Dewi is from Henfynew (in Sugales), of a very religious family. Years ago, he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and returned with sacred relics, including the altar Christ used at the Last Supper and a piece of the True Cross. More importantly, he brought back a desire to establish the monastic tradition of the desert hermits into his homeland.
He instituted a system of rigorous monasticism based upon the Order of the Black Monks, heedless of the fact that a regimen acceptable in a desert climate is extreme in damp and chilly Cambria.
He is called “Waterman” because he forbade all alcoholic beverages to his order. His order has attracted many followers and has spread from its corner of Cambria to Ireland, Cumbria, Cornwall, and Brittany.
He is a Roman Christian.