Gwynllyw Filwr or Gwynllyw Farfog (), known in English in a corrupted form as Woolos the Warrior or Woolos the Bearded (; 450 – 500 CE) was a Welsh king and religious figure. He was King of Gwynllŵg in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, 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 Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

and is the legendary founder and patron

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

of the City of Newport, living in the 5th century. According to

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

tradition, he was a feared warlord and lifestock raider who was acquainted with the mythical

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

, but later encountered

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

and became a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

, founding St Woolos Cathedral in Newport. He was the father of one of the most revered of Welsh saints, Saint Cadoc the Wise.

Traditional history

The medieval lives of Saint Cadoc (c. 1100) by Lifris and of Saint Gwynllyw (c. 1120)'Vita sancti Gundleii', Vitae sanctorum Britanniae et genealogiae, ed. A. W. Wade-Evans (1944), 172–93 preserve fabled details of Gwynllyw, though specifics frequently differ. He is also noted in Welsh king lists. The aforementioned descriptions of Gwynllyw note that his deeds were celebrated by Welsh

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

s, indicating he had a widespread popular following. Although saints' lives frequently exaggerate, it does seem likely that a monarch of this name existed. A core element in such narratives may contain some elements that are historically accurate. Gwynllyw was the son of King

Glywys Glywys is a legendary early 5th century Welsh king, an important character in early Welsh genealogies as the eponymous founder king of Glywysing, a southeast Welsh kingdom whose heartland lay between the Tawe and the Usk. In one genealogy Glyw ...

, whose powerful kingdom of

Glywysing Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the Early Middle Ages, a petty kingdom in south-east Wales. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the Silures, and frequently in union with Gwent, merging to form Morgannwg. Name ...

was centred on

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

. It is debatable where the north-west border was, but the prevailing conclusion among historical accounts and historians is the course of the River Loughor from Black Mountain (near

Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century ...

), i.e. the current border between

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

and

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

. Gwynllyw was a descendant of Macsen Wledig according to some accounts, while his mother Guaul was equally distinguished, being the granddaughter of

Cunedda Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' (reigned – c. 460), was an important early Welsh people, Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of Western Europe. Nam ...

. The kingdom was split on Glywys' death amongst his sons, of whom Gwynllyw was the eldest and most powerful, and he was overlord over the others. The centre of his domain was the

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divid ...

of Gwynllwg; named after him, and to be later known in English as Wentloog

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

. One of Gwynllyw's brothers was Saint Petroc, an important Cornish, and Breton saint, and

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. Narratives of Gwynllyw portray him as an active and merciless warrior who attacked and raided nearby kingdoms. The ''Life of Saint Cadoc'' describes him as "very partial to thieves, and used to instigate them somewhat often to robberies" but the ''Life of Saint Gwynllyw'' insists he was a just and fair ruler. These raids included attacking his northern neighbour

Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans ...

Marriage

In one such raid, described in ''Life of Saint Cadoc'', Gwynllyw led some 300 men to abduct King

Brychan Brychan ap Anlach of Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Name variations Brychan had Irish ancestry and came from Ireland to Wales, therefore his original name ...

of Brycheiniog's beautiful daughter Gwladys (Gladys), as Brychan had refused to let him marry her. She was one of Brychan's famous twenty-four children. A pitched battle ensued, arrested only by the intervention of Cai and Bedwyr, supporting Gwynllyw and his warriors, and assisted allegedly by the fabled

. This tale of abduction resembles elements in the tale '' Culhwch and Olwen'' and other Arthurian stories, suggesting it originated in bardic stories. Among the various hagiographies, this, the ''Life of Saint Cadoc'', is the earliest reference to the legendary Arthur. According to the ''Life of Saint Gwynllyw'' this battle seems never to have occurred; the marriage contracted amicably. Gwladys soon had a son, the celebrated Saint Cadoc. To mark his son's birth Gwynllyw went on another raid, stealing cattle from Caerwent. When Saint Tathyw approached courageously, to demand the return of a cow, the king was so impressed he decided in response to send his son to Tathyw to be educated at Caerwent. Gwynllyw reputedly had other children, also saints: Cynidr, Bugi and Egwine. Bugi was married to Peren, daughter of King Lleuddun Llyddog of

Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...

. One, Maches (Latin: ''Machuta''), the sister of

Cadoc Saint Cadoc or Cadog (; also Modern Welsh: Catawg or Catwg; born or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the Celtic church as a centre of learning, wher ...

according to tradition, was killed by robbers stealing her finest ram. Tathan, to whom the murderers confessed their crime, built a church on the spot.Hando, F.J., (1958) "Out and About in Monmouthshire", R. H. Johns, Newport.

