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Padarn Beisrudd ap Tegid (lit.Paternus of the Scarlet Robe, son of Tegid) was the son of abishop named Tegid ap Iago,[1] who may have been born with theRoman name ofTacitus. Padarn is believed to have been born in the early 4th century in the Old North (orHen Ogledd) ofRoman Britain. According toOld Welsh tradition, his grandson, KingCunedda, came fromManaw Gododdin, the modernClackmannanshire region ofScotland.
One traditional interpretation identifies Padarn as a Roman (orRomano-British) official of reasonably high rank who was placed in command of theVotadini troops stationed in Clackmannanshire in the 380s or earlier by Roman EmperorMagnus Maximus. Alternatively, he may have been a frontier chieftain in the same region who was granted Roman military rank, a practice attested elsewhere along the empire's borders at the time.[2] His command in part of what is now Scotland probably lasted until his death and was then assumed by his son Edern (Edeyrn=Eternus). Edern was the father ofCunedda, founder of theKingdom of Gwynedd.[3]
The coat of Padarn is one of theThirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain. The coat is said to perfectly fit any well-born nobleman, but not achurl. TheLife of SaintPadarn confuses this Padarn with the saint, and contains a story about howKing Arthur tried to steal his tunic and became a Christian afterward.
InM J Trow's fictionalBritannia series, Padarn Beisrudd is one of the central characters. He is given the Latinised name of Paternus and portrayed as alimitanei soldier guardingHadrian's Wall.
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