Caffo
Caffo was a sixth-century Christian in Anglesey, north Wales, who is venerated as a saint and martyr. The son of a king from northern Britain who took shelter in Anglesey, Caffo was a companion of St Cybi, and is mentioned as carrying a red-hot coal in his clothes to Cybi without his clothes getting burnt. After leaving Cybi, Caffo was killed by shepherds in the south of Anglesey, possibly acting in retaliation for insults Caffo's brother had paid to the local ruler. The area where he died has a village, Llangaffo, named after him, as well as the parish church of St Caffo, Llangaffo.
Life and martyrdom
Little is known for certain about Caffo; his dates of birth and death are not given in the sources. He is said to have been one of the sons of
Caffo was a companion and cousin of St Cybi, a Christian from Cornwall who was active in the mid-6th century. Cybi established himself in Anglesey within a disused Roman fort in what is now called Holyhead: the town's Welsh name is Caergybi, or "Cybi's fort").[4] Caffo is mentioned in connection with Cybi in a manuscript written in about 1200, which contains two accounts of Cybi's life.[3][5] Caffo is not mentioned in the accounts of Cybi's life until an incident when he was sent to fetch fire from a blacksmith. He returned to Cybi carrying a red-hot coal in his clothes, which were not burnt.[3][6]
At some point, Cybi and Caffo parted company, possibly because of a disagreement between them, but possibly because his brother Gildas had insulted Maelgwn, who then forced Cybi to dismiss Caffo – both versions appear in the manuscript accounts. Thereafter, Caffo moved towards the south of Anglesey, where he was killed by shepherds from the area now called Newborough, perhaps avenging the insult on their king.[3]
Commemoration
The area of Caffo's death became known at some point as
It is uncertain when the name "Llangaffo" was first used or when the first church was established here, but it was before 1254, when the church and community were recorded in the
Caffo is reported to have had a bubbling "holy well" in the area, called Crochan Caffo ("Caffo's cauldron") or Ffynnon Caffo ("Caffo's well"). Parents would offer fowls to be eaten by the attendant priest, in order to stop their children from peevishness. A nearby farm is still named after the well, although the well itself has been lost.[3][11]
See also
Other Anglesey saints commemorated in local churches include:
- St Cwyllog at St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog
- St Eleth at St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
- St Iestyn at St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn
- St Peulan at St Peulan's Church, Llanbeulan
- St Tyfrydog at St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog
References
- Notes
- ^ a b Baring-Gould, pp. 92–94.
- ^ Baring-Gould, p. 55.
- ^ a b c d e f g Baring-Gould, pp. 49–51.
- ^ Lloyd, John Edward (2009). "Cybi (fl. 550), saint". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-84383-024-5.
- ^ Rees, W. J. (1853). Lives of the Cambro British saints. Longman. p. 500.
- BBC Wales. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ISBN 1-84527-089-4.
- ^ Cartwright, Jane (Spring 2002). "Dead virgins: feminine sanctity in medieval Wales". Medium Aevum. The Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ "St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo". Diocese of Bangor. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ The farm can be seen on maps at 53°11′56″N 4°19′57″W / 53.199002°N 4.332492°W
- Bibliography
