Petrock, to the
monastery
of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
It is stated, more- over, that serpents and noxious animals infested the lakes and places, in that part of the country.
By his miraculous gifts, Petrock succeeded in banishing the last of those pests beyond the seas.
According to some accounts, our or a of Britain.
6?
saint flourished a. d. 68 under 560,
Maglocum, Malgon, King
Taking twelve companions with him to a solitary place, where no water was
to be found, Petrock struck the ground with his baculus, and water was pro-
duced from the earth. He there founded a college or monastery of the
Apostolic Order. From him, this place was afterwards called Petrockstow,
which has been contracted to Padstow ;'° although, Borlase thinks Padstow,
to have have been so called by the Saxons—from St. Patrick—viz. , Patrick-
12 stow. ? About this period, Tendurus, or as also called Theodoras,? and
Constantine,? 3 were chieftains of renown, in Cornwall. Rapacious bands hovered about the fords of the Tamar, and piratical ships kept the coasts in
62 The ancient Life quoted by John Leland
the year m. dc. xlviii. , Cent, i. , Book i. , sect. II, p. 42.
states,
"
Petrocus Romam prfiit"
63 it is
However, altogether
£6
more
ble, that Pel rock should have undertaken this long journey in middle life, and soon after his withdrawal from Ireland, than in his old
ofTinmouth'sLifenddsthisdirec-
prob. i-
in Corn-
John
from the Angel :
''
liqueras, assistentr-m lupum reperies. quern
"
was called by the Saxons Petrockstow; but by the Britons Bodmanna—.
that is the Habitation of the Monks. " allusion to this narrative, "are Enst Indies William Borlase's "History of Corn-
andafter a
age, thirty years' sojourn
tibi Dominus
vium, donee notas in paites pervenias. "
" Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Junii iv. Vita suspecta auctore Joanne Tinmouthensi, ex MS. et Capgravio, sect, iv. , p. 401.
wall, whenhemusthavebeenseventyyearsold. 64 The accompanying illustration, drawn on the wood by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard, presents a view of this celebrated city, from without its
walls.
6; This town
05 "All far countries," says Fuller, in
—"Church of History
Book
to ignorant people. "
Britain ; from the Birth of Jesus Christ, until
wall," p. 381.
vol.
i. ,
iv. , chap, xi. ,
sect,
i. ,
Ubi vero mare transieris cum baculo, quern cum melote re-
tion
me — collegam, prxparavit pane-
June 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 119
constant alarm. Moreover, the country itself was full of insurrection and
strife, for petty chieftains were everywhere struggling for supremacy. One of the mightiest among them, in the west, seems to have been the regulus, named Tendurus. ? * In the Acts of St. Petrock, by John of Teignmouth, a Constantine is mentioned, not however as a chief, but as a rich man. His ser- vants had chased a stag, which fled for protection to the cell of St. Petrock. This circumstance was related to their master, who became violently indignant.
He made an attempt to draw his sword, against the holy man ; but, suddenly, hiswholeframeseemedrigid. However,Petrockforgavehisenemy,andon pouring forth prayers for him, Constantine was restored to strength. After- wards, on being taught the Faith of Christ, he and twenty of his pagan war- riors, were converted from the evil of their ways, while Constantine himself became a Christian teacher. He resided in Cornwall, for some time, after his conversion. This may he inferred, from the fact, that a church in the country 75 hasfromtimeimmemorialbeenassociatedwithhisname. Itmarked,pro- bably, the place of his abode, and where his Christian labours had been exercised. Moreover, there is a trace of his connection with the district, in which Petrock himself resided. In the parish of St. Minver, which originally belonged to Padstow, were the ruins of an old chapel, ? 6 dedicated to St. Con- stantine. 77 It is not improbable, that the change, which God's grace wrought in Constantine, was brought to pass, through the instrumentality of St. Petrock, and that the penitent occasionally occupied a cell, on tiie sands of the northern shore, to hold frequent intercourse with his spiritual guide. The place above all others, which was dear to Petrock's memory, must have
8
been the hermitage of his early days, at Bodmin. 7
proceeded, to plant the first and most renowned monastery, that ever existed on Cornish soil. Tendurus or Theoderic and Constantine aided St. Petrock, by their generosity and piety. 79 Among other works, Petroc is said to have
a book " De Vita Solitaria good authority for such a statement.
