The Tale of Saint Carannog
The village of Llangrannog takes its name from the medieval Celtic saint, Carannog. The prefix ‘Llan’ which can be found in several place names across Wales means ‘the church of’. Thus, Llangrannog is the Church of Carannog.
Saint Carannog was the son of Corun, an early medieval Celtic Prince and the grandson of the famous Ceredig who was the ruler of a small Celtic kingdom centred around Cardigan Bay that was named after him, Ceredigion. When the kingdom was threatened by Irish raiders Ceredig was encouraged to abdicate in favour of his young grandson Carannog. Terrified at the prospect, Carannog fled the court of his father and went into a kind of self-imposed exile.
We know that Carannog came to the area that is now Llangrannog and excelled as a holy man between 480 AD and 540 AD, establishing a church near to the present site of St. Carannog’s. During this time legend has it that a white dove was sent to guide the saint, delivering messages to him from God. The same dove appears in the origin myth of the church itself. It is said that after refusing the throne Carannog chose to live as a hermit in a cave on the hillside. It was here that he devoted himself to prayer, reflection and of course the study of the scriptures. One morning, Carannog was whittling a stick at the mouth of the cave, when the white dove appeared circling overhead. The bird then began swooping down and taking off with the little pieces of wood shavings. Carannog, intrigued by the bird’s peculiar behaviour, followed the dove and found that the wood shavings gad been placed at a a spot in the valley below the cave. He took this to be a sign from God and set about building his first church out of wattle and daub near to the place where the present church stands and above which does in fact still exist a cave.
Carannog’s canonisation came partly as a result of several attributed miracles. There are many records of pilgrims travelling for all over the country and even some from abroad to drink the holy waters of St. Mary’s fountain which can be found at the north end of St Carannog Churchyard, it is also know to the locals as “Ffynnon Fair” (St. Mary’s Well). Another tale centres around St Carannog and his altar. St Carannog travelled across the seas with a portable altar in order to say Mass wherever he landed. However, according to local legend, whilst crossing the Severn estuary the altar was lost to the depths. Carannog distraught at the loss of his possessions asked King Arthur for help in recovering the altar. Arthur agreed on the condition that Carannog would deal with a troublesome dragon that was terrorising his people. Carannog knelt before the beast and prayed, the dragon came to him and peacefully allowed the saint to lead it away from civilisation like a loyal hound.
After some time, Carannog undertook years of missionary work. He sailed to Brittany where he founded Carantec, then back across the Channel to Cornwall where he established a church at Crantock, then he rode up to Somerset and built another church at Carhampton. On his travels he also crossed over to Ireland where he is credited with founding several churches and miraculously healing the sick. Late in life he did return to Wales, this time with followers, to live for a time in the cave where he had started his journey of faith. He then took passage to Ireland by himself where he died and was buried in a monastery that he had established there.
Visiting St. Carannog Church and the Well
Sadly, any evidence of the original church has disappeared. Nevertheless, the humble architecture and setting of the modern St Carannog’s Church captures the spirit of the sixth century saint and allows the visitors to feel a sense of the peacefulness that Carannog appreciated so much in his years living in the cave.
The current church was constructed in 1884 on the site of the medieval building. The oldest surviving artefact from that period is the font bowl which dates from the 13th century. Maintaining the classic medieval style of Welsh churches the 19th century construction consists of a nave and a chancel connected through a pointed arch. On each side of the entranceway to the chancel portion is an ornamental pew. The left side pew bears the date 1674 and is recorded as having come from Pigeonsford, a nearby mansion. The other is dated 1718.
A great story surrounding the church in the 19th century comes from 1843 when the Reverend Eleazar Evans, vicar of Llangrannog, was under pressure for collecting hefty tithes (payments given by the local farmers to support the Anglican Church). Reverend Evans was approached and threatened with a visit from ‘Rebecca and five or six hundred of her daughters’. Since 1839, grievances like disputes over tithes had been met by groups of men who would attack properties dressed in women’s clothing who called themselves merched beca meaning ‘Rebecca’s daughters’. At the same time the parish tithe collector was auctioned off in a mock sale … the winning bidder? … none other than the Devil himself. Unfortunately, the story takes a darker turn when later that year the vicar was badly beaten for giving evidence against parishioners to the Rebecca Riots inquiry that had been called by the judiciary.
Finally, just to the top end of the churchyard lies the remains of St Mary’s Well, the location of many of St Crannog’s healing miracles. Pushing aside some of the overgrowth you can still see the little medieval well and its now muddy contents. Although you may not want to take a drink of the supposed holy waters it is really exciting to still be able to see and feel a part of the story of St Carannog in an area which has lost nearly all but little trace of him.
Giant’s Play
On a visit to Llangrannog one cannot miss the large rocky outcrop seemingly plopped onto the beach. This enormous lump of Ordovician rock is called Carreg Bica (Bica’s Rock). According to Welsh legend, Bica was a local giant who lived in the hills overlooking Llangrannog. Bica was a guardian of the land and watched over the villagers and their daily lives. However, his presence was said to be both a blessing and a curse. For example, one story tells of Bica throwing great boulders into the sea to create coves for the local fishermen. On the other hand, it is said that Bica was also a clumsy character and would carve up the hillside as he meandered along his way making it unworkable for the villagers. These kinds of mythologies are very common in the histories of Celtic peoples and they often carry a moralistic message for their listeners. In this case, the stories of Bica were often to warn of the duality of nature, the fact that although it could provide for man it could also take away from them.
The most popular legend associated with Bica is that of Carreg Bica and how it came to be. The story goes that one-day Bica was in a great deal of pain, he was suffering with toothache. In a fit of rage and discomfort Bica ripped the offending tooth out of his mouth and threw it down onto the sands of Llangrannog beach. The giants tooth embedded itself in the earth and calcified over the centuries creating what we see now.
Another version of the tale also describes the origins of Ynys Lochtyn that lies near to Carreg Bica. This version claims that Lochtyn, a slave of Bica, had helped him remove his bad tooth. In return Lochtyn requested his own island that he could call his own. Bica obliged by running his finger along the land creating the peninsula just north of Llangrannog and a very small island at its tip that became known as Ynys Lochtyn.
In summary, the village of Llangrannog is a beautiful melting pot of myth and legend. Whether it’s the ancient mythological origins of the landscape featuring the giants or the early Christian stories of the Saints in Wales who performed miracles and tamed monsters, the Ceredigion coast is full of wonderful stories to explore.
Written by C. James McPherson MA MSc.