36. SAINT DECUMAN,MONK-MARTYR OFWATCHET

Our holy Father Decuman was probably of Romano-British origin since his name means «farmer» of the provincial tax of one-tenth. Since there are Christian Roman inscriptions in the wall of the parish church of Llafihangel Cwm-Du in Breconshire, and since there is a chapel dedicated to St. Decuman in the same parish, it has been suggested that St. Decuman came from Breconshire, although his (rather unreliable) Life says that he came from West Wales. If so, then he probably set out on his missionary journeys from Breconshire to Pembrokeshire sometime in the sixth century; for it is known that he founded the monastery of Rhoscrowther in Pembrokeshire, and was probably also the original patron of the adjoining parish of Pwllcrochan.

From Pembrokeshire St. Decuman set out in a coracle across the Bristol Channel and landed «near [what later became the site of] Dunster castle» on the north coast of Somerset. This largely desert area pleased the saint, and for several years he lived the life of a hermit on the site of what is now the church of St. Decuman at Watchet, one thousand yards from the sea on a slight hill. He nourished himself partly on the milk of a cow.

While the saint was praying one day, he was murdered by «a son of Belial» who cut off the top of his head with a spade. It is said that he carried his head to the site of the present holy well of St. Decuman. Many miracles were recorded there down the centuries.

St. Decuman is commemorated on August 27.

Holy Monk-Martyr Decuman, pray to God for us!

(Sources: Baring-Gould, Lives of the British Saints, vol. II, pp. 323–324; H.M. Porter, The Celtic Church in Somerset, Bath: Morgan Books, 1971, pp. 81–84; David Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978, p. 105)