composed
men aided in establishing, is related to have occupied the site of St. Petrock's
68 See Dr. Thomas Fuller's " Worthies of
7S Constantine, in the Hundred of Kirrier. From the notice of the Church in Domesday, it seems to have been, as Polwhele says, one of more than ordinary note. " S. Constan- tinus tenet dim. hidam terne, quae fuit quieta
England," p. 563. 69 See Bale's
"Irish Saints in Great ? 6 There was a " Well built of stone Britain," chap, ii. , strong
"
Scriptorum Illustrium Majoris Britannia," &c. Centuaria Prima,
num. xl. , p. 56.
70 See Right Rev. Patrick F. Moran's ab omni servicio T. R. E. "
and arched over," near it, as we are in- 71 He adds " others think it called Pad- formed.
p. 33-
stow from St. Petrock, a Disciple of St.
:
Patrick, who—settled in the same house and "
77 When Hals wrote his history.
? 8 "The late Priory of Blake Chanons stoode at the Est Ernie of the Paroch Chirch YardofBodntyne. S. PetrocuswasP—atrone of this and sumtyme dwellyd ther. " John
built here. " Histoiy of Cornwall," vol. i. , Bookiv. ,chap,xi. ,sect,i. ,p. 380.
73 According to John Leland.
Leland's " vol. Itinerary,"
73 This Constantine
the tyrant of that name, whom Gildas vehe-
mently denounced for his life of iniquity ; since we are to'. d, that after having slaugh-
may
be identical with
ii. , p. 84.
79 " Regnabant eo in Corinia saeculo duo reguli, fama celebres, Theodoras et Constat! - tinus ; quotum cum liberahtate turn pietate adjutus, locum condendoaptissimum monas- terio aliquot passuum millibus a Sabrltto dis- ; cui nomen —
tered his rivals, the sons of Mordred, he was
seized with remorse, and he resigned the
throne, to spend the rest of his days in seclu-
sion. Thus, in his old age, he became lingua Bosmanach a monachis iditum. " a pattern of Christian virtue, and he was a
preacheroftheGospel,indistantlands.
74 He is described, in the Life attributed to John of Tinmouth, as a man of fierce
aspect and of savage manners,
" (Jommentarii De Scriptoribus Britannia's. " auctoreJoanneLelandoLondinate,tomusi , cap. xxxv. , De Petroco, p. 6;.
^ See Bale's " Scriptorum Illustrium. Ma- joris Britannise," &c. Centinrio Prima,
tantem littore
accepit patria
Thither, it is said, he
8° we are at a loss to find ;" but,
any A monastery, which some holy Irish-
120 ——
[June 4- n institute of considerable
magnitude.
planted Little
wall,owethen
West Hollacombe, Lidiord.
These places
Petrock [
i
*tn
healed the sick and he wrou.
orks* character. AUas
^ ^. ^
of many miracles, was acknowledged
supernatural*
"*
to be
to close, and kno ro»^
^^ his disci pi
about
Petrock's last legacy.
the world,
It as sosi
gh
^
and detest envy
n, alto
^m«'
abandoned
Sould repress anger,
onlv shun detraction,
^
S -fl! ^
,
ed buteQ
. ^
g £
£
,
ti e that y
but
n
m Qnly
in
th
gi Styshould i ato be
les y
Of the
^f
These and SSL* At Petrocstow^
there too, he was ^
and
^ for a He
and the love
^^^o
or ^£*£
Chost
85 h s
account has it, that h
^^ sometime
^j 1 aosto
again, sixth century on A.
