Guthlac at Croyland, was also buried in that same place ;34 and,
according to Ingulph, in the year 871, the Danes came thither, and destroyed with mattocks and knives all the tombs of the saints buried there.
according to Ingulph, in the year 871, the Danes came thither, and destroyed with mattocks and knives all the tombs of the saints buried there.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
but these are regarded as being unauthentic and abounding in fables.
They have been edited by Father Constantine Suysken, and" have a Previous critical Commentary of seventeen paragraphs.
They seem to have been composed after the year 1386, if we are to judge from the relation of a miracle wrought in that year, and attributed to the merits ofour saint.
8 This composition has been used by John Capgrave in compiling a Life of St.
Bertellinus.
9 By Molanus,10 it is thought the author had been Alexander Essibiensis Prior," and John Pits states, that he flourished a.
d.
1220 12 however, this can hardly be reconciled with the
;
account of a miracle, attributed to the merits of St. Bertellin in those acts, and stated to have occurred in a. d, 1386. A very elegant biography of this
saint, called Betellin, has been compiled by one of the Anglican writers in the rare and much admired work, " Lives of the English Saints. 1 * There is
1 it would seem he had intended the Acts of St. Bertel- publishing
Colgan,
linus, at the 9th of September, or at the 12th of August. For a nearly similar notice, the reader is referred to this latter date, in the Eighth Volume of this work,* where we have deferred further notices of him to the 9th of
,6 The foregoing is mainly taken from a
letter, written by Very Rev. Daniel
O'Connor, P. P. , and dated Emyvale, 23rd
8 It is possible, however, as this is in a
concluding paragraph, that it may have been an addition to an older copy of St. Bertellin's
Acts.
f Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves. 'See
August, 1892. "
Legenda Sanctorum Angliae,"
Article iv. —* See Catalogus aliquorum fol. 1.
" Alexander
Sanctorum quae MSS. habentur.
2 See at August 12th, Art. vi.
3 He died at Lynn, the place of his birth,
In his notes, he says :
on the 12th day of August, a. d. 1464, at the quantum intellectui nostro. " These are age of seventy years. See Introduction to the very words beginning that Manuscript the " Chronicle of England," edited by the Life published by the Bollandists, and Rev. Francis Charles Hingeston, B. A. , they begin likewise that Life issued by p. xxi.
" was first
printed in London by Wynkyn de Worde, some state he was a chronographer of
4 "
The NovaLegendaAngliae
England:
Somersetshire, and others of Staffordshire. He was a Canon Regular of St. Augustine. He is praised for the elegance of his writings, both in prose and verse.
"
Relatio- num Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," 7 They are the compilation ofananony- tomus i. Aetas Decimatettia, a. d. 1220,
A. D. 1 5 16. Copies of this work, in black letter, are now very scarce.
3 See " Lives of the English Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 61.
6
" of himself and his re-
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
See an account
Septembris ix. De S. Bertellino vel Becce-
puted writings in Joannis Pitsei,
lino Eremito in Anglia, pp. 446 to 453.
mous author, and were found in a Manu-
script of the monastery, Rubra Vallis, near Bruxelles.
num. 319, pp. 295, 296.
,3 Among the Hermit Saints, vol. v. , pp.
57 to 72.
,0
Essebiensis Prior Regularium scripsii Vitam Bertellini eremite, lib. i. Incipit : Quoniam
Capgrave.
" He was born in the west of
September 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIATS. 245
a brief notice of this holy hermit and confessor, called Bertellin, or Bercellin, or Bertelmus, called in French Bertaume, in Les Petits Bollandistes, 1 * at this date. Also, in the work of Rev. S. Baring-Gould,15 there are notices of him. If the published Acts of Bertellinus—as there called—are to be relied on, he
was of 16 and of a beautiful form. Bred royal origin.
in the Catholic
he sailed over to Ireland, and there he became companion to an Irish King, whose confidence and affection he gained. How long this continued, or how long he remained in Ireland, is not stated ; but, in consequence of an intrigue with the King's daughter, both absconded, and sought a place of retirement in England. This was in the midst of dense woods, where, on giving birth to a child, wolves attacked them, and devoured herself, as also her offspring. When Bertellinus returned, and found them dead, believing this to be a punishment destined for their unhappy transgressions, remorse filled his soul, and from that time forward, he resolved on leading a penitential
life. Withthis inview,heretiredtoa purpose
called 1? Bertelmesley.
rocky place
There he loved and served God with true earnestness, believing, with
Magdalen, that his former many sins would be iorgiven him because he loved much ; and soon the neighbouring people who learned his course of life regarded him as a prophet and one dear to Christ. At this time, likewise, a noble scion of the Mercian province, who was named Guthlac,18 had embraced a military career, in which he had the reputation of being courageous and daring to a degree, but in which he had to regret the
ravagesandcrimesofthewarsinwhichhehadbeenengaged. Reflection on those disorders caused him to renounce that profession, and devote himself to a spiritual warfare against the devil and the flesh. He too had resolved on leading a religious life, and with that intention he retired to a
sought
a certain
with
died a. d. 714 or 715. His life has been
written by one Felix, a contemporary.
'' In the old Life of St. Guthlac, it is
called Ripadum, and by Tohn Capgrave, Repyngdonam. In this place, according to John Leland, there were monasteries of re- ligious men and women, in his time,
20 The ancient life of St. Guthlac has a
similar statement, but it does not give their
names.
