General Notes

Cadell (Latin, Catullus/English, Catullus) Ddernllwg, King of Powys.Cadell of the Gleaming-Hilt appears to have been driven out of thekingdom of his father, Cadeyrn, by Irish pirates during the chaos of theSaxon insurrection in Southern Britain. He hid himself amongst thepeasants of Powys and became a servant of the Irish chieftain, Benlli,hoping, one day, to find an opportunity to retrieve his inheritance. Hischance arose when St.Germanus of Auxerre visited Britain, probably forthe second time in 447, to combat the Pelagian heresy. Travelling intothe Midlands, St.Germanus heard of the pagan Irish stronghold and, withhis many followers, laid siege to the
Powysian capital. Cadell showedthem what modest hospitality he could, in his rural hovel outside thecity walls. Germanus eventually had a dreadful premonition and advisedCadell to
remove all his family from within the city walls. That night,the Royal palace was struck by lightning. The resulting fire spreadquickly and all within the city were burnt alive. The young Cadell wasthus restored to his throne. It is unclear, where the kingdom's capitalwas at the time, though archaeological evidence points to Caer Guricon(Wroxeter, Shropshire). The town was occupied well into the 6th century,and an ancient memorial stone bearing the Irish name,
Cunorix, has beendiscovered here. Cadell apparently died quite young. [David Nash Ford,Early British Kingdoms, Biographies of the Kings of Powys]