His
dalmatic
was long preserved, as a precious relic, in the church of Verden.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
—Reputed Festival of a St.
Darerca.
When Colgan makes a passing allusion to various holy virgins, wh—o are called Darerca in ourcalendars,henotesoneatthe15thofFebruary^ yet,wethink,reference is made to St.
Darerca, virgin, and daughter to Cairbre, venerated on the
15th of January. ^ The mistake is likely to be owing to a typographical error. The Bollandists3 take occasion to observe, when treating of the pre- termitted saints, on this day, that Colgan omits all mention of the Natalis of St. Darerca.
Echu Muidhmeadon. And it is a fortnight "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii
{i. e. , at the end of fourteen nights] in Spring xv. , pp. 846, 847.
his festival is, and, it is in the wilderness of Article ix. —^ See "Acta Sanctorum
Cinel in he is,— Ilibernicc," vi, Febniarii. De S. Mele,
Dobtha, Connaught, namely,
in Cluain Cairpti, ut dixit angelus : Episcopo Ardacadensi, 22, p. 263.
" Berrach and Mochoem 3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Feb- Delightful was their custom ruarii xv. , p. 804.
Armagh.
- **
"
n.
See our notice of her, at this date.
It reads thus :
—'
Article vii.
Aiitiphonarium belonging to the Culdees,
attached to the Metropolitan Church, at
Ides ii. , Sancti RicardL
Rou —Ardmachani. "Ox. X'^r\- Avcliiepiscopi
'
Article viii. See the Bollandists'
Formerly this was an
February i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 567
^ijrterntl) JBag of jFebruarp*
ARTICLE L—ST. TANCHON, OR TANCO, MARTYR AND THIRD BISHOP OF VERDEN, IN SAXONY.
[EIGHTH AND NINTH CENTURIES. -]
has been truly remarked, that the names of many Irish saints and ITscholars are enshrined in the records of foreign nations, when they are forgotten, or but faintly remembered, in their own country. Such was
the case, with regard to the present zealous missionary, and holy martyr, who is not even recorded in the pages of our native Calendarists, although noted in foreign Martyrologies. It must be observed, that Albert Crantzius was one of the first writers, who has left us any authentic particulars, regard-
this saint. ^ From his
noticesofSt. Tanco. Atthe16thofFebruary,Colgan^andtheBollandists^ give short Acts for this saint, such as they had been enabled to collect, especially from Krantz, and from various other authorities. The ancient territory of Lower Saxony had been intersected by the river, formerly called Visurgis,'^ now known as the Weser, which passes through Bremen, and falls into the North Sea. Westward of this river, the country was denominated Westphalia, and eastward, it was known as Eastphalia. In the former division,CharlemagnehadfoundedtheepiscopalseeofVerden. s Suitbert*^ and Patto,7 both of whom came from Ireland, were its two first bishops f and St. Tanco is classed as the third. He is called a Scot,5 which designation most usually signifies, that the place of nativity must have been Ireland, when not expressly stated, that any person, thus indicated, had been a Scot fromScotiaMinor,orfromAlbania,nowknownasScotland. ^° Colganwas of opinion, that this saint and his other colleagues, who preached the faith in Saxony, were Irish Scots, by birth. "
ing
history,
most writers derived their subsequent
Article i. —'See "Rerum Germani- carum Historici Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Metropolis," lib. i. , cap. 22,
29, pp. 17, 21.
' See "Acta Sanctorum
p. 224, ibid.
9 Dr, Lanigan says, that our saint was
probably an Irish Scot, and third Bishop of Yerden.
'° remarks of this that all Colgan saint,
writers call him a Scot. Yet, he was unable
topronouncepositively,whetherhewasa 3 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Feb- native of Scotia Major (Hibernia), or of ruarii xvi. l)e S. Tancone Epis. Verdensi, Scotia Minor (Albania). See "Acta Sanc-
in Saxonia Inferiore. Six short paragraphs, torum Hiberniae," xvi. Februarii. De S.
xvi. Februarii. De S. Tanchone Episcop.
Yerden. Exdiversis,pp. . 348,349. "
by Father Godefrid Henschenn, comprise the biographical notices, wliicli have been inserted in their great collection,
^ See Pliny, lib. iv. , cap. 28.
5 Towards the close of the eighth century.
^
See notices of him, at the 1st of March. 7 See an account of him, at the 30th of
Tancone Episcop. Verden, nn. I, 2, p. 349.
"
These are the reasons he chiefly ad- vances. In the first place, all the Scots, about this period, and before our saint's time, who were rendered illustrious by their piety and learning in Gaul and Germany, he would undertake to prove were Irish- men, when treating of them individually,
Hibernife,"
March.