Lppy -mortaluty
died, it is said, after tinny
^^ gg roonastery ^
day before
the
nones of June
^
rac f
^ ^°monks> 1 KW> =
whq
ks after
merlv passed some part
s bonour. 9° to
&
whe„ he
S'shed^ and Petrock had founded
*«*
' »
;
thg *e sea-
eve
SSto eir
virtue y
~~~
.
. . .
^. ^ had ^^%^^S^
jg
g* ^ ^ h
^ ^
; *-ce,, in Cornwall -JJ
No. less.
een Padstow Bodmin ^e
t an ^twelve
b
Corm
are ^ DevQn> viz. ,
va Minor, and ieval
in
^ samtcontomaa
u
pleasurable
all evil nea
ldnot rs
a J
«
oG^omepn^d were
» h«mo^
f;such ilfike exhortations
co
ntaented,
cot,
Jthe Bened,c. ,„e Ori*^.
A reign of Kmg 'f
5
'*'
the time repaired
monastery of
nt.
"^ e
P^ed we«t
befo exchanged
re e
-
^^
-u
rf ^^
Peetroc *
St.
Brent, Clannaborough« 1 m the si t
^^ Petrock, and ^< ments,
^,
m0rtal o{ h d to everlasting bliss,
se
in the word y of
01 n» J*^*SSit is stated,
«* =
our ^_^^^^^-TZ^^
ot retro-,
sai
vol. vi. , Jura «• c^ss? a. "^s:^•
num. xl. , p- 5&- nlloowW . called by, or asso- 8t These are even k>
the ^ame of or elated with, ^bt slation
Saints,"
„ of Hisloty
^ h^
i•ecl• ^
'c "XotitiaMonas-
'ts. e - Acta
iv. . Vita, Su^-cta, J. 0) $
Sanctoru-JJ ex Mb. «a^goFrbe
llearne, M. A. .
mouthensi,
7. p. 401. . t ofTpunc or Adelston,
St Mon^tica. "
>» *,'J'2to *Jam. «
sect. iv. „ ^ . «
JBT co. -". "'"-
Magi* B^aj Esq. , and Samue! ,
,/«« with cotnmocUtees
o in
Fgdtstaw is ful
to by. **** P^Te Itinerary of John of Insch Men.
""^
^
es of an
J
»^
^
mst
Sg
^
tu
g
e in th
sixtn ;
cno
J
L
ur
^
i
£
*
o^
aS they had
ng Tb£K ^»ded
*
S,^ *^
xxiii-
90 See ibid. , h Rev
sect,
9. See Daniel Lysons vol. hi-, P- 30-
See Tohn Scriptoribus
9=>
,, Lelana s
commenta .
tomus
„ Bntanmcrs,
de
rii
c
June 4. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 121
a monastery, in honour of St. Petrock. 93 Giving a list of the Bishops of
Cornwall, Heylin 94 names, in the first place, St. Petrock ; adding, that he lived about the year 850. But, this date is three hundred years, after the time of St. Petrock of Padstow and, some writers suppose, he must have
— —;
been although a namesake a different person from the patron. The
episcopal See for Corwall was placed at Bodmin,95 by King Edward the
and
a. d.
was the seat of the Bishops in Cornwall. 97 At that date, the pirates, who
Elder,
by Bishop Plegmund,
905.
infested the shores of Domnonia and Cornubia, ravaged St. Petroc's-stowe. 98 We are informed, that King Athelstan 99 gave part of the bones, hair and gar- ments of St.
