23/11/2023 - Celtic saints

 Well I am taking a leaf out of Sue in Suffolk's book on an alphabet of things.  My alphabet will be of Celtic saints, those that cover the first 1000 years.  Of course my reference for these saints will be from the Welsh, and the book T.D.Breverton - Book of Welsh Saints.  Not forgetting Gildas, Bede and Geoffrey of Monmouth all early writers who wrote down the stories they had heard.

Well the alphabet begins with 'A' and there are a goodly few in this chapter.  I was going to begin with Aaron, (died after 287 but before 304). Aaron with Julian were executed at Caerlon for their Christian beliefs.  They were romanised Silure, it was under an edict by a Roman emperor.

Martyrdom claims great advantage for the church and it is believed that the two saints were buried at Goldcliff.  In digging out the foundations for a new house in 1785 in the 'Field of the Graveyard', stone coffins were found by a Yew tree.  But unlike the Glastonbury use of  bones for relics, the bones of our presumably two saints were left undisturbed. Here for a fuller wiki

But there is a more interesting saint to think about, and of course Elvis Presley.  Look at that name. Were his parents Welsh? well according to Breverton it seems strange that Elvis had Welsh names - Presley could refer to the Preseli range of hills and Elvis to the saint Ailbe (d 527 to 531).

Breverton evidence for this is that Elvis parents were called Vernon and Gladys, and his still-born twin brother was Jesse Garon (St.Caron?).  Now whether this just a nice story or perhaps there was a thin vein of Welshness running through the veins of Elvis I don't know.

But the church, now no longer there, its remains  can be found outside Solva in Pembrokeshire near to a double cromlech.  This cromlech was blown up by an irate farmer in the 18th century I think but still impressive today.  The early Celtic saints often settled near to the pagan element.

Baring-Gould, another profuse writer born in the 19th century, wrote the following that Ailbe is known in Wales as Ailfyw or Elfyw, who founded a church, now a ruin, called St.Elvis, in Welsh Llanailfyw, or Elfwy near Sain David's consequently near where lived his aunt, St.Non.

It is said of this saint that he remained in Menevia till David was born.  He baptised the child and fostered him, before going to Ireland.

Always wandering these monks bringing the word to the people.  Cannot you just see them? with their bell which called the people to listen to their service, often as we see from the above photo by the side of a cromlech.

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Rebecca Solnit on the rich