8 "The Bollandists (at St. Suibert, 30 under their proper Acts. In the second
However, in what part of Ireland,
that Patto w^as not of what is " Monasterium Bishop place, called,
April) suspect
Verden, and that the i—mmediate successor of
Suibert was Tanco," See Dr. Lanigan's some of his predecessors and successors, "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. came, must have been a celebrated founda- iii. , chap, xx,, sect, iv. , p. 219, and n. 28, tion. Now, as there was no csenobium of
Amarbaricense," from which our saint, with
568 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryi6.
St. Tancowasborn,isunknown; but,heissaidtohavebeenofnoblebirth. "
Moved by missionary zeal, like many others of his countrymen, he left the island of his birth, to spread the Christian faith amongst strangers. '3 He travelledtoSaxony. ThereissaidtohavebeenanotherTanco,amonkof St. Gall, who must be distinguished from the present holy martyr. ^4 After Dempster's usual habit of unauthorized collocation, we find, also, that St. Tanco, or Tatto, is placed, by Camerarius, in his list of Scottish saints, ^s Dempster says, he was a Benedictine monk,^^ and that he wrote a book, on all the Gospels. ^7
St. Patto had vacated the office of abbot, over a monastery, named Amarbaric, near Verden. ^^ This estabHshment, founded for the use of Scottish or Irish monks,'9 is mistaken by Colgan, for the Irish Armagh, on account of a supposed similarity between these names ; he thinking, that Amarbaricensis was intended for Armachanensis. As he found no other monastery, having the former name, in either Ireland or Scotland, where he supposed it must be situated, he thus conjectured, this latter famous primatial city might have been meant. ^^^ The pious Tanchon succeeded this saint, as Abbot of Amarbaric, and on Patto's death, he likewise became Bishop of Verden. ^'^ This is referred to the year 760, or thereabouts, by Arnold Wion. =2 However, this appears too early a date, as it precedes even the erection of Verden into an episcopal see, according to the most authentic accounts. Tanco, who is also called Tatta,=^3 served God many years in Amarbarica Abbey, in great reputation for his singular learning and piety. He was raised, it is said, to the dignity of abbot. Through an ardent thirst after martyrdom, he resigned this charge. =4 The holy missioner Tanchon was animated with a hope of shedding his blood for the sake of his Divine Master. Being desirous of reclaiming the morals of the Saxon people, he fearlessly applied himself towards this task f^ and, he is said, by the writer already named, to have received a crown of martyrdom at their hands. We are told by Dempster, who makes him a Scottish saint, that he flourished, under King Conuallus II. in the year 820; but, that the year of his death is uncertain. ^^ He ascended gloriously to Heaven, on the xiv. day of the Kalends of March,^7 or the i6th of February,^^ about the year of our Lord 8oo. =9
=°
this name in either Scotia, Colgan thought The BoUandists and Mabillon, however,
it most likely some error has occurred in show that the monastery over which Patto
writing, Amarbaicense, for Armachanense. presided stood in the neighbourhood of See ibid. Verden.
the 1 6th of February.
^3 See Krantz's " Rerum Germanicarum
Historici Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii,,
sive Metropolis," lib. i. , cap. 22, p. 17.
'4 Dempster quotes for this statement, Sangalleus, in Vita Caroli Magni, lib. i. ,
cap. xxxi.
^s See ** De Statu Hominis, veteris simul
ac novae Ecclesiae, et Sanctis Regni Scotise," lib. i. , pars ii. , cap. iii. , sect. 2, p. 148.
"" =' See Martyrologium Anglicanum," at
^^
for this statement.
*'
Gaspar
Bruschius'
Catalogue
is quoted,
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii. , num 1 105,
p. 606.
^^ See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , section
iv. ,p. 219.
'9 Most of the foreign writers place it in
Scotia.
*7 See his
_
°3
Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. ii. , February xvi.
=* See ibid.
^s Although, we are uninformed, as to the
kind of death our saint endured we ; yet,
are told, by Arnold Wion, in his Benedictine
Martyrology, as also in Menard's Martyr- ology, that the immediate cause for his
death was a reprehension of vices at Verden,
and which excited popular frenzy against him.
Dempster states, that Tanco was Abbot of Amarbaricensis, before he became Bishop of Verden. See "Historia Ecclesiastica
num. 1 105, p. 606. "^ "
""^
See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
See I>ignum Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54. See Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii. , num. 1105, p. 606.