Petrock, to the monastery of St. Peter's, at Exeter. 100 The monas- tery of St. Petrock, at Bodmin, being burnt down by the Danes, the bishops removed their seat further east to St. on the River 101 The
German's, Lyner. monastery seems to have continued in ruins for some time, and it went into
thepossessionoftheEarl—ofMoretonandCornwallattheconquest; but
s re-edified in soon after it wa—
10, to some or 1120, according accounts,
1 106 a Canon of the 177,
Abbey
of
Bodmin, by
name
Martinus,
n
and restored to its former use by a nobleman, called Algar,
102 I03
as others state
with the licence of the king, and with the assistance of William Warlewast,
of Exeter. 10* it was Then,
to Canons
10s
In the removed the
Bishop
108
in Brittany.
to King Henry II. , and implored of him to aid them, in recovering the sacred relics. The king granted their request. A band of armed men was sent to the Abbey of St. Mevennus. I09 These insisted on the restoration of the
from ancient Charters of Donation, an ac-
count of St. Petrock and liis monastery, vol.
i. , p. 213. This, however, is not easily re-
concilable with the time, in which he Anglorum," lib. ii. , p. 146. flourished, according to other historians.
94 See "Help to English History," p. 116.
95 At Bodmin, Cornwall, there was a Lazar House dedicated to St. Laurence,
"
;'
See Monasticon Anglicanum, by Sir
William Dugdale, vol. vii. , part ii. , p. 757, new edition by John Caley, Esq. , F. R. S. , Henry Ellis, LL. B. , and the Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel, D. D.
given
year bones of this saint, and carried them to the Abbey of St. Mevennus,10?
However, Roger, the prior of Bodmin, went with his brethren
"
96 See William Borlase's Histoiy of loci possessionem adductis, solicite in jus
— Commentarii de Cornwall," vol. i. , book iv. , chap, xi. , pr^tinum reduxerunt. " "
sect, i. , p. 381.
9? William of Malmesbury writes
auctore Joanne
" Cor- nubiensium sane potificum succiduum or-
dinem uec scio nee nisi appono,
quod apud sanctum Petr—ocum confessorem fuerit episco- patus sedes. " "De Gentis Pontificum Ang-
loium," lib. ii. , p. 146. Saville's edition.
98 See the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle," p. 399, in "Monumenta Historica Britannica, or Materials for the History of Britain," &c. vol. i. Also, Florentii
of n. 1.
con," p. 579.
99 See "Monasticon
226.
100 See William Borlase's "
"
yn Bodmyne. " John Itinerary," vol. ii. , p. 84.
History Cornwall," vol. i. , book iv. , chap, xi. ,
I0
108 " See Roger de Hoveden's
sect, i. , p. 381.
101
"Locus est apud aquilonales Brittones supra mare iuxta flumen, quod dicitur
June. Annales,"
" Chroni- Anglicanum," p.
Chiich —
Wigornensis
Leland's
Bollandistes,
Saints," tome vi. , ive Jour de Juin, p. 441,
:
Until the s Bodmin year 981,9
in australi parte. "
"
— De Gestis Pontificum
Regular.
Hegelmithe, quid am dicunt fuisse ad sanctum Gennanum iuxta flumen Liner supra mare
Ang- licarvm ^criptores post Bedam pntcipui,"
edito W. Saville, Londini, 1596, fol. 102 "
See Bishop Tanner, in his
Notitia Monastica," Cornwall, sect, iv. , edition of
James Nasmyth, M. A.
103 He was uterine brother to King
William I. of England, and he despoiled ol all its forms the shrine of Petroc. " Algams nobilis et Gullelmus Gitarvestius episcopus Iscanus fundos, canonicis Augustinianis in
"
Scriptoribus Britannicis,
Lelando Londinate, tomus i. , cap. xxxv, pp. 61, 62. t
104 See William Borlase's " of History
Cornwall," vol. i. , book iv. , chap, xi. , sect. ii. , p. 380.
104 In reference to this place, we read : "There hath been Monkes, then Nunnys, then Seculare Prestes, then Monkes agayn, and last Canons Regular in S. Petrockes
106 See Les Petits
"Vies des
?
His feast occurs, on the 31st of
p. 324.
