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 6th 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!