CLYDOG
(
fl.
500?
),
saint and martyr
,
was the son of
Clydwyn ap Brychan
, and ruled over
Ewias
, now for the most part in the county of
Hereford
. He is known only from the account given of him in
Liber Landavensis
. According to this, he was a
prince
of pious habits, who loved peace and justice, and who was
slain while hunting
on the banks of the
Monnow
by a jealous follower. The occasion was the declaration of a maiden, courted by the
murderer
, that she would marry none other than the
king
. After vain attempts to move the body from the spot, such as pointed to a divine over-ruling purpose,
Clydog
was buried where he fell. His tomb was marked by an oratory, and a cult came into being; later a church was erected, on the site of the modern
Clodock
, which became the ecclesiastical centre of
Ewias
. Territory was attached to it, which in the time of
king
Ithel ap Morgan
(
c.
750
) was acquired by the
see of Llandaff
. No other church named after this saint is recorded. His festival was observed on
3 Nov.
Sources:
-
The Lives of the British Saints
, ii, 154-5.
Author:
Sir John Edward Lloyd, D.Litt., F.B.A., F.S.A. (1861-1947), Bangor