109 It was in the diocese of St. Maclo-
" Rerum
122
aVESOFTHBlR^SAim^
min,"1 marked the
J ^BodQmUinL. at
merly
It
doubtless brou their early tomb-
fiod
relicswere tQ
*
fa of
and labours final
in a small chapel,"
gr mages
reposed
^^ ^ 01 e
place were made to
veneration
and were
^d **'
i
There, holy
attache
r n Fo°r
****&*>
mthe chu£h
^
the tomb and fhrin chmxh
festival is noticed. andinaManuscript ^rolo^rf
the 4th of June. »« 8S
! Bann^. Gould
^
likewise m£
^. ^ {n thatpriBeip*>
Butler," andofRev '
^e
Pembrokeshire.
fa
thereIS I e -
Sanctorum,' D ^|. aS»*TM^,
sect. 3, P-
^
, Sheantiquary, t
^
name
ThetimeofJobu^'L^SuPofthegrea ^ hi
were to ^^ ages caused ^
man
to state, that the and lost. Cornwall
Mg*
Christian
John Capgrave,
df
^IJ? a monastery, in
.
heroes
he accordingtot
of
d and
rava
the
*« Missal, preserved
GemeUcensis ln the
^ ^^,,3
EngSlish
fhis was written
Usuard,»3andinanold
' ^ejea bdong
t0 the
Garlturocuhjaont C
:
>
Besides^
JU^ Marty
£h £
n s f
This holy n^lhat ^Vsome connection
with TM*£TM 120 of two
Uanbedrog,
Seasons. is titular samt a
^ ^^^
n , p. trock from the fact, that Petrol £
d
churcn^ in Carnarvonshire
a nan Lobineau
These are known
r rememDered ^ addltlon,
^ »
Alter
^ Exeter, dedicated to St. JPe^tntjocaKs.
forms
lity.
as Dr.
" Notitia Monas- *9TrtSf-- Grey W-CSt
vius. "o
t,- i- See Bishop
s> Tonner's
r"coi="is *°? ;, See "Britannia
Sg
and otter principal
ft. south side
1,-gf^SSSSr-'
I l°- viii. , part iii. , P; 5
Tnmbe f S. Petrok
«'
vol. n. ,
°*
d I52
i.
Itinerary,"
P;
Tanner
"". « See " Catalog Generis Sanctorum. "
°f
for- of hls to
of subsequent
namg among and
ges
s Uen B
^
ons
, morated at
Alban
n£ ^
^out Bre >
of Bruxelles, his
,»*
In
i
>
JohnfJeUastois co
&g given b Joh ,
c
^ an old
:d same
o
^ France
.
„.
See
theBo«audUts- P«vius,
£
e^
e,
atthe ofth
at
J"S 'see "Lives of the Saints,"
vol. v. . .
Rev. Dt
t in,-' Edited by ^5*XtCtE
Kelly, p.
xxvi.
[June 4-
^^^
Sancta," part
saints,
L, PP-
June 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 123
same day. Probably, some mistake of entry has occurred, in either instance— perhaps in both cases. The church of Cluain-Ernain, which is said to have been the churc—h of St. Columbus 2 —called by some Columbanus 3 and by others
4
Columba was situated in Delbhna, a territory of Meath. It was formerly
and otherwise called Magassuil. The Bollandists, 5 who have a notice at this date of St. Columbus, of Cluain-Ernain, cannot undertake to distinguish him,
among the many Irish saints having homonymous names, and therefore they
must wait further information regarding him. This saint has been alluded
in our notices of 6 and he is classed the of to, St. ^Meallan, among disciples
Patrick. 7 St. Columba or Columbus of Killeanain, he is called in the Tri-
of
logy Donegal,
10 that veneration was
given,
on this
day,
8 and Columbanus
by Joceline. 9
We find entered in the
Martyro- toCruimtherColum. He is said to have been a priest of Domhnach-mor-Maighe Imchlair. This place has been identified with Donaghmore, near Dungannon, in the county
of Tyrone. "
Article IV. —St. Ernin, or Ernineus, of Cluain. When the leaves are young and vigorous in the seasons of spring and summer, the rough breezes cannot remove them from the brandies ; but, when they begin to fade and wither in autumn and winter, they fall before the slightest gust. So do men easily yield before the blasts of temptation, when the energies of their souls fail ; while the holy ones of earth preserve a spiritual vitality, under the most trying circumstances of their lives, and like the ever-green trees, the rude winds cannot cause decay or failure. It is set down in the Martyrology
1 that Ernin, o—f Cluain, had a festival, on this
partite Life,
of
—denomination of his place applied in composition to so many Irish localities
Donegal,
2
renders it difficult to identify However, he is called the son of
this saint.