February t6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 569
Arnold Wion and the English Martyrology state, that our saint suffered about this time. The latter authority says, that after being appointed Abbot of Amarbaric, St. Tancho, feeling a desire to effect the salvation of souls in neighbouring provinces, went first to Flanders, and afterwards to Cleves, (now the chief city of that duchy near the Rhine in Germany), where he was createdBishopofVerden. However,Colganshows,thathewasnotpastor over the church so called, in the Duchy of Cleeves, near the Rhine ; but, rather,attheAller,whichflowsintotheWeser. 30 TheJesuitFather,Henry Fitzsimon, on the authority of the English Martyrology, records St. Tancon, a bishop and martyr, on his list of Irish Saints. An anonymous Calendar of Irish Saints3^ has his festival at the i6th of February. Yet, Dempster hashisfeastatthe13thofFebruary. s^ Camerarius,however,hasthei6thof this month. 33 Ferrarius,34 Wion, Menard and the English Martyrology, all
are agreed. 3S Again, some writers refer the date for his martyrdom, to a. d. 81 5,36 and to 820. The exact place, in which his victorious crown was obtained, is not known ; but, writers are agreed in stating, that on this day, his memory isveneratedatVerden,inSaxony. Therehisremainsarenowsaidtore- pose. 37 Yet, it would seem, that the body of our saint, and the relics of other holy countrymen of his were first interred, at some other place. 3^ The ecclesiastical historian, Krantz, does not state the year or place of our saint's death ; he even leaves us in ignorance, concerning the particular kind
of martyrdom St. Tanco endured.
His dalmatic was long preserved, as a precious relic, in the church of Verden. 39 Tanco is said-^^ to have been a holy man, a diligent observer of ecclesiastical decorum ; a man who left a
great reputation behind him for learning, but a still greater for sanctity.
Article II. —St. Aedh Glas, Bishop, of Rath na n-Epscop, or
Rathnaspick. [Possibly m the Fifth or Sixth Centtiry. l Those generous and noble virtues, which some natures seem even unable to comprehend or
appreciate, are cultivated by holy men, in a high degree of perfection. The name Aedh Glas, without any further designation, occurs in the Martyr- ology of Tallagh,^ at this date. Colgan^ and the Bollandists3 notice his six
=7 Crantzius says,
**
Tanco XVII. Kalen-
Krantzio teste. " This, however, is one of
Dempster's misstatements. ^
33 See " De Statu Hominis, veteris simul
ac novae Ecclesise, et Sanctis Regni Scotias," lib. i. , pars ii. , cap. iii. , sect. 2, p. 148.
das Martii hinc ad meliora regna concessit. "
This is evidently a mistake, for no such day,
as the xvii. of the Kalends of March, is found in the Calendar. It may be supposed, that the xvii. had been incorrectly printed
34 in Catalogo Generali. " 3S "
for xiiii. , Arnoldus Wion ad 16 Febr. recte observavit videri pro punctis ii. suf- fectum, vel potius ex iis male collocatis factum V. ; sicque ubi imprimendum erat xiiii. Calend. xvii. impressum. " All other writers, except Dempster, place the Natalis of our saint, on the i6th of February.
=^ See " Rerum Germanicarum, Historici
Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Me-
tropolis, lib. i. , cap. 22, p. 17.
to Arnold —who According Wion,
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," xvi. Februarii, n. 4, p. 349,
29
"die 14 Calendas Martii. " "Lignum Clarissimi, Historia, sive Me-
Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54. 3°See"ActaSanctorumHibernise,"xvi.
tropolis," lib. i. , cap. 29, p. 21.
'*° SeeDempster's"HistoriaEcclesiastica
Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii.
Februarii, n. 5, p. 349.
3^
tholicse Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. .
See O'SuUevan Beare's
Historiaj Ca-
606.
lib.
3'He "Coliturdiexiii. says :
xv.
»See "Trias
iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49.
p.
"
num. 1105, p. — Article II.
Februarii,
Quinta
adds,
3^ See Camerarius'
**
De Scotorum pie-
late," lib, iii. ^,
37 Dempster says of Tanco : "Inter sane-
tos relatus a pontifice sub Harrucho cpiscopo Verdensi VIII. "
38 See "Rerum Germanicarum Historici
Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Me-
tropolis," lib. i. , cap. 29, p. 21.
39 See "Rerum Germanicarum Historici
Ecclesiastica
^
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, "
Thaumaturga.
