In his ''De Excidio Britanniae'', [[Gildas|Gildas the Wise]] writes: "God ... in the ... time of persecution ... lest Britain should be completely enveloped in the thick darkness of black night, kindled for us bright lamps of holy martyrs…..I speak of Saint [[Saint Alban]] of [[Verulamium]], ''Aaron and Julius'', citizens of [[Caerleon]], and the rest of both sexes in different places, who stood firm with lofty nobleness of mind in Christ's battle."<ref>''"De Excidio Britannie"'', [[Gildas the Wise]] </ref><ref>[http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/aaron.html EBK: SS. Aaron & Julius<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></ref>

There is doubt that Diocletian's persecutions were ever carried out in Britain <ref>David Hugh Farmer, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978), 228.</ref>, but churches were nevertheless dedicated to these two saints. [[Giraldus Cambrensis]] confirms that two churches at Caerleon were dedicated to Aaron and Julius. [[Bede]] repeats Gildas' words, but mistranslated Gildas' ''Urbs Legionum'' as [[Chester]] rather than Caerleon.