Saint Issel or Issell ( or ''Usyllt'') was a 6th-century Welsh saint in

Celtic Christianity Celtic Christianity is a form of Christianity that was common, or held to be common, across the Celtic languages, Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages. The term Celtic Church is deprecated by many historians as it implies a unifi ...

. He lived in the

Kingdom of Dyfed The Kingdom of Dyfed (), one of several Welsh petty kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century sub-Roman Britain in southwest Wales, was based on the former territory of the Demetae (modern Welsh ''Dyfed''). The royal line was founded by Irish ...

and is principally notable as being the father of

Saint Teilo Saint Teilo ( or '; Wainewright, John. in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', Vol. XIV. Robert Appleton Co. (New York), 1912. Accessed 20 July 2013. or '; or '; – 9 February ), also known as Eliud, was a British Christian monk, bish ...

. His name appears in many forms in surviving texts, but seems to have been derived from the Latin name ''Auxilius''. The

Book of Llandaff The Book of Llandaff (; , ', or '), is the cartulary of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales. It is written primarily in Latin but also contains a signific ...

gives his wife as Guenhaf daughter of Liuonui. He was the father of

and the Anauved who married King Budig of

Armorica In ancient times, Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; ; ) was a region of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, and much of historical Normandy. Name The name ''Armorica'' is a Latinized form of the Gauli ...

and bore three saints. The oldest genealogies present him as also the father of Saint Cynllo. He is the patron saint of the parish church at

Saundersfoot Saundersfoot (; Old Welsh: ''Llanussyllt'') is a large village and community (and former electoral ward) in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is near Tenby, both being holiday destinations. Saundersfoot lies in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on ...

() but probably not the patron of Haroldston St Issells which was probably corrupted from an original dedication to his grandson Saint Ismael.

References

6th-century Christian saints Medieval Welsh saints History of Pembrokeshire People from Pembrokeshire {{wales-hist-stub