470 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



The Parish Feast at S. Breock is on the Sunday nearest to 

 October 10. 



The festivals of S. Breoc are on May 1 and August 8. In 

 Brittany May 1 is observed especially in his honour. He is the 

 patron of S. Brieuc diocese. At Plobannalec in Finisterre is the 

 chapel of Plonivel dedicated to him. He is regarded as the 

 patron of purse makers, and his symbol is a purse, for what 

 reason does not appear from his legend. Whilst he was being 

 ordained, a ray of sunlight fell on his head. This simple 

 incident has been magnifed into a marvel by the biographer, 

 who makes out that a ray of light arose from his head, and he 

 is sometimes so represented. 



S. Brbwaed, Bishop, Confessor. 



The parish of S. Breward was constituted and the church 

 dedicated by Bishop Briwere or Bruere of Exeter, 1223 — 1224 

 who died on Nov. 24 in the latter year. Probably the church 

 bears the name of its founder and consecrator, but there was 

 certainly an earlier dedication, as there is a holy well in the 

 place, dedicated to S. James. Perhaps the native Cornish 

 called the new church Lanbrewer after the founder, and forgot 

 the earlier saint, who may have been S. Brevelaire or 

 Branwalader, and although Bishop Bruere never was canon- 

 ised, yet the name remained and was accepted as that of some 

 local saint. It seems to be an instance of a founder acquiring 

 popular canonisation because of his having founded a church. 



Oliver (Monasticon, p. 42, No. xviii) states that the church 

 "Ecclesia Sancti Brewer edi de Hamathethi " was granted to 

 Tywardreath Priory, in the time of Andrew the Prior. If this 

 were before Bishop Brewer's time, it would indicate that there 

 was a saint of the name. None can be identified, unless it is 

 Brevelaire, who was Branwalader or S. Brendan. 



The feast is on Feb. 2. 



S. Bridget, Virgin Abbess. 

 The cult of S. Bridget, in Cornwall and Devon, belongs to 

 that portion which was overrun and settled by a great migration 

 from Brecknock at the end of the 5th or beginning of the 6th 

 century. 