2I
The Bollandist Father Suysken is at a loss to know from what source of informa- tion this name had been inserted,
known as T 9 where he embraced the monastic state and Reppington,
place
received the clerical tonsure. However, after serving God in that condition
for a time, Guthlac desired to become an anchoret, and leaving Reppington, he took with him two young men,20 one of whom was Bertellin. 21 They
22
named
and sedgy grass. There they set up a hut with earth-sods; while for
island,
14 See "Vies des Saints," tome x. , Jour
ixe de Septembre, p. 596.
'5 See " Lives of the Saints," vol. ix. ,
September 9, pp. 139, 140.
16
In the Acts, his father is said to have been a king and to have had jurisdiction over Stafford, now the chief town of Stafford- shire in England. By William Camden it
"
is said to have been—called the Tertia Cor-
naviorum regio. " "Britannia," Stafford- iensis comitatus, vulgo Stafford-shire, p.
244. Editio Amstelodami, 1659, fol. By Venerable Bede, its ancient inhabitants are
woods, marshes,
" 22 called Mediterranei Angli. See Historia
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. ,cap. xxi.
'» The Bollandist Father Suysken was unable to find on the Maps or in the Geo- graphical Dictionaries of England the deno- mination of Bertelmesley. If such place ever existed in England, it cannot now be identified.
18 The feast of St. Guthlac occurs on the Iith of April. He lived in the seventh and in the beginning of the eighth century. He
Croyland was formerly in East Mercia. It is now known as Croyland or Crowland, in the parish of St. Bartholomew and St. Guthlac, county of Lincoln. The island of Croyland was formed by the four waters of
Shepishea on the east, Nena on the west, Southea on the south, and Asendyk on the north. The town there, lying on a flat surface, is liable to be flooded after con- tinual rains. See Samuel Lewis' " Topo- graphical Dictionary of England," vol. i. , p. 738.
Croyland,
interspersed
up
faith,
246 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September9.
covering they assumed sheep and goat skins, fasting in a rigorous manner, with constant vigils and prayer. Thus, they lived in that island for many years, and wrought various miracles. 23 In that same place were other holy
2
men, regarded as disciples of St. Guthlac, * as they were his familiars and
imitators. 25 At length, it pleased the Almighty to call Guthlac2* away from earth about the time of Easter. Bertellin was overwhelmed with grief while attending during his final illness to the revelations and directions of his dying
superior. anchoret named
28 should be
only brought
Pega, of his
26 These were in that part,
Guthlac's sister
to take
2? and an
charge
Then he said, " The time has come, my son, that I should go to Him, whose
2
servant I am, and do you set out on your journey. " 9 Afterwards extending
his hand to the altar, which was near, he partook of the Holy Communion. Then raising his eyes and hands to heaven, he slept happily in the Lord. 30
Having religiously complied with the instructions given him, Bertellin went to the king, his father, and asked from him a desert island, where he might live in penitence the rest of his days. This was known to the ancients as
1
Such request the king readily granted, and there Bertellin long lived in the practice of penitential works. He also performed many miracles. We may well treat as a fable, that account given in the anonymous Acts, as to how he had been disturbed in possession of that place, and the means he employed to retain it. 3a There
Egbert,
obsequies.
Bethney, and in after times it was called Stafford. 3
23 Guthlac is stated to have retired thither,
in the reign of Cenred, eighth King of Mercia. See ibid.
24 Among these was one named Cissa, a
person of noble birth and having hereditary wealth, as likewise a convert to the Catholic faith. Another confidant was Egbert, and alsoTatwin. Alloftheselivedinseparate cells, not far apart from the oratory of their
Bettelin, who made the fourth, and came nearer the saint's person than the rest, lived in separate cottages, close to Guthlake's oratory and under his guidance. All this we learn from Ingulphus, himself Abbot of Croyland,—towards the end of the eleventh century. " "Lives of the English Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 61.
*? Her feast is held on the 8th of January,
and frequent mention of her occurs in St.
Guthlac's Acts.
holy father Guthlac. See " Historia In- "
gulphi Abbatis Croylandensis, p. 53, in Annotatis, lit. a.
28
as "
is mentioned one Beccelinus, a cleric, who seqretorum ejus prae ceteris conscius. " After
as
lived of choice under his discipline, and who became his faithful servant. He seems to
have been regarded by subsequent writers, as having been identical with our St. Bettelin or Bertellin, and the names are much alike. It is thought, that Beccelinus had been afterwards changed into Bertelinus, as found in his Acts by John Capgrave and by others.
26 The Anglican writer states " Bettelin
:
was a disciple of St. Guthlake's, in the eighth century, and one of four who followed him in a hermit's life, in the island of Croy- land, on the southern border of Lincolnshire. Cissa had been a pagan, of noble blood and great in the world ; but had left all to follow Christ and St. Guthlake, and succeeded him as Abbot. Till the Danes came, he lay in a high marble tomb, on the right of his spiritual father in the Abbey of Croyland. Egbert was more in St. Guthlake's con- fidence than any of his brethren ; he may have been his confessor. Tatwin had for-
merly been ferryman at the passage from the mainland to the island. These, with
landensis, he is
Among these,
in the Vita S.
Guthlaci,
represented
Egbertus,
In the Historia Ingulphi, Abbatis Croy-
the death of Guthlac, Egbert is said to have lived in a cell, not far from his oratory.
29 Much of what precedes in the text seems
to have been derived from the old Vita S.
Guthlaci, by Felix.
3° In 716, it is said, that Ethelbald founded
in Croyland a Benedictine monastery, in honour of St. Mary, St. Bartholomew, and St. Guthlac. It was built upon piles, and
it was destroyed by the Danes in 870 ; but, it was rebuilt by King Edred, in the year 948. 31 "Wherethetownnowstands,theriver Sow formed in those—times an island which
"
was called Bethney. " Lives of the English
Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 66.
