Branwalator

Branwalator
Born	Armorica
Died	unknown
Venerated in	Anglicanism; Catholic Church
Major shrine	Milton Abbas, Dorset
Feast	6 June (in Jersey) 19 January (translation of relics)

Branwalator or Breward, also referred to as Branwalader, was a

. "Brelade" is a corruption of "Branwalader". He is also known as Breward or Branuvelladurus or Brélade and Broladre in French.

Branwalator was a

. As with many of the early saints of this part of the world, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.

However, it is believed that Branwalator worked with Saint Samson in Cornwall and the Channel Islands, where he is remembered in Jersey in the parish name St Brelade and at Cornwall in the parish name of St Breward. He may also have travelled with Samson to Brittany in northern France.

In the

, Kenen. This is the main source of hagiographical information regarding this saint, which otherwise is sparse.

Branwalator's

. In the Middle Ages, his feast was kept at Winchester, Exeter, and in Cornwall.

claimed that the body itself was at Branston (or Branscombe) in Devon, and Leland referred to a chapel of Saint Breward near Seaton. The proper name of Milton Abbey is the Abbey Church of St. Mary, St. Samson and St. Branwalader.

The

Saint Brannock

(Benedictines, Farmer).

Churches and locations

Jersey

The Parish Church of St Brelade in Jersey is thought to date from the 10th or 11th century.

In Cornwall, the saint is known as St Breward. St Breward's church is the highest in Cornwall, located on Bodmin moor, in the village of the same name. The village had a Granite quarrying industry from ancient times; the Norman church was built from local stone. There are nearby stone circles. However, the village dates back to pre-Norman times when it was a series of small hamlets suspended along the western edge of Bodmin Moor.

There is also a St Breward's Well in Cornwall which is situated close to Camelford. It was visited by sufferers from inflamed eyes and other complaints, who would throw in a pin, or small coin, as an offering to the saint.

• "St. Breward Marks the Millennium" by Pamela Bousfield (published in the Cornish Coracle)
• Doble, G. H.
  (1965) The Saints of Cornwall: part 4. Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 116–127