570 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i6.
brothers. It is mentioned, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ that Aedh
Glas, Bishop of Rath na n-Epscop, was venerated on this day. If Colgan's conjecture be correct, he had six brothers bishops, it is said, who are thus
namedanddistinguished-> Diermit,bishop; Foebarchus,bishop; Maclasrius, bishop ; Manchinus, bishop ; Tarchellus, bishop ; Tinnius, bishop. St. Aedh is set forth as the son of Mured, the son of Fortchern, and belonging to the family of St. Declan. ^ All of these are said to have been venerated at Rath- na-Nespoc,7 and they are ranked among St. Patrick's disciples. ^ These are
thought to have possibly lived, in the time of St. Kieran of Saigir f since, a Bishop Aldus, is mentioned in his Acts. ^° Under the head of Rath-na-
Nepscor—rightly, however, Rath-na nEpscop—Duald Mac Firbis enters, Aodh Glas, and Aongus, at February the i6th. Mr. Hennessy appends a
note stating, that the place is unknown ;" and, such is undoubtedly the case, under the misreading. There is a parish and a townland, denominated
Rathaspick,''^ in the county of Wexford. Here, there is a holy well, which was called after the episcopal patron of the parish, but whose name is now
forgotten. '3 There is a parish and a townland, called Rathaspick,'-* in the baronyofMoygoish,andcountyofWestmeath. Thereislikewiseaparish,
known as Rathaspick, situated, partly in the barony of Fassadinin, county ot Kilkenny,'^ and partly in the baronies of Ballyadams and Slievemargy,'^ in theQueen'sCounty. Icannotdetermine,towhichoftheforegoingplaces,
the present holy bishop and his brothers belonged.
Article III. —St. ^nghas, or CEngus, Bishop, of Rath na
n-Epscop, or Rathnaspick. [Probably in the Sixth Century. '\ Colgan seems to think the present saint was a monk of Durrow,^ and surnamed Laimhiodhan, who was the son of Flann, son of Bairrind, the son of Fin- chad, son to Degad, son to Drona, son of Buan. ^ He was an Ossoronian by
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268, col. 2. As also, in "Acta vSancto-
rum Hiberniae," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, n. 20, p. 464,
3 Among the pretermitted saints in the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii
XV. , p. 854.
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
50, 51.
5 According to the "SanctilogiumGenea-
logicum," cap. 16.
" See his Life, at the 24th of July. The
genealogies of St. Aedh's brothers arc alike.
relative to the Antiquities of the County of
Wexford, collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. i. , p. 368, I. O. S. Records.
^^ The bounds of this parish are shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Westmeath. " Sheets 5, 6, 10, 1 1. The townland proper is noted on Sheets 5, 6.
's This position is shown on the **Ord-
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
CountyofKilkenny. " Sheet2. —
*" This—by far the larger part is defined
"
on the
7 According to Marianus O'Gorman and for the Queen's County. " Sheets 25, 31.
other Calendarists. The townland proper is noted, on Sheet
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " 25.
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268.
9 See his Life, at the 6th of March.
Article III. — 'This large parish extends
through the King's and Westmeath counties.
" See
niae," v. Martii.
p. 459, n. 20.
One part lies in the barony of Moyca. shel,
Colgan's
*' Acta Sanctorum Iliber- Vita S. Kierani, cap. xii. ,
and this is defined on the " Ordnance Sur-
" See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 124, 125.
'-This parish, and townland, in the barony of Forth, are represented on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Wexford. " Sheet 42.
vey Townland Maps for the County of West-
mcath. " Sheets 37, 38, 40. The other
part is in the barony of Ballycowan, aud
this is shown on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the King's County. "
Sheets 8, 9, ib, 17. Within Durrow Dc-
mesne, in the latter division, the old ceme-
tery may be found. See ibiJ. , Sheets 8, 9.
»3 See "Letters
Information
"
21.
containing
Sanctilogic Genealogy," cap.
=
Such is his pedigree, according to the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
February i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 571
descent. Were we to admit the foregoing genealogical account, as refer- rable to him, he was one of St. Columkille's disciples. 3 According to this conjecture, St. ^^^ngus must have flourished, in the sixth century. Oengus or Aenghas,-^ bishop, is registered in the Martyrologies of Tallaghs and of Donegal,*^ on this day. No locality is given in the latter Kalendar, in con-
nexionwithhisname. IntheMartyrologyofTallagh,however,heisstyled BishopofRathanaeEspuc. Therewasaplace,bearingsuchaname,now abbreviated to Rathaspick, where, according to tradition, ancient religious buildings stood. It is at present a parish, partly in the barony of Fassadining, county of Kilkenny, and partly in the barony of Ballyadams, but chiefly in thatofSlievemargue,intheQueen'sCounty. Heremanycuriousrelicsof antiquity have been found. I'he place is so called, from a remarkable rath,
near the ancient burial ground, and known as
''
the Bishop's Fort. " The
old religious foundation here, as also one not far distant, on the townland of
Clonpierce, is, by popular tradition, ascribed to the O'Moores. The present
Protestant church, within the graveyard, was erected out of the ruins of the
ancient religious buildings. 7 Under the site of these, it is said, there were
formerly three vaulted chambers, in one of which there was a well of the
purest water. ^ It seems to me, the present St. ^ngus may possibly be the
one, who wrote the verses, on his more celebrated namesake, St.
