Meriasek

Meriasek (Meriadoc) (6th century(?)), bishop, patron of Camborne (Cornwall). His name indicates a Welsh origin; he seems to have founded at least one church in Cornwall, he went to Brittany, where he founded monasteries and became a regional bishop who worked in and near Vannes. His feast is kept in various Breton dioceses, but not elsewhere in France, probably because his relics remained in Brittany at the Viking invasions. He seems to have been a companion of Gwinear in both areas of his apostolate. The Cornish miracle‐play Beunans Meriasek, written in the vernacular, is a unique survival, but contains many legendary and few historical elements. It and the various breviary lessons all depend on a 12th‐century Life of little value. Wells named after him survive in Brittany and Cornwall. Feast: 7 June.

Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.

• G. H. Doble, The Saints of Cornwall, i (1960), 111–45; W. Stokes, Beunans Meriasek (1872)
• extracts from the same edn. by R. M. Nance and A. S. D. Smith (1949)
• the play was revived at Redruth in 1924