32 By the Anglican writer of St. Bettelin's Life this legend has—been rendered in rhyme,
and it thus begins
"
:
St. Bettelin's wonted prayers are o'er, And hi» matins all are said,
Why kneeleth he still on his clay-cold floor
By the side of his iron bed ?
September 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 247
he is said, as a woodsman, to have travelled through deserts and mountains,
despising the world's vanities, while addicted to vigils, prayer and fasting.
At length, on the v. Ides of September, the penitent servant of Christ was
taken away from this to a life of eternal happiness. According to some, the
Bettelin, Bettelmus, Bertellin, or Beccelin—as variedly denominated33—who
lived with St.
Guthlac at Croyland, was also buried in that same place ;34 and,
according to Ingulph, in the year 871, the Danes came thither, and destroyed with mattocks and knives all the tombs of the saints buried there. When
they found not treasures such as they expected, all the bodies of those holy men were taken from their sepulchres, and collected into one heap, when
they were burned, together with the church and monastery. 35 The body of
St. Bertellinus was deposited in the church of Stafford, according to other
accounts ; and for a long time after his death, it became au object of great
veneration for the faithful. 36 Of the miracles wrought in his church, adds
the Anglican writer of Bettelin's Life, the record of one remains, appended
at a later date to the history of Prior Alexander, and its matter-of-fact tone
curiouslycontrastswithawildfablewhichgoesimmediatelybeforeit. 37 This
holy penitent is noted, at the 9th of September, in the Martyrologies of
Usuardus auctus a Molano,38 of Arnold Wion,39 of Hugo Menard/ of
12
Gabriel Bucelin,* of Philip Ferrarius,* and of Castellan. 43 In the first
edition of Wilson's " Anglicanum," *+ he has a feast for John Martyrologium
St. Bertelmus, at the 12th of August; but, in the second edition,** the name
is changed to Bertellinus, and his festival is strangely placed at the 29th of September, contrary to the position of all known authorities. *6 The feast of
Ah ! well may he kneel to Christ in prayer, For nought is around him but woe and
fear ;
By to-morrow's sun the saint must roam Far from his cell and his long-lov'd
home. "
—Ibid.
33 Various writers speak of Bettelin, Bec- celin, Barthelon, Bertelin ; whether he owned all these at once, or whether but some of them, whether a portion of his his- tory belongs to another person, or whether
it is altogether fabulous, is not known. " " Lives of the English Saints," vol. v. , The Hermit Saints, pp. 60, 61.
34 We are told, by Ingulph, that on the right of St. Guthlac's tomb were the tombs of St. Cissa, priest and anchorite, and of St. Bettelmus, the man of God, and former servant of St. Guthlac, as also the tomb of St. Tatwin, his master and conductor to
Croyland.
35 This devastation took place on the vii.
after many years, he was brought to St. Bertellin's church in the same town, for the purpose of recovery ; and while he knelt in prayer, before the altar of St. Bertellin, and the priest, whose name was John Chrostias, offered up the Eucharist in the name of the Supreme Father, the aforementioned blind man regained his sight, and first saw that Venerable Sacrament, rendering thanks to the Supreme God, who had renewed His ancient miracles, for the love of Blessed Ber- tellin. This miracle took place in the year
—" Lives of the
38 Published a. d. 1583. He states : "In Bethnei, quam villam recentiores Stadford nominant, sancti Bertellini, eremitse et con- fessoris. "
"
39 See ibid, in
40 See "Martyrologium Benediclinum. " 41 In Menologio sui Ordinis.
42 In "Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum,"
—
of our Lord 1386. "
he has "Statfordiae in Anglia S. Berthelmi of the September Kalends—August 26th— eremitse. " In a note, he adds, that some
and on the third day after their arrival at Croyland.
write the name Bertelinus, but he deems this to be through error.
43 written In his Universal Martyrology,
in French, he notices Bertelmus the penitent,
at Statefurt, in England, but known in France as Berteaume.
44 Printed in 1608.
4s Printed in 1640.
46 Father Suysken knows not the reason
for such departure from received accounts, unless, perhaps, Wilson has confounded the
36
Saints," tome x. Jour ixe P- 596.
**
Vies des de Septembre,
See Les Petits Bollandistes,
37 "There was, says the anonymous writer, M in the town of Stafford, a man named Willmot, a cook by trade. This man, for many years, almost sixteen, had lost his sight, so as not to be able to go out of doors without someone to lead him. At length,
.
English Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, pp. 71, 72.
Lignum Vitae," lib. iii.
248 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September9
Bertellin, hermit, is referred to this day in the Circle of the Seasons. *? The writer of his Acts ends " this is all that is and more
English— by stating, than all yet nothing to what the angels know
— known,
of the life of a servant of God,
who sinned and repented, and did penance, and washed out his sins, and became a saint, and reigns with Christ in heaven. "*8
Article V. —St. Moctean, Abbot of Clonard. [Probably in the Tenth Ctntury. '] The true saint is never surprised, at the approach of death ; when it comes, he is prepared, and he passes happily to the joys of
1
our Lord. There is a festival entered in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the
of in honour of Mochota of Droma, i. e. mac 2 9th September, Dergain.
