266 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



Now Ere, the foster father of S. Itha and S. Brendan, died 

 in 514. According to the glossator on Oengus he was the father 

 of Eoghain or Euny, but was probably only his spiritual father, 

 as there is another account of Euny's parentage. Eoghain of 

 Ardstraw died about 570. 8. Barr or Finbar is difficult to fix. 

 If, as is stated in his life, he was acquainted with S. Senan, who 

 died in 544, then we may put his death as taking place about 

 550. Now it is interesting to find that he did have religious 

 women under his direction, and that one of the foundations in 

 Ireland by a disciple of his was Gill la, afterwards occupied by 

 Bishop Lidheadhan or Livan. In one of the Lives of S. Barr, 

 a number of women are mentioned as having been under his 

 direction, but they are nearly all spoken of not by name, but as 

 daughters of so-and-so. One named is Her and with her Brigid. 

 It is probable that this Her is a mistake of the copyist for Hei, 

 and that she was the foundress of Cill-Ia, and identical with the 

 S. Hia who came to Cornwall. According to the story given by 

 Colgan, Hia resolved to be of the party of Eingar and Piala, but 

 they left Ireland without her. Thereupon she went after them 

 floating upon a leaf and arrived in Cornwall before them. The 

 myth of the leaf is due to a confusion between her and Hia or 

 Bega, the foundress of S. Bees. She is said to have been wafted 

 over on a sod of grass. 



What is true in Capgrave's story is that Hia was one of the 

 earlier settlers in West Cornwall, before the arrival of the swarm 

 under Eingar. 



When this second body of Irish arrived, we are told by 

 Anselm, the author of the legend of Eingar, that they found 

 " quoddam habitaculum non longe a litore. . . .in quo Virgo 

 quaedam sancta manebat inclusa ; et nolens S. Guingnerus eam 

 inquietare, salutata virgine, ad alium locum transiere pransuri." 



Eingar and his party landed in Hayle mouth, and went to 

 Hia's settlement hard by ; she is the " vir go sancta." But she 

 was illpleased at this arrival of fresh colonists and declined to 

 have anything to do with them. This is the probable meaning 

 of the story as given by Anselm. 



According to William of Worcester she died and was laid at 

 what is now called S. Ives. This is likely enough, for she has 



