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THE CHURCH OF ST. TYSUL, LLANDYSUL EARLY in the fifth century there came from the North of Britain a people of thrust and drive, sweeping down as far as the river Teifi. One of these was Ceredig, a member of the Cunedda family, who gave his name to Cardiganshire (Ceredigion). Whether these people were Christian at the beginning of their infiltration it is difficult to say, but in due course some members of his household moved out as evangelists and founded small oblong enclosures of wattle and daub, thatched with rush, bracken, and heather, undivided by pillars and without aisles or transepts. A rough hewn stone was used as an altar. Examples of these pioneers in this area were Cynllo, Caranog, Tegwy, Brioc, Llawddog, who built the salmon leap at Cenarth, and Tysul. On a dry patch near a fordable place on the Teifi, the meeting place of a number of tracks, Tysul, born 462, died 544, son of Corun and grandson of Ceredig, brother of Cenau, fourth bishop of St. Davids, Caranog, and Pedr of Lampeter, and cousin of David our patron saint, established his Landa. His retreat and that of his success- ors was Cwmmeudwy. The only other church dedicated to Tysul is in Montgomeryshire, established probably as a cult centre by his follow- ers. The feast of St. Tysul falls on 31 January. The ancient altar with its early Christian incisions is still at this church and is now incorporated in the stone altar of the Lady Chapel. It must be regarded as a unique relic of Early Christianity in the country. In time wattle and daub gave way to wood, but it was not until the thirteenth century that its walls were built of stone, the roof remaining thatched until 1783 when the three years' task of tiling it was complet- ed. An unbroken record can be traced for this sanctuary from the days of Henry III (1216­1272). In his reign the church of Llandysul and its emoluments were given by Anselm le Gros, bishop of St. Davids, to the canons of St. Davids. In the year 1259 the canons of St. Davids were, for the first time, divided into two classes,-resident canons and non-resident canons. Richard De Carew in the same year confirmed Anselm's gift of Llandysul to the resident canons. Soon afterwards a dispute arose as to the patronage of Llandysul, the rival claimants being the Cathedral Chapter and Griffith ap Meredith. The dispute was referred to a commission which decided in favour of the Chapter, but in spite of that Bishop Carew restored the patronage to Griffith on condition that the rector was to pay annually to the resident canons the sum of twenty marks. The vicar was also to receive a third of the emoluments. For the next twenty-one years things went on amicabl y