Culdees facts for kids

The Culdees were a special group of Christian people in the Middle Ages. Their name, Céilí Dé, means "Spouses of God" in Irish. They lived in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. These groups were like monastic communities or hermits, focusing on a very simple and strict religious life. They first appeared in Ireland and later in Scotland. Often, they were connected to big churches, living a bit like monks but without taking the usual monastic vows.

What Does "Culdee" Mean?

The word "Culdee" or "Ceile De" first appeared around the 700s. It likely means "servants of God" or "worshippers of God." At first, this name was used for hermits who lived alone, trying to be very holy. Later, these hermits started living together in communities. Eventually, they became part of the regular church system, almost like secular canons (church officials who follow certain rules but are not monks).

Some people, like François Bonifas, believed the Culdee Church started much earlier, in the 100s. They thought it was later brought back by Saint Patrick in Ireland in the 400s.

History of the Culdees

Culdees in Ireland

During the 800s, Culdee communities were set up in at least nine places in Ireland. These included important locations like Armagh, Clonmacnoise, and Sligo.

One famous Culdee was Óengus the Culdee. He lived in the late 700s and wrote a well-known book called the Félire Óengusso, which listed saints and their feast days. Óengus founded a place called Dísert Óengusa in 780 AD. His teacher, Maelruan, created a set of rules for the Culdees of Tallaght. These rules covered their prayers, fasting, and confessions. However, it's not clear if these rules were used widely by other Culdee groups.

The Culdees in places like Armagh were similar to secular canons. They were church officials who helped with church services, especially singing. They were very important for keeping the cathedral running.

After Maelruan died in 792, the name "Ceile-De" disappeared from Irish records for a while. It reappeared in 919 when the Danes attacked Armagh but spared the Culdees' houses of prayer. More Culdee groups were found later in places like Clondalken and Scattery Island.

The wars with the Danes affected the Culdee houses. Some, like Clondalken, disappeared. In other places, like Clonmacnoise, the Culdees became laymen (not priests) and were married. At Armagh, new church officials called regular canons were brought in during the 1100s. These canons took over many duties, but six Culdees, led by a Prior, continued to exist. They were in charge of church services and looking after the church building. They even had their own lands.

The Culdees of Armagh lasted longer than others in Ireland. They continued until the dissolution (when monasteries were closed down) in 1541. They briefly reappeared in 1627 before their property was given to other church officials.

Culdees in Scotland

In Scotland, there were even more Culdees than in Ireland. Thirteen monastic groups were made up of Culdees, and eight of these were connected to cathedrals.

The monks of Iona had been forced out by the Pictish king Nechtan in 717. There is no mention of Culdees at any Columban monastery until much later. In 1164, Culdees were mentioned at Iona, but they had a less important role. The Culdees of Loch Leven lived on St Serf's Inch, an island given to them around 700 AD. In 1093, they gave their island to the bishop of St Andrews in exchange for food and clothing. However, in 1144, the bishop handed over their property and the island to the newly formed Canons Regular, and the Culdees likely joined them.

The Culdee chapel in St Andrews in Fife is still visible today. It is dedicated to "St Mary on the Rock" and is shaped like a cross. Local churches still use it for their Easter morning service. In the early days, there were several Culdee groups in Fife, likely in small, simple buildings.

The lives of Culdees in the 1100s varied. The main Culdee houses in Scotland were at St Andrews, Scone, Dunkeld, and Brechin. Each group was independent and led by its own abbot. They seemed to be divided into two parts: one for priests and one for lay people (non-clergy). Culdee priests were allowed to marry. At St Andrews around 1100, there were thirteen Culdees who held their positions through family inheritance.

Some historians believe that the 1100s in Scotland was a time when two different Christian beliefs were present: the Roman Church and the older Celtic Rite. The Culdees were part of this older Celtic tradition.

A big change happened when King Malcolm III's wife, Queen Margaret, and her sons, Alexander I and David I, worked to bring Scotland's church under the authority of Rome. Gradually, the Culdees' power decreased. Some Culdees joined the Roman Catholic Church. Those who refused were allowed to keep their income for life, but their numbers slowly shrank. By the early 1300s, they were no longer allowed to vote for the bishop and disappeared from history. Similarly, the Culdees of Monymusk and Abernethy became Canons Regular (a type of religious order) in the 1200s.

By the end of the 1200s, most Scottish Culdee houses had disappeared. Some were replaced by regular canons, while others were simply closed down. At St Andrews, they lived alongside the regular canons and tried to keep their old right to elect the archbishop. But this claim was rejected by Rome, and in 1273, they lost their voting rights. They were still mentioned in records until 1332 as a small group of important church clerks connected to the bishop and the king.

Culdees in England and Wales

The term "Culdee" is rarely found in England. The only known English group using the name were the canons of St Peter's in York around 925. They served in the cathedral and also helped the sick and poor. When a new cathedral was built, they stopped working there but continued to help the needy with donations. We don't know when they finally disappeared.

In Wales, the term "Culdee" is also rare. We don't know what happened to the Culdee groups that existed at Snowdon and Bardsey Island in north Wales around 1190. One writer mentioned that the community at Snowdon was being treated badly by the Cistercian monks.

Where Did They Come From?

Some historians, like Hector Boece in the 1500s, believed that the Culdees of the 800s to 1100s were direct descendants of the early Irish and Iona monks from the 500s to 700s. Others, like William Reeves, disagreed with this idea. Some suggest that the Scottish Culdees were connected to the Celtic Christian beliefs of the Iona monks.

Reeves thought that Maelruan, who wrote the rules for the Tallaght Culdees, might have known about a new group of canons established in Metz. These canons were a middle ground between monks and regular priests. They followed strict rules like monks but did not take vows and served in various churches.

"Culdee" in Fiction

• In The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry (the Thomas the Tank Engine books), there's a mountain railway called the Culdee Fell Railway. One of the trains is named Culdee. In the fictional language of Sodor, 'Culdee' means 'Companion of God'. The mountain is named after the island's patron saint. Rev. Awdry often used religious names in his books. For example, the island of Sodor is named after a real church area called the Diocese of Sodor and Man.
• Geoffrey Moorhouse's book Sun Dancing includes a fictional story about a very strict Culdee.
• Stephen Lawhead's novels Byzantium, Patrick, and the Celtic Crusades trilogy feature the Cele De.
• J.P. Moore's short story "Useful Visions" is set in a Culdee monastery.
• A group of Culdees in Iceland appears in H. Warner Munn's fantasy novel, Merlin's Ring.
• Culdees are important in the story "Tile Cutters' Penny" by Caiseal Mor.
• In Proinsas Mac a' Bhaird's Tairngreacht, a modern group of Céile Dé (Culdees) are involved in a conspiracy against the Vatican.

See also

• Christianity in Medieval Scotland
• Leabhar Breac