COENISH DEDICATIONS. 171 



S, GrWiNEAR, Martyr, see Fingar, 



S. GwYTHiAJsr, Confessor. 



The parish church of Gwythian is dedicated to this Saint, 

 and S. Grothian's chapel remains in the sands a ruin ; probably 

 as ancient as that of S. Piran at Perranzabuloe. 



Gwythian is a daughter church to Phillack and therefore a 

 later foundation. The royal manor and seat of the prince was 

 at Oonnerton in the parish and it remained a royal manor 

 continuously. Leland calls it Nicanor or Cenor. The creek of 

 the Hayle estuary running inland here was called Connordore, or 

 Connor's Water. 



Grwythian can hardly have been one of the Irish party. 



Grwythian was Count in the East of Cornwall, when S. 

 Samson arrived there, and found the people in Trig performing 

 idolatrous rites about a menhir. 



A boy tearing about the field on a horse was thrown and 

 taken up insensible. Samson took the lad in his arms and was 

 successful in restoring him ; and the people supposed that a 

 miracle had been wrought. That the story is not a fabrication 

 of the writer I conclude. Had it been so, he would assuredly 

 have made the boy son of the Count. 



The name of Gwythian is variously given as Gruidianus 

 (Vit. 1"'''), Widianus (Vit. 2'^='), and Gedianus (Vit. 3*^^). 



It is noticeable that we have Lawhitton, Llan-Gwidian, in 

 the neighbourhood, though not indeed in the same deanery. 

 The Cornish names of parishes on the Tamar, where brought in 

 contact with English, have been as much altered as have the 

 Welsh names in that part of Pembrokeshire, which is " Little 

 England beyond Wales." Thus as in Pembrokeshire Llan 

 Aidan has been altered into Lawhadden, and Llan Reithren into 

 Lawrenny, so has Llan Grwidian become Lawhitton, Llan Sant 

 has become Lezant, and Llan Winoc has been converted into 

 Lewanick, Landrake has in vulgar parlance become Larrick. 



In Domesday Lawhitton appears as Languittetone. We can 

 not be at aU sure that this is a Llan founded by Gwidian or 

 Gwithian, but it is probable, 