Many places in Ireland are called Droma or Drum, either simply, or in
composition. The present locality is therefore difficult to be identified with
accuracy. St. Moctean,sometimescalledMal-Moctaeus,wasdistinguishedfor
his learning and piety ; and, on the death of Abbot Ferdomnach, in the year
930,3hewasprobablyappointedsuccessor,overClonardMonastery. Such had been the reputation of our saint, that he was called, the Fountain of
Religion and of Wisdom, among the Irish, according to the Annals of the Four Masters. * It is possible, he may not be different from the present Samt. s He was, also, a most accomplished scribe. Towards the close of his life,
and in the 6 Ceallachan, assisted year 937,
the Danes of
plundered Clonard Abbey. Our Saint was gathered to his fathers, on the
of
of Dergan, occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal,? at this same date.
Article VI. —St. Aithgein or Maclaithgein, Bishop of Moville, County of Down. The good bishop makes himself singularly acceptable
Lives of two Bertillins, neither of whom and Abbot of Cluain-Iraird died ; he was the
9th day
September,?
in the
year
of
grace, 940.
belonged to Stafford, nor were venerated on the v. Ides of September. Another con-
jecture may be allowed, that as Wilson
uses the term commemoratio, there may have
been at Stafford some local festival in his
honour, at both days, and not known to
other martyrologists. In the margin of his
work, Wilson takes occasion to praise
"
ecclesioe StafFordensis et monu- menta antiqua ejusdem provincial. "
* See p. 253.
48 See "Lives of the English Saints,"
head of the piety and wisdom of Ireland.
Registrum
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 644, 645. To the word Mugain Dr. O'Donovan appends the
5 See Rev. A. " Diocese of Meath, Cogan's
Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 17. 6 In Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," at this year, the foreigners and the men of Munster, under the com-
mand of Ceallachan, King of Munster, are said to have plundered Clonenagh and Kill-
achaidh churches, with the territory of Meath, as far as Clonard. See vol. ii. , pp. 638, 639. 7 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 72.
Article v. — ' xxxiii.
p.
Edited
by
Rev. Dr.
Kelly,
2 In the Book of Leinster copy we have
mochocAe OrioniA, i. e. mac Deng^m.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 626, 627. "The year 930 of the Annals of the Four Masters
corresponds with 931, alias 932, of the Annals of Ulster, and with 926 of the Annals of Clonmacnoise, which give a few of the
events of that year (ccrcc communis 932) as
"""
A. D. 931 [at. 932]. Fer-
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 644, 645. 8"
follows :
dovnach, mac Flannagan, prince o—
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
f Clon- Iraird, scriba optimus, quievit" . &c. Ibid. ,
nioe," Februarii xxiii. Vita S. Finniani,
Appendix, cap. v. , p. 407.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
242, 243.
n.
(9).
4 At the year 940, when his departure is
recorded, we read :
"
Maelmochta, scribe
by
Waterford,
8 The name son Mochta,
— Great grief is the beauteous sweet
Maelmochta of the plain of Meath,
branch,—
The chief of spiritual direction, — The centre of the praise of Mugain. "
" This is probably intended
following note
for Bealach-Mughna, or Mughna Moshenog, near Carlow. "—Ibid. , n. (9).
:
September 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 249
both to the clergy and laity of his flock. He wins their esteem and their
respect, without at all sacrificing the authority of his position. An entry of 1
this Saint's name as Aithgein is found in the Martyrology of Tallaght, at
this same date, with the addition Eps. Maigh Bile.
2
However, in the published
Martyrology of Donegal,3 we cannot find any corresponding account, at the
9th of September ; but, probably Maclaithgein is to be taken for it.
The
yearofhisdeathhasnotbeenrecorded; norcanweascertainthetimewhen
he flourished. '* Under the head of Magh-Bile, Duald, Mac Firbis enters
Maelaithghin, bishop cf Magh Bile, at September 9th. 5 The Martyrology
6 records a festival at the 9th of September, in honour of
of
Irish Saints may have a local celebrity in their former places of which we are
not aware, through reference to known records. At the 9th of September,
inthe of 1 wefindthatvenerationwas toFindbarr Martyrology Tallagh, given
of Cille Cunge,2 i. e. Brcednea. 3 The nearest denominational equivalent, we can find to this latter name among the parishes of Ireland, is Kilcoona parish, inthebaronyofClare,andCountyofGalway. Amongthetownlandsare Kilcooney,* in the parish of Clonrush, in the barony of Leitrim, County of Galway ; another Kilcooney,5 in the parish of Ballykean, in the barony of
the following entry. In the Martyrology of Donegal,? at this same date, appears the name Fionnbharr, that is, Brodna, of Cill Cunga.
Article VIII. —The Daughter or Daughters of Enach. —[Supposed
to be of the Fifth Century. '] At the 9th of September, the Martyrology of
1 a festival in honour of Naebh 2 Tallaghregisters ingenaEnaighloeg. Colgan
thinks it possible, these were nine daughters of the Lombard King, who,
Article vi. —« Edited by Rev. Dr. Book of Leinster copy, and as already
Donegal,
Maclaithgein, Bishop of Magh-bile. In the table superadded to this work, his name is Latinized, Malachenus. ?
Article VII. —St. Findbarr or Fionnbharr, of Cill-Cunga. —Many
and another
Seskinan, in the barony of Decies without Drum, County of Waterford.
Upper Phillipstown, King's County,
There is also a Kilcoony,? in the parish of Ballyclog, barony of Upper Dun-
and
yet,
of
name and its application, appears to have occurred, either in the foregoing or
gannon,
County
Tyrone.
8 Some
mistake, regarding
the latter
proper
Kelly, p. xxxiv.
noticed, in his Acts. We think it is here
misplaced,
* Described on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Leitrim,"
2
In the Book of Leinster copy we read,
-Aichgen epr iruige bile.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves.