15th of January. ^ The mistake is likely to be owing to a typographical error. The Bollandists3 take occasion to observe, when treating of the pre- termitted saints, on this day, that Colgan omits all mention of the Natalis of St. Darerca.
Echu Muidhmeadon. And it is a fortnight "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii
{i. e. , at the end of fourteen nights] in Spring xv. , pp. 846, 847.
his festival is, and, it is in the wilderness of Article ix. —^ See "Acta Sanctorum
Cinel in he is,— Ilibernicc," vi, Febniarii. De S. Mele,
Dobtha, Connaught, namely,
in Cluain Cairpti, ut dixit angelus : Episcopo Ardacadensi, 22, p. 263.
" Berrach and Mochoem 3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Feb- Delightful was their custom ruarii xv. , p. 804.
Armagh.
- **
"
n.
See our notice of her, at this date.
It reads thus :
—'
Article vii.
Aiitiphonarium belonging to the Culdees,
attached to the Metropolitan Church, at
Ides ii. , Sancti RicardL
Rou —Ardmachani. "Ox. X'^r\- Avcliiepiscopi
'
Article viii. See the Bollandists'
Formerly this was an
February i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 567
^ijrterntl) JBag of jFebruarp*
ARTICLE L—ST. TANCHON, OR TANCO, MARTYR AND THIRD BISHOP OF VERDEN, IN SAXONY.
[EIGHTH AND NINTH CENTURIES. -]
has been truly remarked, that the names of many Irish saints and ITscholars are enshrined in the records of foreign nations, when they are forgotten, or but faintly remembered, in their own country. Such was
the case, with regard to the present zealous missionary, and holy martyr, who is not even recorded in the pages of our native Calendarists, although noted in foreign Martyrologies. It must be observed, that Albert Crantzius was one of the first writers, who has left us any authentic particulars, regard-
this saint. ^ From his
noticesofSt. Tanco. Atthe16thofFebruary,Colgan^andtheBollandists^ give short Acts for this saint, such as they had been enabled to collect, especially from Krantz, and from various other authorities. The ancient territory of Lower Saxony had been intersected by the river, formerly called Visurgis,'^ now known as the Weser, which passes through Bremen, and falls into the North Sea. Westward of this river, the country was denominated Westphalia, and eastward, it was known as Eastphalia. In the former division,CharlemagnehadfoundedtheepiscopalseeofVerden. s Suitbert*^ and Patto,7 both of whom came from Ireland, were its two first bishops f and St. Tanco is classed as the third. He is called a Scot,5 which designation most usually signifies, that the place of nativity must have been Ireland, when not expressly stated, that any person, thus indicated, had been a Scot fromScotiaMinor,orfromAlbania,nowknownasScotland. ^° Colganwas of opinion, that this saint and his other colleagues, who preached the faith in Saxony, were Irish Scots, by birth. "
ing
history,
most writers derived their subsequent
Article i. —'See "Rerum Germani- carum Historici Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Metropolis," lib. i. , cap. 22,
29, pp. 17, 21.
' See "Acta Sanctorum
p. 224, ibid.
9 Dr, Lanigan says, that our saint was
probably an Irish Scot, and third Bishop of Yerden.
'° remarks of this that all Colgan saint,
writers call him a Scot. Yet, he was unable
topronouncepositively,whetherhewasa 3 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Feb- native of Scotia Major (Hibernia), or of ruarii xvi. l)e S. Tancone Epis. Verdensi, Scotia Minor (Albania). See "Acta Sanc-
in Saxonia Inferiore. Six short paragraphs, torum Hiberniae," xvi. Februarii. De S.
xvi. Februarii. De S. Tanchone Episcop.
Yerden. Exdiversis,pp. . 348,349. "
by Father Godefrid Henschenn, comprise the biographical notices, wliicli have been inserted in their great collection,
^ See Pliny, lib. iv. , cap. 28.
5 Towards the close of the eighth century.
^
See notices of him, at the 1st of March. 7 See an account of him, at the 30th of
Tancone Episcop. Verden, nn. I, 2, p. 349.
"
These are the reasons he chiefly ad- vances. In the first place, all the Scots, about this period, and before our saint's time, who were rendered illustrious by their piety and learning in Gaul and Germany, he would undertake to prove were Irish- men, when treating of them individually,
Hibernife,"
March.
