102 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



The Feast of S. Denys is on Oct. 9. 



In Brittany he is in high esteem. It is there asserted that 

 God granted him power every day to liberate a soul from 

 Purgatory ; and another every night. He is invoked for the 

 dead, and the offering made to him is black corn.* 



S. Derwe, Virgin, Martyr. 



One of the company of Irish that came over and occupied 

 Pen with and Carnmarth. Derwe was, perhaps, killed, as her 

 Martyrium was in Camborne parish at Mertherderwa, or Mena- 

 derva as it is now called, where was a chapel dedicated to SS. 

 Hia and Derwe. 



The name is certainly Irish and the association with S. Hia 

 indicates that Derwe was Irish. 



Derwe is the same as Der-chartain, of Oughterard, in 

 Kildare. The name signifies Daughter of the Rowan-tree, 

 which was used to drive away witches. When S. Senan was 

 born, his mother laid hold of a rowan branch. If my 

 identification of S. lUogan with lUodhan son of Cormac, King 

 of Leinster be allowed, then she and 8. Ethnia (Stithiana) were 

 his sisters. 



On the hill of Oughterard are the ruins of her church and 

 of a round tower. This is in the same barony of Salt as the 

 church of her brother at Castle Dillon. Her day in the 

 Martyrology of Donegal is March 8. Her date of death about 

 560. Nothing is known of her history. 



As the names of the patrons of Camborne (Cambron, the 

 crooked hill) are given as Hia and Derwe, (Dr. Borlase, MS. 

 Par. Mem.y p. 16), it is reasonable to suppose that Derwe is a 

 female. Had Derwe been a male, the order would have been 

 SS. Derwe and Hia. 



There is good reason for believing that S. Stithiana of 

 Stythians is her sister Etaine or Ethnia, as the feast at Stythians 

 is on old S. Etaine's Day. Moreover Camborne Fair is on March 

 7, the eve of S. Derchartain. They were aunts of S, Credan 

 disciple of S. Petrock and founder of Sancreed. 



* Le Bra? " Annales de Brfetagne," T. ix, p. 461. 