4 See Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiasti-
cal Antiquities of Down, Connor, and
Sheet
s See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
Dromore," Appendix A, p. 152 ; and for the King's County," Sheet 26.
Appendix LL, p. 380.
5 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i„ pp. 120, 121.
6"
See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Waterford," Sheets 13, 22. 1 See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
6 Edited 242, 243.
by
Drs.
;
account of a miracle, attributed to the merits of St. Bertellin in those acts, and stated to have occurred in a. d, 1386. A very elegant biography of this
saint, called Betellin, has been compiled by one of the Anglican writers in the rare and much admired work, " Lives of the English Saints. 1 * There is
1 it would seem he had intended the Acts of St. Bertel- publishing
Colgan,
linus, at the 9th of September, or at the 12th of August. For a nearly similar notice, the reader is referred to this latter date, in the Eighth Volume of this work,* where we have deferred further notices of him to the 9th of
,6 The foregoing is mainly taken from a
letter, written by Very Rev. Daniel
O'Connor, P. P. , and dated Emyvale, 23rd
8 It is possible, however, as this is in a
concluding paragraph, that it may have been an addition to an older copy of St. Bertellin's
Acts.
f Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves. 'See
August, 1892. "
Legenda Sanctorum Angliae,"
Article iv. —* See Catalogus aliquorum fol. 1.
" Alexander
Sanctorum quae MSS. habentur.
2 See at August 12th, Art. vi.
3 He died at Lynn, the place of his birth,
In his notes, he says :
on the 12th day of August, a. d. 1464, at the quantum intellectui nostro. " These are age of seventy years. See Introduction to the very words beginning that Manuscript the " Chronicle of England," edited by the Life published by the Bollandists, and Rev. Francis Charles Hingeston, B. A. , they begin likewise that Life issued by p. xxi.
" was first
printed in London by Wynkyn de Worde, some state he was a chronographer of
4 "
The NovaLegendaAngliae
England:
Somersetshire, and others of Staffordshire. He was a Canon Regular of St. Augustine. He is praised for the elegance of his writings, both in prose and verse.
"
Relatio- num Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," 7 They are the compilation ofananony- tomus i. Aetas Decimatettia, a. d. 1220,
A. D. 1 5 16. Copies of this work, in black letter, are now very scarce.
3 See " Lives of the English Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 61.
6
" of himself and his re-
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
See an account
Septembris ix. De S. Bertellino vel Becce-
puted writings in Joannis Pitsei,
lino Eremito in Anglia, pp. 446 to 453.
mous author, and were found in a Manu-
script of the monastery, Rubra Vallis, near Bruxelles.
num. 319, pp. 295, 296.
,3 Among the Hermit Saints, vol. v. , pp.
57 to 72.
,0
Essebiensis Prior Regularium scripsii Vitam Bertellini eremite, lib. i. Incipit : Quoniam
Capgrave.
" He was born in the west of
September 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIATS. 245
a brief notice of this holy hermit and confessor, called Bertellin, or Bercellin, or Bertelmus, called in French Bertaume, in Les Petits Bollandistes, 1 * at this date. Also, in the work of Rev. S. Baring-Gould,15 there are notices of him. If the published Acts of Bertellinus—as there called—are to be relied on, he
was of 16 and of a beautiful form. Bred royal origin.
in the Catholic
he sailed over to Ireland, and there he became companion to an Irish King, whose confidence and affection he gained. How long this continued, or how long he remained in Ireland, is not stated ; but, in consequence of an intrigue with the King's daughter, both absconded, and sought a place of retirement in England. This was in the midst of dense woods, where, on giving birth to a child, wolves attacked them, and devoured herself, as also her offspring. When Bertellinus returned, and found them dead, believing this to be a punishment destined for their unhappy transgressions, remorse filled his soul, and from that time forward, he resolved on leading a penitential
life. Withthis inview,heretiredtoa purpose
called 1? Bertelmesley.
rocky place
There he loved and served God with true earnestness, believing, with
Magdalen, that his former many sins would be iorgiven him because he loved much ; and soon the neighbouring people who learned his course of life regarded him as a prophet and one dear to Christ. At this time, likewise, a noble scion of the Mercian province, who was named Guthlac,18 had embraced a military career, in which he had the reputation of being courageous and daring to a degree, but in which he had to regret the
ravagesandcrimesofthewarsinwhichhehadbeenengaged. Reflection on those disorders caused him to renounce that profession, and devote himself to a spiritual warfare against the devil and the flesh. He too had resolved on leading a religious life, and with that intention he retired to a
sought
a certain
with
died a. d. 714 or 715. His life has been
written by one Felix, a contemporary.
'' In the old Life of St. Guthlac, it is
called Ripadum, and by Tohn Capgrave, Repyngdonam. In this place, according to John Leland, there were monasteries of re- ligious men and women, in his time,
20 The ancient life of St. Guthlac has a
similar statement, but it does not give their
names.
2I
The Bollandist Father Suysken is at a loss to know from what source of informa- tion this name had been inserted,
known as T 9 where he embraced the monastic state and Reppington,
place
received the clerical tonsure. However, after serving God in that condition
for a time, Guthlac desired to become an anchoret, and leaving Reppington, he took with him two young men,20 one of whom was Bertellin. 21 They
22
named
and sedgy grass. There they set up a hut with earth-sods; while for
island,
14 See "Vies des Saints," tome x. , Jour
ixe de Septembre, p. 596.
'5 See " Lives of the Saints," vol. ix. ,
September 9, pp. 139, 140.