8 "The Bollandists (at St. Suibert, 30 under their proper Acts. In the second
However, in what part of Ireland,
that Patto w^as not of what is " Monasterium Bishop place, called,
April) suspect
Verden, and that the i—mmediate successor of
Suibert was Tanco," See Dr. Lanigan's some of his predecessors and successors, "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. came, must have been a celebrated founda- iii. , chap, xx,, sect, iv. , p. 219, and n. 28, tion. Now, as there was no csenobium of
Amarbaricense," from which our saint, with
568 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryi6.
St. Tancowasborn,isunknown; but,heissaidtohavebeenofnoblebirth. "
Moved by missionary zeal, like many others of his countrymen, he left the island of his birth, to spread the Christian faith amongst strangers. '3 He travelledtoSaxony. ThereissaidtohavebeenanotherTanco,amonkof St. Gall, who must be distinguished from the present holy martyr. ^4 After Dempster's usual habit of unauthorized collocation, we find, also, that St. Tanco, or Tatto, is placed, by Camerarius, in his list of Scottish saints, ^s Dempster says, he was a Benedictine monk,^^ and that he wrote a book, on all the Gospels. ^7
St. Patto had vacated the office of abbot, over a monastery, named Amarbaric, near Verden. ^^ This estabHshment, founded for the use of Scottish or Irish monks,'9 is mistaken by Colgan, for the Irish Armagh, on account of a supposed similarity between these names ; he thinking, that Amarbaricensis was intended for Armachanensis. As he found no other monastery, having the former name, in either Ireland or Scotland, where he supposed it must be situated, he thus conjectured, this latter famous primatial city might have been meant. ^^^ The pious Tanchon succeeded this saint, as Abbot of Amarbaric, and on Patto's death, he likewise became Bishop of Verden. ^'^ This is referred to the year 760, or thereabouts, by Arnold Wion. =2 However, this appears too early a date, as it precedes even the erection of Verden into an episcopal see, according to the most authentic accounts. Tanco, who is also called Tatta,=^3 served God many years in Amarbarica Abbey, in great reputation for his singular learning and piety. He was raised, it is said, to the dignity of abbot. Through an ardent thirst after martyrdom, he resigned this charge. =4 The holy missioner Tanchon was animated with a hope of shedding his blood for the sake of his Divine Master. Being desirous of reclaiming the morals of the Saxon people, he fearlessly applied himself towards this task f^ and, he is said, by the writer already named, to have received a crown of martyrdom at their hands. We are told by Dempster, who makes him a Scottish saint, that he flourished, under King Conuallus II. in the year 820; but, that the year of his death is uncertain. ^^ He ascended gloriously to Heaven, on the xiv. day of the Kalends of March,^7 or the i6th of February,^^ about the year of our Lord 8oo. =9
=°
this name in either Scotia, Colgan thought The BoUandists and Mabillon, however,
it most likely some error has occurred in show that the monastery over which Patto
writing, Amarbaicense, for Armachanense. presided stood in the neighbourhood of See ibid. Verden.
the 1 6th of February.
^3 See Krantz's " Rerum Germanicarum
Historici Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii,,
sive Metropolis," lib. i. , cap. 22, p. 17.
'4 Dempster quotes for this statement, Sangalleus, in Vita Caroli Magni, lib. i. ,
cap. xxxi.
^s See ** De Statu Hominis, veteris simul
ac novae Ecclesiae, et Sanctis Regni Scotise," lib. i. , pars ii. , cap. iii. , sect. 2, p. 148.
"" =' See Martyrologium Anglicanum," at
^^
for this statement.
*'
Gaspar
Bruschius'
Catalogue
is quoted,
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii. , num 1 105,
p. 606.
^^ See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , section
iv. ,p. 219.
'9 Most of the foreign writers place it in
Scotia.
*7 See his
_
°3
Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. ii. , February xvi.
=* See ibid.
^s Although, we are uninformed, as to the
kind of death our saint endured we ; yet,
are told, by Arnold Wion, in his Benedictine
Martyrology, as also in Menard's Martyr- ology, that the immediate cause for his
death was a reprehension of vices at Verden,
and which excited popular frenzy against him.
Dempster states, that Tanco was Abbot of Amarbaricensis, before he became Bishop of Verden. See "Historia Ecclesiastica
num. 1 105, p. 606. "^ "
""^
See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
See I>ignum Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54. See Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii. , num. 1105, p. 606.
