What is the name of the slave master who held Saint Patrick captive? His traditional name was Milchu, also spelled Miliuc.
According to Patrick’s own account in the Confessio, Irish raiders captured him at about age sixteen and transported him from Britain to Ireland as a slave. He spent six years working as a herder before escaping and returning to his family. Patrick does not identify his master by name in that surviving autobiographical text.
The name Milchu comes from later hagiographical accounts, especially medieval stories about Patrick’s life. These traditions place the master in northern Ireland, commonly associating him with Dál Riada or Dál mBuinne and with the area around Slemish in County Antrim. Slemish is consequently remembered as the mountain where Patrick tended livestock.
Spelling varies because the story passed through Irish and Latin forms before being rendered in English. Milchu, Milcho, and Miliuc therefore refer to the same traditional figure rather than different masters. Another common misconception is that Patrick was enslaved for only a short period; his own narrative says the captivity lasted six years. The historical details beyond Patrick’s account remain uncertain.