16
In the Acts, his father is said to have been a king and to have had jurisdiction over Stafford, now the chief town of Stafford- shire in England. By William Camden it
"
is said to have been—called the Tertia Cor-
naviorum regio. " "Britannia," Stafford- iensis comitatus, vulgo Stafford-shire, p.
244. Editio Amstelodami, 1659, fol. By Venerable Bede, its ancient inhabitants are
woods, marshes,
" 22 called Mediterranei Angli. See Historia
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. ,cap. xxi.
'» The Bollandist Father Suysken was unable to find on the Maps or in the Geo- graphical Dictionaries of England the deno- mination of Bertelmesley. If such place ever existed in England, it cannot now be identified.
18 The feast of St. Guthlac occurs on the Iith of April. He lived in the seventh and in the beginning of the eighth century. He
Croyland was formerly in East Mercia. It is now known as Croyland or Crowland, in the parish of St. Bartholomew and St. Guthlac, county of Lincoln. The island of Croyland was formed by the four waters of
Shepishea on the east, Nena on the west, Southea on the south, and Asendyk on the north. The town there, lying on a flat surface, is liable to be flooded after con- tinual rains. See Samuel Lewis' " Topo- graphical Dictionary of England," vol. i. , p. 738.
Croyland,
interspersed
up
faith,
246 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September9.
covering they assumed sheep and goat skins, fasting in a rigorous manner, with constant vigils and prayer. Thus, they lived in that island for many years, and wrought various miracles. 23 In that same place were other holy
2
men, regarded as disciples of St. Guthlac, * as they were his familiars and
imitators. 25 At length, it pleased the Almighty to call Guthlac2* away from earth about the time of Easter. Bertellin was overwhelmed with grief while attending during his final illness to the revelations and directions of his dying
superior. anchoret named
28 should be
only brought
Pega, of his
26 These were in that part,
Guthlac's sister
to take
2? and an
charge
Then he said, " The time has come, my son, that I should go to Him, whose
2
servant I am, and do you set out on your journey. " 9 Afterwards extending
his hand to the altar, which was near, he partook of the Holy Communion. Then raising his eyes and hands to heaven, he slept happily in the Lord. 30
Having religiously complied with the instructions given him, Bertellin went to the king, his father, and asked from him a desert island, where he might live in penitence the rest of his days. This was known to the ancients as
1
Such request the king readily granted, and there Bertellin long lived in the practice of penitential works. He also performed many miracles. We may well treat as a fable, that account given in the anonymous Acts, as to how he had been disturbed in possession of that place, and the means he employed to retain it. 3a There
Egbert,
obsequies.
Bethney, and in after times it was called Stafford. 3
23 Guthlac is stated to have retired thither,
in the reign of Cenred, eighth King of Mercia. See ibid.
24 Among these was one named Cissa, a
person of noble birth and having hereditary wealth, as likewise a convert to the Catholic faith. Another confidant was Egbert, and alsoTatwin. Alloftheselivedinseparate cells, not far apart from the oratory of their
Bettelin, who made the fourth, and came nearer the saint's person than the rest, lived in separate cottages, close to Guthlake's oratory and under his guidance. All this we learn from Ingulphus, himself Abbot of Croyland,—towards the end of the eleventh century. " "Lives of the English Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 61.
*? Her feast is held on the 8th of January,
and frequent mention of her occurs in St.
Guthlac's Acts.
holy father Guthlac. See " Historia In- "
gulphi Abbatis Croylandensis, p. 53, in Annotatis, lit. a.
28
as "
is mentioned one Beccelinus, a cleric, who seqretorum ejus prae ceteris conscius. " After
as
lived of choice under his discipline, and who became his faithful servant. He seems to
have been regarded by subsequent writers, as having been identical with our St. Bettelin or Bertellin, and the names are much alike. It is thought, that Beccelinus had been afterwards changed into Bertelinus, as found in his Acts by John Capgrave and by others.
26 The Anglican writer states " Bettelin
:
was a disciple of St. Guthlake's, in the eighth century, and one of four who followed him in a hermit's life, in the island of Croy- land, on the southern border of Lincolnshire. Cissa had been a pagan, of noble blood and great in the world ; but had left all to follow Christ and St. Guthlake, and succeeded him as Abbot. Till the Danes came, he lay in a high marble tomb, on the right of his spiritual father in the Abbey of Croyland. Egbert was more in St. Guthlake's con- fidence than any of his brethren ; he may have been his confessor. Tatwin had for-
merly been ferryman at the passage from the mainland to the island. These, with
landensis, he is
Among these,
in the Vita S.
Guthlaci,
represented
Egbertus,
In the Historia Ingulphi, Abbatis Croy-
the death of Guthlac, Egbert is said to have lived in a cell, not far from his oratory.
29 Much of what precedes in the text seems
to have been derived from the old Vita S.
Guthlaci, by Felix.
3° In 716, it is said, that Ethelbald founded
in Croyland a Benedictine monastery, in honour of St. Mary, St. Bartholomew, and St. Guthlac. It was built upon piles, and
it was destroyed by the Danes in 870 ; but, it was rebuilt by King Edred, in the year 948. 31 "Wherethetownnowstands,theriver Sow formed in those—times an island which
"
was called Bethney. " Lives of the English
Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 66.
32 By the Anglican writer of St. Bettelin's Life this legend has—been rendered in rhyme,
and it thus begins
"
:
St. Bettelin's wonted prayers are o'er, And hi» matins all are said,
Why kneeleth he still on his clay-cold floor
By the side of his iron bed ?