February t6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 569
Arnold Wion and the English Martyrology state, that our saint suffered about this time. The latter authority says, that after being appointed Abbot of Amarbaric, St. Tancho, feeling a desire to effect the salvation of souls in neighbouring provinces, went first to Flanders, and afterwards to Cleves, (now the chief city of that duchy near the Rhine in Germany), where he was createdBishopofVerden. However,Colganshows,thathewasnotpastor over the church so called, in the Duchy of Cleeves, near the Rhine ; but, rather,attheAller,whichflowsintotheWeser. 30 TheJesuitFather,Henry Fitzsimon, on the authority of the English Martyrology, records St. Tancon, a bishop and martyr, on his list of Irish Saints. An anonymous Calendar of Irish Saints3^ has his festival at the i6th of February. Yet, Dempster hashisfeastatthe13thofFebruary. s^ Camerarius,however,hasthei6thof this month. 33 Ferrarius,34 Wion, Menard and the English Martyrology, all
are agreed. 3S Again, some writers refer the date for his martyrdom, to a. d. 81 5,36 and to 820. The exact place, in which his victorious crown was obtained, is not known ; but, writers are agreed in stating, that on this day, his memory isveneratedatVerden,inSaxony. Therehisremainsarenowsaidtore- pose. 37 Yet, it would seem, that the body of our saint, and the relics of other holy countrymen of his were first interred, at some other place. 3^ The ecclesiastical historian, Krantz, does not state the year or place of our saint's death ; he even leaves us in ignorance, concerning the particular kind
of martyrdom St. Tanco endured.
His dalmatic was long preserved, as a precious relic, in the church of Verden. 39 Tanco is said-^^ to have been a holy man, a diligent observer of ecclesiastical decorum ; a man who left a
great reputation behind him for learning, but a still greater for sanctity.
Article II. —St. Aedh Glas, Bishop, of Rath na n-Epscop, or
Rathnaspick. [Possibly m the Fifth or Sixth Centtiry. l Those generous and noble virtues, which some natures seem even unable to comprehend or
appreciate, are cultivated by holy men, in a high degree of perfection. The name Aedh Glas, without any further designation, occurs in the Martyr- ology of Tallagh,^ at this date. Colgan^ and the Bollandists3 notice his six
=7 Crantzius says,
**
Tanco XVII. Kalen-
Krantzio teste. " This, however, is one of
Dempster's misstatements. ^
33 See " De Statu Hominis, veteris simul
ac novae Ecclesise, et Sanctis Regni Scotias," lib. i. , pars ii. , cap. iii. , sect. 2, p. 148.
das Martii hinc ad meliora regna concessit. "
This is evidently a mistake, for no such day,
as the xvii. of the Kalends of March, is found in the Calendar. It may be supposed, that the xvii. had been incorrectly printed
34 in Catalogo Generali. " 3S "
for xiiii. , Arnoldus Wion ad 16 Febr. recte observavit videri pro punctis ii. suf- fectum, vel potius ex iis male collocatis factum V. ; sicque ubi imprimendum erat xiiii. Calend. xvii. impressum. " All other writers, except Dempster, place the Natalis of our saint, on the i6th of February.
=^ See " Rerum Germanicarum, Historici
Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Me-
tropolis, lib. i. , cap. 22, p. 17.
to Arnold —who According Wion,
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," xvi. Februarii, n. 4, p. 349,
29
"die 14 Calendas Martii. " "Lignum Clarissimi, Historia, sive Me-
Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54. 3°See"ActaSanctorumHibernise,"xvi.
tropolis," lib. i. , cap. 29, p. 21.
'*° SeeDempster's"HistoriaEcclesiastica
Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xviii.
Februarii, n. 5, p. 349.
3^
tholicse Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. .
See O'SuUevan Beare's
Historiaj Ca-
606.
lib.
3'He "Coliturdiexiii. says :
xv.
»See "Trias
iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49.
p.
"
num. 1105, p. — Article II.
Februarii,
Quinta
adds,
3^ See Camerarius'
**
De Scotorum pie-
late," lib, iii. ^,
37 Dempster says of Tanco : "Inter sane-
tos relatus a pontifice sub Harrucho cpiscopo Verdensi VIII. "
38 See "Rerum Germanicarum Historici
Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Me-
tropolis," lib. i. , cap. 29, p. 21.
39 See "Rerum Germanicarum Historici
Ecclesiastica
^
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, "
Thaumaturga.
570 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i6.
