Decuman ( lat-med, Decumanus; cy, Degyman; died ) was one of the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

s who came to

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

from

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, Pembrokeshire, in the seventh century, arriving on a

raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrels ...

(or his cloak) with a cow for a companion. There he was a pastor and

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

to the local inhabitants.

Life and cult

Decuman is said to have been born of noble parents at Rhoscrowther in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The county is home to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Park oc ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, where the church is dedicated to him. His name comes from the Latin for a farmer of tithes, which is a

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

who paid a rent for his farm. Decuman had a chapel at nearby Pwllcrochan. Wishing to escape from worldly companions he crossed the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Se ...

and landed at Dunster: he then became a hermit at nearby

Watchet Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the county of Somerset, England, with a population in 2011 of 3,785. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The town lies at the mouth of ...

, living from the produce of his cow. There he healed the sick and acted as a pastor to the inhabitants. There Decuman is said to have been killed by a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

. Legend tells that the holy man's head was cut off by "a certain man more venomous than an asp, more poisonous than the adder...." Beheading is a legend which is found associated with several Celtic saints, but in this variant, the saint miraculously picks up his head, washes it, and replaces it. After this the local people assisted Decuman to build the church (''Legends and Folklore of Watchet'' — Ben Norman). Decuman's Holy Well is located down the lane from the church at Watchet, in Somerset. Decuman is said to have died in 706, when Somerset west of the Parrett, including Watchet, was still under Celtic rule. His feast day was celebrated at

on 27 February. The saint is associated with several other places in south Wales and also with

Degibna Degibna is a hamlet and farm in the parish of Helston, Cornwall, England, UK. It lies on the eastern bank of the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall, The Loe, and forms part of the Penrose Estate. Geography Degibna lies in the Cornwall ...

, on Loe Pool, near

Helston Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map ...

in Cornwall, where there was a chapel dedicated to him.

Veneration

Ancient parish

St Decuman was a parish in the hundred of Williton and Freemanners. This parish included

Williton Williton is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, at the junction of the A39, A358 and B3191 roads, on the coast south of Watchet between Minehead, Bridgwater and Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. Williton sta ...

and many hamlets. It was divided into the civil parishes of Watchet and Williton in 1902.

Wexford

Decuman was under the names of St Degumen or St Tenen also venerated in

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí C ...

with three churches in the townlands Ballyconnick, Killag, and Killiane Little dedicated to him. All of them are now in ruins.See entries 1184, 1254, and 1258 in

References

External links

WatchetThe Tale of St. Decuman – Storytelling by LambertThe Mystery of St. Decuman – Storytelling by Lambert
{{authority control People from Pembrokeshire People from Watchet Medieval Welsh saints 706 deaths Year of birth unknown