September 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 247
he is said, as a woodsman, to have travelled through deserts and mountains,
despising the world's vanities, while addicted to vigils, prayer and fasting.
At length, on the v. Ides of September, the penitent servant of Christ was
taken away from this to a life of eternal happiness. According to some, the
Bettelin, Bettelmus, Bertellin, or Beccelin—as variedly denominated33—who
lived with St.
Guthlac at Croyland, was also buried in that same place ;34 and,
according to Ingulph, in the year 871, the Danes came thither, and destroyed with mattocks and knives all the tombs of the saints buried there. When
they found not treasures such as they expected, all the bodies of those holy men were taken from their sepulchres, and collected into one heap, when
they were burned, together with the church and monastery. 35 The body of
St. Bertellinus was deposited in the church of Stafford, according to other
accounts ; and for a long time after his death, it became au object of great
veneration for the faithful. 36 Of the miracles wrought in his church, adds
the Anglican writer of Bettelin's Life, the record of one remains, appended
at a later date to the history of Prior Alexander, and its matter-of-fact tone
curiouslycontrastswithawildfablewhichgoesimmediatelybeforeit. 37 This
holy penitent is noted, at the 9th of September, in the Martyrologies of
Usuardus auctus a Molano,38 of Arnold Wion,39 of Hugo Menard/ of
12
Gabriel Bucelin,* of Philip Ferrarius,* and of Castellan. 43 In the first
edition of Wilson's " Anglicanum," *+ he has a feast for John Martyrologium
St. Bertelmus, at the 12th of August; but, in the second edition,** the name
is changed to Bertellinus, and his festival is strangely placed at the 29th of September, contrary to the position of all known authorities. *6 The feast of
Ah ! well may he kneel to Christ in prayer, For nought is around him but woe and
fear ;
By to-morrow's sun the saint must roam Far from his cell and his long-lov'd
home. "
—Ibid.
33 Various writers speak of Bettelin, Bec- celin, Barthelon, Bertelin ; whether he owned all these at once, or whether but some of them, whether a portion of his his- tory belongs to another person, or whether
it is altogether fabulous, is not known. " " Lives of the English Saints," vol. v. , The Hermit Saints, pp. 60, 61.
34 We are told, by Ingulph, that on the right of St. Guthlac's tomb were the tombs of St. Cissa, priest and anchorite, and of St. Bettelmus, the man of God, and former servant of St. Guthlac, as also the tomb of St. Tatwin, his master and conductor to
Croyland.
35 This devastation took place on the vii.
after many years, he was brought to St. Bertellin's church in the same town, for the purpose of recovery ; and while he knelt in prayer, before the altar of St. Bertellin, and the priest, whose name was John Chrostias, offered up the Eucharist in the name of the Supreme Father, the aforementioned blind man regained his sight, and first saw that Venerable Sacrament, rendering thanks to the Supreme God, who had renewed His ancient miracles, for the love of Blessed Ber- tellin. This miracle took place in the year
—" Lives of the
38 Published a. d. 1583. He states : "In Bethnei, quam villam recentiores Stadford nominant, sancti Bertellini, eremitse et con- fessoris. "
"
39 See ibid, in
40 See "Martyrologium Benediclinum. " 41 In Menologio sui Ordinis.
42 In "Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum,"
—
of our Lord 1386. "
he has "Statfordiae in Anglia S. Berthelmi of the September Kalends—August 26th— eremitse. " In a note, he adds, that some
and on the third day after their arrival at Croyland.
write the name Bertelinus, but he deems this to be through error.
43 written In his Universal Martyrology,
in French, he notices Bertelmus the penitent,
at Statefurt, in England, but known in France as Berteaume.
44 Printed in 1608.
4s Printed in 1640.
46 Father Suysken knows not the reason
for such departure from received accounts, unless, perhaps, Wilson has confounded the
36
Saints," tome x. Jour ixe P- 596.
**
Vies des de Septembre,
See Les Petits Bollandistes,
37 "There was, says the anonymous writer, M in the town of Stafford, a man named Willmot, a cook by trade. This man, for many years, almost sixteen, had lost his sight, so as not to be able to go out of doors without someone to lead him. At length,
.
English Saints," vol. v. , Hermit Saints, pp. 71, 72.
Lignum Vitae," lib. iii.
248 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September9
Bertellin, hermit, is referred to this day in the Circle of the Seasons. *? The writer of his Acts ends " this is all that is and more
English— by stating, than all yet nothing to what the angels know
— known,
of the life of a servant of God,
who sinned and repented, and did penance, and washed out his sins, and became a saint, and reigns with Christ in heaven. "*8
Article V. —St. Moctean, Abbot of Clonard. [Probably in the Tenth Ctntury. '] The true saint is never surprised, at the approach of death ; when it comes, he is prepared, and he passes happily to the joys of
1
our Lord. There is a festival entered in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the
of in honour of Mochota of Droma, i. e. mac 2 9th September, Dergain.
Many places in Ireland are called Droma or Drum, either simply, or in
composition. The present locality is therefore difficult to be identified with
accuracy. St. Moctean,sometimescalledMal-Moctaeus,wasdistinguishedfor
his learning and piety ; and, on the death of Abbot Ferdomnach, in the year
930,3hewasprobablyappointedsuccessor,overClonardMonastery. Such had been the reputation of our saint, that he was called, the Fountain of
Religion and of Wisdom, among the Irish, according to the Annals of the Four Masters. * It is possible, he may not be different from the present Samt. s He was, also, a most accomplished scribe. Towards the close of his life,
and in the 6 Ceallachan, assisted year 937,
the Danes of
plundered Clonard Abbey. Our Saint was gathered to his fathers, on the
of
of Dergan, occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal,? at this same date.