brothers. It is mentioned, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ that Aedh
Glas, Bishop of Rath na n-Epscop, was venerated on this day. If Colgan's conjecture be correct, he had six brothers bishops, it is said, who are thus
namedanddistinguished-> Diermit,bishop; Foebarchus,bishop; Maclasrius, bishop ; Manchinus, bishop ; Tarchellus, bishop ; Tinnius, bishop. St. Aedh is set forth as the son of Mured, the son of Fortchern, and belonging to the family of St. Declan. ^ All of these are said to have been venerated at Rath- na-Nespoc,7 and they are ranked among St. Patrick's disciples. ^ These are
thought to have possibly lived, in the time of St. Kieran of Saigir f since, a Bishop Aldus, is mentioned in his Acts. ^° Under the head of Rath-na-
Nepscor—rightly, however, Rath-na nEpscop—Duald Mac Firbis enters, Aodh Glas, and Aongus, at February the i6th. Mr. Hennessy appends a
note stating, that the place is unknown ;" and, such is undoubtedly the case, under the misreading. There is a parish and a townland, denominated
Rathaspick,''^ in the county of Wexford. Here, there is a holy well, which was called after the episcopal patron of the parish, but whose name is now
forgotten. '3 There is a parish and a townland, called Rathaspick,'-* in the baronyofMoygoish,andcountyofWestmeath. Thereislikewiseaparish,
known as Rathaspick, situated, partly in the barony of Fassadinin, county ot Kilkenny,'^ and partly in the baronies of Ballyadams and Slievemargy,'^ in theQueen'sCounty. Icannotdetermine,towhichoftheforegoingplaces,
the present holy bishop and his brothers belonged.
Article III. —St. ^nghas, or CEngus, Bishop, of Rath na
n-Epscop, or Rathnaspick. [Probably in the Sixth Century. '\ Colgan seems to think the present saint was a monk of Durrow,^ and surnamed Laimhiodhan, who was the son of Flann, son of Bairrind, the son of Fin- chad, son to Degad, son to Drona, son of Buan. ^ He was an Ossoronian by
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268, col. 2. As also, in "Acta vSancto-
rum Hiberniae," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, n. 20, p. 464,
3 Among the pretermitted saints in the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii
XV. , p. 854.
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
50, 51.
5 According to the "SanctilogiumGenea-
logicum," cap. 16.
" See his Life, at the 24th of July. The
genealogies of St. Aedh's brothers arc alike.
relative to the Antiquities of the County of
Wexford, collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. i. , p. 368, I. O. S. Records.
^^ The bounds of this parish are shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Westmeath. " Sheets 5, 6, 10, 1 1. The townland proper is noted on Sheets 5, 6.
's This position is shown on the **Ord-
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
CountyofKilkenny. " Sheet2. —
*" This—by far the larger part is defined
"
on the
7 According to Marianus O'Gorman and for the Queen's County. " Sheets 25, 31.
other Calendarists. The townland proper is noted, on Sheet
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " 25.
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268.
9 See his Life, at the 6th of March.
Article III. — 'This large parish extends
through the King's and Westmeath counties.
" See
niae," v. Martii.
p. 459, n. 20.
One part lies in the barony of Moyca. shel,
Colgan's
*' Acta Sanctorum Iliber- Vita S. Kierani, cap. xii. ,
and this is defined on the " Ordnance Sur-
" See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 124, 125.
'-This parish, and townland, in the barony of Forth, are represented on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Wexford. " Sheet 42.
vey Townland Maps for the County of West-
mcath. " Sheets 37, 38, 40. The other
part is in the barony of Ballycowan, aud
this is shown on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the King's County. "
Sheets 8, 9, ib, 17. Within Durrow Dc-
mesne, in the latter division, the old ceme-
tery may be found. See ibiJ. , Sheets 8, 9.
»3 See "Letters
Information
"
21.
containing
Sanctilogic Genealogy," cap.
=
Such is his pedigree, according to the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
February i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 571
descent. Were we to admit the foregoing genealogical account, as refer- rable to him, he was one of St. Columkille's disciples. 3 According to this conjecture, St. ^^^ngus must have flourished, in the sixth century. Oengus or Aenghas,-^ bishop, is registered in the Martyrologies of Tallaghs and of Donegal,*^ on this day. No locality is given in the latter Kalendar, in con-
nexionwithhisname. IntheMartyrologyofTallagh,however,heisstyled BishopofRathanaeEspuc. Therewasaplace,bearingsuchaname,now abbreviated to Rathaspick, where, according to tradition, ancient religious buildings stood. It is at present a parish, partly in the barony of Fassadining, county of Kilkenny, and partly in the barony of Ballyadams, but chiefly in thatofSlievemargue,intheQueen'sCounty. Heremanycuriousrelicsof antiquity have been found. I'he place is so called, from a remarkable rath,
near the ancient burial ground, and known as
''
the Bishop's Fort. " The
old religious foundation here, as also one not far distant, on the townland of
Clonpierce, is, by popular tradition, ascribed to the O'Moores. The present
Protestant church, within the graveyard, was erected out of the ruins of the
ancient religious buildings. 7 Under the site of these, it is said, there were
formerly three vaulted chambers, in one of which there was a well of the
purest water. ^ It seems to me, the present St. ^ngus may possibly be the
one, who wrote the verses, on his more celebrated namesake, St.
