St. Petroc
There is no Cornish saint, and there are many, 
whose life story is of greater interest to most westcountry men than that of St. Petroc. He has given his name, not only to the ancient townof Padstow (Petroc’s stow) and to little Pethrick near Wadesbridge, but also to the whole Hundred of Pydar, (Petroc’s shire) he was the founder of Bodmin, which was for some time an Abbey-Bishoprie, and remained the
religious capital of Cornwall up to the end of the middle ages. He is also one of the chief saints of Devon and in Somerset he is the patron saint of Timberscombe. It is clear this pan-Celtic saint, whose cult is very widely spread both in Wales and in Brittany, was the apostle for the whole kingdom of Dumnonia.
During the Reformation and the succeeding centuries all the written “Lives” of the patron saints of the Cornish parishes were deliberately destroyed. In Brittany there were no Reformations and numerous “Lives” of the Cornish saints, which have disappeared entirely in Cornwall, have been preserved in Breton Manuscripts.
A fourteenth century monk, named john of Tynemouth, made an attempt to translate part of one of the manuscripts, the “Vita Petroc” his translation was vague and did little to arouse much interest in St. Petroc. In 1928, however, some further studies were made of the same manuscript, which reveals many interesting facts about Cornish History, and in particular, references to Cornish places and people. Some nine years after, a study of great importance was made which shed further light on the life and times of St Petroc. The Ducal Library of Gotha, in eastern Germany, was found to contain a volume of forty-five “Lives” of English and Cornish saints. It is as well to remember however, that few of the stories recorded in any of these manuscripts were written by contemporaries of St. Petroc and were, of course, subject to the fears and superstitions of the Middle Ages.
Very little is known about St. Petroc, the man, his very origin and decent being in dispute. Some say that he was of Cornish stock while others prefer to think of him as descended from the royal house of Wales. The Gotha document described him as being “handsome in appearance, courteous in speech, prudent, simpleminded, modest, humble, a cheerful giver, burning with ceaseless charity, always ready for all the works of religion because while still a youth he had attained a watchful care the wisdom of riper years”. He is reported to have twenty-four brothers and after having repealed a foreign invasion, he declined to accept the right of accession, preferring to retire form the world. He was succeeded by one of his brothers called Winleus.
Petroc and sixty of his retainers set sail for Ireland where they visited “as a native than as a stranger all the famous seats of study and religion”.. their wanderings and instruction in monastic ways is described in the “ Vita Petroci” as lasting twenty years! Their study completed, the whole band agreed to return to Britain and was delighted to find the original ship, which had brought them to Ireland, completely seaworthy. “the sails spread, the ship was borne along by the fear of God with great rapidity, although the winds were adverse”. St. Petroc is recorded as having arrived at the mouth of the river Camel, near Trebethrick.
Trbethrick is but a stone throw away from Padstow and it was to this ancient sea port that St. Petroc and his moks came around 600 A.D. there, St. Petroc and his followers established themselves in the celtic monastery of Lanwethinoc which was founded by the bishop Wethinic. The monastery became known as Petrocstow, Petroc’s church. It is interesting to know that the name Lanwethnoc remained long enough to be recorded in the doomsday book and referred to the Manor of Padstow.
Padstow was evidently the principal centre of Petroc’s activities for there are many street names and houses with a “taste” of Petroc to be seen in the town. The monks of Petoc-stowaquired large amount of land on both sides of the Camel estuary extending west as far as Pornreath near Redruth, North east as far as Tintagel, and inland to Lanhydrock and Bodmin. A large part of this ground forms the hundred of Pydar or Pydarshire, derived from Petroc-shire.
The bulk of the Gotha manuscript described the numerous pilgrimages and wanderings of the saint. St. Petroc travelled to Rome and Brittany, performing many miracles and healing the sick, but it is the founding of the priory at Bodmin, which provides us with the focal point.
The hermit St. Guran had discovered how suitable a spot Bodmin was and he established his “cell” on the site of the present Parish church. The hermitage had all the natural advantages of the suitable position. It was near running water, there was a pool, copious water springs, and the valley, then, as now, must had been verdant and sheltered. St. Guron became the founder of Bodmin. It is possible to see the well of St. Guron in the grounds of the Parish church. St. Petroc came to this hermitage, from Padstow, with three of his fellow saints, Credan, Medan and Dechan. St. Guron nobly resigned his abode and proceeded to the south coast to a spot named after him, Gorran.
It was not long before St. Guron’s hermitage was enlarged into a priory of considerable size and importance. St. Petroc became the first priory of Bodmin; and later not only the church