Saint David, Patron of Wales

 

Saint David, Patron of Wales, commemorated on March 1st, is said to have been the son of a Welsh chieftain. He lived in the latter half of the sixth century during the golden age of Celtic Christianity when saints were plentiful, many of them of noble rank--kings, princes, and chieftain--who lived the monastic life, built oratories and churches, and preached the gospel.

Saint Cadoc founded the great Monastery of Llancarfan. Saint Illtyd turned from the life of a soldier to that of a mystic and established the Abbey of Llantwit, where tradition links his name to that of Sir Galahad. But greatest among them was David, cousin of Cadoc and pupil of Illtyd, who was educated in the White House of Carmarathen and who founded the Monastery of Menevia in the place that now bears his name.

According to his biography, David became a priest, studied under Saint Paulinus, the disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, on an unidentified island for several years. He then engaged in missionary activities, founded twelve monasteries from Croyland to Pembrokeshire, the last of which, at Mynyw (Menevia) in southwestern Wales, was known for the extreme asceticism of its rule, which was based on that of the Egyptian Desert Fathers.

Here in this lovely and lonely outpost he gathered his followers. The Monastic Rule of David was strict, with but one daily meal of only bread with salt and herbs, frequent fasts, the drinking only of water, and hours of unbroken silence. Their days were filled with hard manual labor and no plough was permitted in the work of the fields. The monks spent their evenings in prayer, reading and writing. No personal possessions were allowed, nor did David exempt himself from the same rigorous discipline: he drank nothing but water and so came to be known as David the Waterman.

Eventually, he was consecrated Bishop of the primatial See of Wales, Menevia, afterwards known as Saint David’s in his honor. He reposed in the Lord about the year 601 AD (our St. Aidan lived from 590 - 651) and, through the years, has been venerated as one of the greatest and most beloved saints of the British Isles.

(oca.org and Orthodox Christianity Then and Now.)

St. Ita

 

Saint Ita was born in the fifth century in County Waterford. At the age of sixteen, she moved to Cluain Credhail, now known as Killeedy (from Cille Ide, meaning ‘Church of St. Ita’) in County Limerick, where she founded a school and convent. A holy well still marks the site of her church, called Tobar Bhaile Ui MhÈidÌn, My Little Ita's Well, although the monastery was destroyed by Viking invaders in the ninth century.

Legend has it that Ita was led to Killeedy by three heavenly lights. The first was at the top of the Galtee mountains, the second on the Mullaghareirk mountains and the third at Cluain Creadhail, which is nowadays Killeedy. Her sister Fiona also went to Killeedy with her and became a member of the community.

The convent became known as a training ground for young boys, many of whom became famous churchmen. She received St. Brendan the Voyager when he was only a year old, and kept him until he was six. She also cared for her nephew Saint Mochaemhoch in his infancy.

Saint Ita once told Saint Brendan that the three things most displeasing to God are: A face that hates mankind, a will that clings to the love of evil, and placing one’s entire trust in riches (Compare Proverbs 6:16-19).

The three things most pleasing to God are: The firm belief of a pure heart in God, the simple religious life, and liberality with charity.

Brendan sailed away from Ireland in 510, traveled the oceans and founded monasteries for 40 years. He then returned to Ireland, visiting the holy island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, on the way home to Ireland. St. Ita died in 570 and St. Brendan died seven years later, in 577.

St. Aidan was the founder and first bishop of the Lindisfarne Island monastery. Born in Connacht, Ireland, Aidan was originally a monk at the monastery on the Island of Iona, founded by St Columba. King Oswald of Northumbria spent his youth on Iona, beginning in 616, and brought Aidan from Iona to Northumbria in 634, less than 60 years after the death of St. Brendan the Voyager.

Image and info: oca.org, Wikipedia.

Week 11: Hethpool to St. Boswells

 This week we walk from Hethpool to St. Boswells, a distance of 47 km.

Image: https://www.stcuthbertsway.info/long-distance-route/harestanes-to-yetholm/

We continue our walk along St. Cuthbert's Way, heading towards White Hill, where we first see the type of prehistoric settlement that is 'scooped'. Near the Scottish border, enclosures were dug into hillslopes, with the displaced dirt forming a terrace. These prehistoric field systems caused less erosion on the hills and retained more moisture for crops. Even during the Roman occupation, the Celtic peoples were still building their defended homesteads on these sites. You can see the lines of the terraces on White Hill, just above Hethpool (below).

Image: Andrew Curtis, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4017401 , no changes

We pass through the village of Kirk Yetholm (below), where the Romani gypsies settled in the 1700's. The last King of the Gypsies died in 1902 and they are no longer a separate ethnicity.

Image: Graham White, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/552439 , no changes

Then we continue climbing up and down the steep Cheviot foothills, crossing the blustery moors. The summit of Wideopen Hill is the highest point of St. Cuthbert's Way, and its mid-point (below, looking back towards Kirk Yetholm).

Image: Jim Barton, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3546799 , no changes

Heading down from Wideopen Hill, we start walking down Grubbit Law (below). 

Image: Jim Barton, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3546365 , no changes

If we followed a trail along the ridge to Hownam Law, we would see another Iron Age hill fort (below), with more cultivated terraces. It is one of the highest hill forts in Scotland, and quite large, at 22 acres, 155+ houses, 10' thick walls, and two rainwater ponds.

Image: Trevor Littlewood, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5621654 , no changes

The village of Morebattle ('mere-ba-ol' meant 'Settlement by the Lake') is at the foot of the Cheviots, near Linton Lake  - a large marshland (below). Linton is home of the Linton Worm (dragon). Both Morebattle and Linton have Iron Age hill forts.

Image: Lisa Jarvis, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/191102 , no changes

We follow the trail past sandstone cliffs and through the woodlands (below).

Image: David Purchase, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2211136 , no changes

At Jedburgh bridge we start walking along Dere Street, the Roman road which runs North through Corbridge, through Jedburgh to St. Boswells, and on to Edinburgh. 

Image: Jim Barton, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2615888 , no changes

We follow Dere Street toward St. Boswells (below).

Image: David Purchase, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2211093 , no changes

St. Cuthbert's Way leaves Dere Street here to take the scenic route and follow the River Tweed into St. Boswells. 

Image: David Purchase, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2210992 , no changes

First built on the lower meadows, around the original St. Boisil Chapel, it later relocated to higher ground and was called Lessudden (place of Aidan). It was originally built of pinkish stone like the Iron Age Hill Forts in the area. In the 1500s the name changed from Lessudden to St. Boswells, for the St. Boisil Chapel. Below is where the original 7th-century chapel was located.

Image: James Denham, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3490607 , no changes

St. Boisil (below) was a well-loved monk at the nearby Monastery of Melrose. Trained by Aidan at Lindisfarne, Boisil taught St. Cuthbert at Melrose, and they often went out together to visit the villages and talk to the people. The sick were brought to Melrose to be healed with Boisil's healing remedies and the two nearby springs containing iron salts.

St. Boswells was the site of the annual Gypsy fair, drawing Gypsies from all over Scotland, Ireland and Northern England. The village green is the largest in Scotland, at 40 acres, and hosted the 7-day Gypsy sheep fair in the 1600's and the later horse fairs in the 1800's.

Image: Walter Baxter, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1814183 , no changes

Next week we continue on the St. Cuthbert's Way to Melrose. 

[St. Oswald's Way and St. Cuthbert's Way (Rudolf Abraham), wikipedia, ancientmonuments.uk, canmore.org.uk, wikishire.co.uk]