The Story of St. Ursula

Description

Is a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Ilar in the County of Cardigan, South Wales, 8 miles (S. by E.), from Aberystwyth, containing 533 inhabitants.

The name of the place signifies “the Church of the Virgins,” and is derived from the dedication of its church to St. Ursula and the eleven thousand virgins. The parish is situated on the southern bank of the Wyrai river and comprises a considerable tract of enclosed and well-cultivated land, with a, large portion of open and elevated common. The soil is fertile a, and in some places argillaceous turbaries ate found in various places.

The legend of the martyred Saint Ursula and her 11,000 followers has kept a global audience intrigued for centuries. But who was Ursula? And did she ever really exist at all?
Historians have attributed Ursula to various periods between, 300 – 600AD, although it is, generally agreed that Ursula was of Romano-British descent and that prior to her untimely demise she was betrothed to a man of high rank and was travelling to be united with her intended.

One of the most popular legends tells of Ursula being a princess and daughter of King Dionotus, ruler of Dumnoia, the region we know today as Dorset, Devon and Somerset. It is said that Dionotus received a request to supply wives for the settlers of the newly founded region of Armorica (today known as Brittany) from Conan Meriadoc, Armorica’s ruler. Dionotus dutifully sent Ursula as bride to Conan and thousands more maidens for his men, but unfortunately the women were never to arrive.

The conflicting accounts and the lack of solid proof surrounding the supposed martyrdom of Ursula and the 11,000 virgins meant that they were omitted from the Catholic Calendar of Saints when it was revised in 1969.

Whether or not Ursula did indeed exist, she has captivated the world for centuries.

• https://cynonculture.co.uk (link opens in new window)