with the arm of Elgaran English Hermit. It had been as extraordinarily dry spring and on the Sunday May 23rd Dyfrig's body was received into Llandaff Cathedral. There was so much rejoicing and amazemnet amongest the natives as they saw clouds gathering and pouring rain on the land and earth of the sea. The saint was seen to be blessing his new home as his bones were laid in their final resting place. Urban decided to build a majestic and splendid church that would be worthy of the saints which henceforth to rest in Llandaff. (Dyfrig died aroound 475 AD)
St Tewdrig centre at Llandaff Cathedral
St Tewdrig
Tewdrig was the son of Teithpall or Teithfall and the father of Meurig (King of Morganwg) what we know of him we derive from the book of Llandav. Tewdrig in his old age surrended the rule over Morganwg to his son Meurig and retired to liveae eremitical livfe at Dindryn (Tintern) on the Wye where he found a rock suitable for him to make a cell out in it. While living there the Saxons burst into Gwent and the old king took up arms again to repel them, for it was said of him that in battkes he had beem ever victorious in all battles.
An angel appeared to him and said "Go tomorrow to the aid of the people of god against the enemies of the church of Christ and the foe will turn to flight as far as the Pull Brochuail (Brockweir above Tintern Parva). Thou fully armed stand in the front of the battle and when the foe see thy face they will not venture into the land and its inhabitants will be in peace, but you will receive a wound at Ryt Tindyrn (the ford of the Tintern) and you will die three days later".
Tewdrig fully harnessed mounted his horse and stood at the head of the troops to defend the ford of the Wye. The saxons were put to flight but one of them hurled a lance across the water and wounded the old king. When they found out the wound was mortal his men were for removing him but he forbade them to do so and that he would die there and he desired his body to rest in the Isle of Echni the Flat Holm in the Severn Sea.
On the morrow however appeared to 2 stags harnessed to a wagon, Tewdrig recognizing that they were sent by the will of god allowed himself to be lifted into the wagon. the wagon carried him to the bank of the severn and there stayed and on the spot a sparkling spring began to flow, then suddenly the wagon disolved and Tewdrig give up the ghost.
The land around there was made over to Oudoceus for the monastery of Llandaff and in later times the bishops had a palace there for about three centuries. In the church on the south wall of the chancel is a tablet set up in memory of Tewdrig with an inscription in english by Bishop Godwin (1601-18). God win in excavating discovered a stone coffin containing the almost perfect skeleton of the saint and a ghaslty fracture in the skull showed plainly the cause of death. At the restoration of the chancel in 1881 the stone coffin with the bones was again found beneath the tablet.
What were the incursions of the Saxons referred to at an interval of thirty years we do not know? The Saxons did not invade the Severn Valley and destroy Gloucester till 577 but the reference is earlier piratical expeditions by sea into the Bristol Channel inrecored in history.
The following notice of Tewdrig occurs in the "Genealogy of Iestyn ab Gwrgan" Tewdrig ab Teithfallt was an eminently good king who drove the infidel Saxonx and the Goidels out of the country. He founded many churches and colleges endowing them with possession, he founded a church at Llan daff on the spot where stood the church of Les (Lucius) ab Coel which burnt down by the infidels and endowed it by extensive lands, he also gave property to Cor Illtyd and instituted there for fair establishments for the votaries of religion and learning. It was through him the Illtyd brought St garmon to Wales; for Cor Eurgain had now been almost entrirely destroyed by the Saxons, but a new contiguous one was established by Illtyd through the gifts and addection of Tewdrig- Garmon then founded a college at Llancarfan after which the Saonx made a second irruption into the country but they were opposed and vanquished by Tewdrig who however was slain in the engagement at the place called Merthyr Tewdrig.
"The above document is the seventh century and these statements are only partially authentic"
St Meurig
Meurig ab Tewdrig ab Teithfall king of Morganwg is been numbered anoung the saints as a great benefactor to the church. Almost all we know of him is from the book of Llabn Dav in which occurs repeadedly as making grants to St. Teilo and to the church of Llandaff.
His father Tewdrig resigned the rule into the hands of his and retired to lead a hermit's life at Tintern where he fell fighting against the Saxons. Meurig had his body conveyed to Mathern and buried there and a made a grant of the land about the martyrium to St Oudoceus. He founded Llandaf not for as is pretended as a monastery for St. Dubricius but for Teilo. The manner in which he dedicated it is described "he carried the gospels on his back and with the clerks going before carrying crossess he paced round the territory thus made over to the church". The twelfth century compiler of the book of Llan dav pretends and no doubt believed that he thus made the circuit of the whole of Llandaff.
He married to Onburst daughter of Gurcant Mawr King of Erging and had by her four sons Arthruis, Idnerth, Froioc and Comereg and daughters Anna, married to Amwn Ddu, Arlfrella married to Umbrafel and Gwenonwy married Gwyndaf Hen.
In his old age all the portionsof the kingdom west ot Towy was wrenched from him ad formed a seperate kingdom. The incursions of the Hwiccas into Ewyas and Erging had devasted it and desolated the monasteries of Dubricius. The compiler of the book of Llan dav pretends there upon gave the site to the church of Llandaff, but it may be doubted whether this grant was made by him or his son. The probable date of this inroad was 577 and Meurig can hardly have lived to so late a period, he must have died some thirty years or more before.
He made a grant of Llancillo in Herefordshire to Bishop Ufelwy which was afterwards swept in possession of the church of Llandaff, Meurig is buried at Llandaff.
He was not what can be considered a saintly character for after having solemnly sworn with one Cynvetu over the relics of the saints to keep peace together, Meurig treacherously slew Cynvetu. There upon Oudoceus summoned Concen Abbot of Llancarfan, Catgen Abbot of Llanwit and Sulgen Abbot of Llandough and excommunicated the king and at the same time placed ab interdict on the land. this last statement is certainly false they also solemnly cursed the king "May his days to be few, and let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow".
The king remained excommunicated for two years and more then brought his absolution by making over to Llandaff four villas, at this time he was and old man for amoung witnesses is his grandson Morgan.
Memorandum further states Meurig king of Glamoragn gave his baptism lands to god and St. Teilo and the bishops of Llandaff for ever namely territorial land and privileges and from this it beacme customary to give lands ot god and the saints upon baptism.
One document in to Iolo MSS gives another Meurig as a Welsh Saint in the following two passages:
Meurig king of Dyfed the son of Gwrthelin ab Eudaf ab Plaws Hen, king of Dyfed the son of Gwrtherin a prince of Rome who expelled the Goidels from Dyfed and Gower.
Meurig King of Dyfed was on of the four kings who bore the Golden Sword before the Emperor Arthur, on the Three Principal Festivals and every festival and feast rejoicing and dignity.