Menefrida is the 5th-century AD Cornish saint associated with the parish of

St Minver St Minver () is the name of an ecclesiastical parish, a civil parish and a village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The civil parish of St Minver is in Bodmin Registration District and is nominally divided into St Minver Highlands (t ...

, near the

Camel estuary The River Camel (, meaning ''crooked river'') is a river in Cornwall, England. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and with its tributaries its catchment area covers much of North Cornwall. The river flows into the eastern Celtic Sea between ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England. Alternative spellings of her name include Menefreda, Menwreda, Menfre, Mynfreda and Minefreda. At the time of King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

the parish was known as St. Menifryde. Menefrida was one of the many children of the Welsh 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 ...

, and has been referred to as a saint since at least 1256.

William of Worcester William Worcester (c. 1415 – c. 1482) was an English antiquary, author, and historian known for his detailed writings on medieval England. He served as the secretary to Sir John Fastolf, a prominent military commander during the Hundred Year ...

records, ''Sancta Menefrida, virgo non martir, die 24 Novembris'' ("Saint Menefrida, virgin, not a martyr, 24 November"), which he copied from a calendar at

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

into the notes made during his travels around Britain during the late 15th century. Her feast day is 24 July. The church dedicated to St. Menefrida in St Minver is a stone building in the Transitional Norman and Early English styles.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menefrida, Saint Female saints of medieval Cornwall Medieval Cornish saints Female saints of medieval Wales Medieval Welsh saints 5th-century Christian saints Children of Brychan 5th-century births Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Welsh Roman Catholic saints 5th-century Welsh women 5th-century Welsh people