Hermit

Once grown, Cadoc was deeply religious. According to some sources, it was his example and preaching that persuaded Gwynllyw to abandon his life of violence and to seek forgiveness for his sins. King Gwynllyw is said to have had a dream in which an angel spoke to him, and he saw a vision of a white ox with a black spot high on its forehead. The story goes that Gwynllyw set out, and when he saw the ox of his dream he founded a hermitage there, on what is now Stow Hill in Newport,

, which he built out of wood. Of this spot Gwynllyw said "There is no retreat in the world such as in this space which I am destined now to inhabit. Happy therefore is the place, happier then is he who inhabits it." Gwynllyw's decision to abandon his kingship and retire to a religious life seems to have been a common theme amongst Welsh saints. Even his violent past was not unusual, being shared by Saint Illtyd amongst others. Gwladys accompanied Gwynllyw into a

's life, and for a while they lived an

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

life together on Stow Hill, fasting, eating a vegetarian diet, and bathing in the cold waters of the Usk, winter and summer alike. Apparently, this was preceded and followed at night-time by a mile-long walk in the nude. A miraculous fountain started on the hill when Gwynllyw prayed for water. This heroic asceticism was tempered when Cadoc persuaded his parents to separate. Gwladys founded her own hermitage at Pencarn.

Death

When Gwynllyw was dying he was attended both by his son

and by Saint Dyfrig, who administered the last sacrament to him. The traditional date of his death, 29 March, is the day dedicated to him. The year of his death is uncertain; suggestions include 500 and 523.

Cathedral

Following Gwynllyw's death his hermit cell became an important shrine, and a church was built there. This is now St Woolos Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Monmouth. Gwynllyw's church was rebuilt in stone in the 9th century, a sign of his importance and the wealth of his shrine; at that time stone buildings were unusual in Wales. Incorporated at the west end of the current cathedral, the Galilee Chapel, or St Mary's Chapel, is part of this original building.

Veneration

Gwynllyw's cult grew as a series of miracles were attributed to him. His fountain at Stow Hill healed those who drank from it, and angels were seen near his tomb. A later miracle included the protection of a

from flood waters. No weight should be attached to there having been any mystical basis for a

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

fleet's destruction at sea after they had plundered the church, containing offerings for Gwynllyw's

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

. Similarly, a man's having been supernaturally driven mad after stealing from Gwynllyw's church is mere fancy. Devotion to Gwynllyw clearly became ubiquitous, not only among the Welsh, but among

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

and

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

who came to live in the Newport area. The Norman Lords of Newport continued to enlarge the church – a process that has continued up to the present day.

Post-medieval folklore

Stories of Gwynllyw's dark past later included tales of piracy and claims that his ships, based in the Uskside parish of Pillgwenlly that bears his name, caused terror across the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

. One tradition asserts that this background meant Gwynllyw was the patron saint of choice for Welsh pirates and smugglers including

Sir Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh people, Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the List of governors of Jamaica, lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those unde ...

. Certainly the many sailors based in Newport would have known of him. Another local story claims that Gwynllyw forcibly baptised the population of Gwynllwg by the sword.

Legacy

In 1949 St Woolos Church became a full cathedral and, besides churches, the saint is remembered today through St Woolos Hospital, St Woolos Primary School and in 1988 a

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

school,

Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw is a Welsh language, Welsh-medium all-age school located in Trevethin, Pontypool in Torfaen, Wales and named for Saint Gwynllyw. The school had 781 pupils on roll in 2024. The school changed its name from ''Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw'' to ''Ysgol Gym ...

, was set up in

Pontypool Pontypool ( ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in South Wales. , it has a population of 29,062. Locat ...

. The vision of an ox inspired the sculpture by Sebastien Boyesen called ''The Vision of Saint Gwynllyw'' or ''The Bell Carrier'', finished in 1996 and found in central Newport today.Sebastien Boyesen
BBC Wales, 24 June 2010, accessed 2024-11-29

Notes

External links

St Woolos CathedralGwynllyw
on National Library of Wales Dictionary of Welsh Biography {{Authority control 450s births 6th-century deaths Arthurian characters Christian ascetics Angelic visionaries Monarchs of Morgannwg People from Newport, Wales Welsh royal saints 6th-century Christian saints 6th-century monarchs in Europe Monarchs of Glywysing