St Justinian of Ramsey.

Some of my favourite stories about Ramsey island are about St Justinian. I’ve collected some of the information from history or local information books, from the boatmen and tour guides, from the current Ramsey wardens Lisa and Greg…and I’m sure I’ve probably embellished bits here and there myself! Added together the individual stories form quite a tale and it’s a tale I’d like to try and do justice to here.

St Justinian was known as a thoroughly pious man, a strict disciplinarian and a no nonsense kind of guy. As a result of this he was sent from Italy to St Davids in the early 6^th century by the pope to keep an eye on the people of this revered Welsh city. The monks of St David’s had wavered from their religious path and engaged in bribery, fornication, gambling and many other unholy activities. After a long and almost certainly arduous journey across Europe St Justinian could not bring the wayward monks back into line and could not cope with the debauchery.

                After a striking vision from God, St Justinian saw what he needed to do and built himself a coracle in order to strike out from the mainland and find himself a sanctuary. After casting himself into the strong Pembrokeshire currents he found himself on Skomer island.

 

Not quite feeling comfortable on Skomer St Justinian soon had another vision from God telling him to once again go to sea in his coracle and head for Ramsey. Once on Ramsey St Justinian soon settled and built himself a chapel so that he could spend his days in prayer and quiet contemplation.

 

St Justinian however was not to be left alone to become a hermit as a small band of devout monks from St David’s soon heard of his strong Christian faith and followed in his footsteps. St Justinian accepted his new band of devout followers and agreed to lead them in a strict religious practise.  At this time Ramsey was connected to the mainland by a slim land bridge and St Justinian and his followers were often disturbed by hooligans and time wasters. The people of St David’s were uncomfortable with his strange ways and eventually confronted him at the base of the land bridge. Unafraid, St Justinian looked to God who provided him with a giant and holy axe which he used to cut away the land bridge turning Ramsey into an island. The axe however was not perfect and as St Justinian hacked his way through the stone the blade became blunter and blunter until it could no longer be used. In cutting Ramsey off from the mainland St Justinian had formed the Bitches and Whelps reef. The remaining rocks get larger (more or less) the closer they are to Ramsey which shows just how blunt his axe became.

 

Being isolated the monks were now free to worship undisturbed under St Justinian. St Justinian was famously holy and even St David visited him on Ramsey island making him his confessor and the abbot of St David’s cathedral. Although incredibly holy, St Justinian was a strict disciplinarian and an unforgiving leader. When he felt a monk had broken his vows or committed a religious misdemeanour he would row them out to an island just off the Southern tip of Ramsey. The island is known in Welsh as Ynys Cantwr or Chanter’s isle. Carved into the island there is a large cave which harbours a large rock at its centre. St Justinian would row them out to this rock under Ynys Cantwr and chain them to it for the rise and fall of two tides. The troublesome monk would be required to loudly chant his penance in the hope that God would forgive him. If God felt that the man was soundly repentant he would hold back the tide and the monk would live to pray another day…if not he would succumb to the turbulent waters.

 

Eventually some of his followers grew tired of his harsh manner and beheaded him just outside his Ramsey chapel. God was upset that St Justinian had met such a sticky end and therefore caused a spring to well up just where his head hit the ground. This spring still supplies Ramsey with water and is known to have healing properties. Well into the medieval times the sick and injured would come to the island to drink or bathe in the water. According to the records it was quite common for people to sick up a number of frogs and then find themselves full recovered from whatever was troubling them. This is especially interesting as there are no frogs on the island anymore!

                It wasn’t just God that was upset about the murder of St Justinian as St Justinian was pretty peeved himself. He picked up his head and walked across Ramsey sound with it wanting nothing more to do with Ramsey island. He picked a place just on the mainland to lay at rest and a chapel was built over him. This chapel still stands in a place that is now known as St Justinian’s.

                The killers did not walk away without punishment as they were sent out to a lonely rock called the Gwahan to the North of Ramsey. Everyone was told that they were lepers and not to offer them rescue lest they want to catch leprosy too. Presumably they perished out on their tiny isolated island but nothing more is said about them.

 

(The Gwahan with the Pembrokeshire mainland behind)

 

 

I’m entirely unsure which parts of this story are true and historically accurate and which parts are shrouded in myth and exaggeration…I’ll leave it up to the reader to sort out the truth from the story!