Article VI. —St. Aithgein or Maclaithgein, Bishop of Moville, County of Down. The good bishop makes himself singularly acceptable
Lives of two Bertillins, neither of whom and Abbot of Cluain-Iraird died ; he was the
9th day
September,?
in the
year
of
grace, 940.
belonged to Stafford, nor were venerated on the v. Ides of September. Another con-
jecture may be allowed, that as Wilson
uses the term commemoratio, there may have
been at Stafford some local festival in his
honour, at both days, and not known to
other martyrologists. In the margin of his
work, Wilson takes occasion to praise
"
ecclesioe StafFordensis et monu- menta antiqua ejusdem provincial. "
* See p. 253.
48 See "Lives of the English Saints,"
head of the piety and wisdom of Ireland.
Registrum
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 644, 645. To the word Mugain Dr. O'Donovan appends the
5 See Rev. A. " Diocese of Meath, Cogan's
Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 17. 6 In Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," at this year, the foreigners and the men of Munster, under the com-
mand of Ceallachan, King of Munster, are said to have plundered Clonenagh and Kill-
achaidh churches, with the territory of Meath, as far as Clonard. See vol. ii. , pp. 638, 639. 7 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
vol. v. , Hermit Saints, p. 72.
Article v. — ' xxxiii.
p.
Edited
by
Rev. Dr.
Kelly,
2 In the Book of Leinster copy we have
mochocAe OrioniA, i. e. mac Deng^m.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 626, 627. "The year 930 of the Annals of the Four Masters
corresponds with 931, alias 932, of the Annals of Ulster, and with 926 of the Annals of Clonmacnoise, which give a few of the
events of that year (ccrcc communis 932) as
"""
A. D. 931 [at. 932]. Fer-
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 644, 645. 8"
follows :
dovnach, mac Flannagan, prince o—
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
f Clon- Iraird, scriba optimus, quievit" . &c. Ibid. ,
nioe," Februarii xxiii. Vita S. Finniani,
Appendix, cap. v. , p. 407.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
242, 243.
n.
(9).
4 At the year 940, when his departure is
recorded, we read :
"
Maelmochta, scribe
by
Waterford,
8 The name son Mochta,
— Great grief is the beauteous sweet
Maelmochta of the plain of Meath,
branch,—
The chief of spiritual direction, — The centre of the praise of Mugain. "
" This is probably intended
following note
for Bealach-Mughna, or Mughna Moshenog, near Carlow. "—Ibid. , n. (9).
:
September 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 249
both to the clergy and laity of his flock. He wins their esteem and their
respect, without at all sacrificing the authority of his position. An entry of 1
this Saint's name as Aithgein is found in the Martyrology of Tallaght, at
this same date, with the addition Eps. Maigh Bile.
2
However, in the published
Martyrology of Donegal,3 we cannot find any corresponding account, at the
9th of September ; but, probably Maclaithgein is to be taken for it.
The
yearofhisdeathhasnotbeenrecorded; norcanweascertainthetimewhen
he flourished. '* Under the head of Magh-Bile, Duald, Mac Firbis enters
Maelaithghin, bishop cf Magh Bile, at September 9th. 5 The Martyrology
6 records a festival at the 9th of September, in honour of
of
Irish Saints may have a local celebrity in their former places of which we are
not aware, through reference to known records. At the 9th of September,
inthe of 1 wefindthatvenerationwas toFindbarr Martyrology Tallagh, given
of Cille Cunge,2 i. e. Brcednea. 3 The nearest denominational equivalent, we can find to this latter name among the parishes of Ireland, is Kilcoona parish, inthebaronyofClare,andCountyofGalway. Amongthetownlandsare Kilcooney,* in the parish of Clonrush, in the barony of Leitrim, County of Galway ; another Kilcooney,5 in the parish of Ballykean, in the barony of
the following entry. In the Martyrology of Donegal,? at this same date, appears the name Fionnbharr, that is, Brodna, of Cill Cunga.
Article VIII. —The Daughter or Daughters of Enach. —[Supposed
to be of the Fifth Century. '] At the 9th of September, the Martyrology of
1 a festival in honour of Naebh 2 Tallaghregisters ingenaEnaighloeg. Colgan
thinks it possible, these were nine daughters of the Lombard King, who,
Article vi. —« Edited by Rev. Dr. Book of Leinster copy, and as already
Donegal,
Maclaithgein, Bishop of Magh-bile. In the table superadded to this work, his name is Latinized, Malachenus. ?
Article VII. —St. Findbarr or Fionnbharr, of Cill-Cunga. —Many
and another
Seskinan, in the barony of Decies without Drum, County of Waterford.
Upper Phillipstown, King's County,
There is also a Kilcoony,? in the parish of Ballyclog, barony of Upper Dun-
and
yet,
of
name and its application, appears to have occurred, either in the foregoing or
gannon,
County
Tyrone.
8 Some
mistake, regarding
the latter
proper
Kelly, p. xxxiv.
noticed, in his Acts. We think it is here
misplaced,
* Described on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Leitrim,"
2
In the Book of Leinster copy we read,
-Aichgen epr iruige bile.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves.
4 See Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiasti-
cal Antiquities of Down, Connor, and
Sheet
s See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
Dromore," Appendix A, p. 152 ; and for the King's County," Sheet 26.
Appendix LL, p. 380.
5 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i„ pp. 120, 121.
6"
See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Waterford," Sheets 13, 22. 1 See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
6 Edited 242, 243.
by
Drs.