Craskin,3 in Adamnan's Life of St. Columba; and, in the Annals ofRoscrea,*
these state, that he departed this life, a. d. 634. 5 Father John Colgan and the Bollandists 6 refer his festival, to this 4th day of June.
Article V. —St. Finchan, or Fionnchan. An entry is found, in the 1
MartyrologyofTallagh, atthe4thofJune,regardingFinchan,whosename
is entered simply, and without account of any other particulars, which might
serve to him. This likewise, the of 2 identify day, Martyrology Donegal only
mentions the veneration paid to Fionnchan.
2 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars ii. , cap. ix. , p. 130.
3 By Joceline. See ibid. , Sexta Vita S. Fatricii, cap. xciii. , p. 86.
4 See ibid. , n. 29, p. 174.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," Junii iv. , tomus i. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 374.
See Volume First of this work, at the 28th of January.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Quinta ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiiii.
saint flourished a. d. 68 under 560,
Maglocum, Malgon, King
Taking twelve companions with him to a solitary place, where no water was
to be found, Petrock struck the ground with his baculus, and water was pro-
duced from the earth. He there founded a college or monastery of the
Apostolic Order. From him, this place was afterwards called Petrockstow,
which has been contracted to Padstow ;'° although, Borlase thinks Padstow,
to have have been so called by the Saxons—from St. Patrick—viz. , Patrick-
12 stow. ? About this period, Tendurus, or as also called Theodoras,? and
Constantine,? 3 were chieftains of renown, in Cornwall. Rapacious bands hovered about the fords of the Tamar, and piratical ships kept the coasts in
62 The ancient Life quoted by John Leland
the year m. dc. xlviii. , Cent, i. , Book i. , sect. II, p. 42.
states,
"
Petrocus Romam prfiit"
63 it is
However, altogether
£6
more
ble, that Pel rock should have undertaken this long journey in middle life, and soon after his withdrawal from Ireland, than in his old
ofTinmouth'sLifenddsthisdirec-
prob. i-
in Corn-
John
from the Angel :
''
liqueras, assistentr-m lupum reperies. quern
"
was called by the Saxons Petrockstow; but by the Britons Bodmanna—.
that is the Habitation of the Monks. " allusion to this narrative, "are Enst Indies William Borlase's "History of Corn-
andafter a
age, thirty years' sojourn
tibi Dominus
vium, donee notas in paites pervenias. "
" Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Junii iv. Vita suspecta auctore Joanne Tinmouthensi, ex MS. et Capgravio, sect, iv. , p. 401.
wall, whenhemusthavebeenseventyyearsold. 64 The accompanying illustration, drawn on the wood by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard, presents a view of this celebrated city, from without its
walls.
6; This town
05 "All far countries," says Fuller, in
—"Church of History
Book
to ignorant people. "
Britain ; from the Birth of Jesus Christ, until
wall," p. 381.
vol.
i. ,
iv. , chap, xi. ,
sect,
i. ,
Ubi vero mare transieris cum baculo, quern cum melote re-
tion
me — collegam, prxparavit pane-
June 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 119
constant alarm. Moreover, the country itself was full of insurrection and
strife, for petty chieftains were everywhere struggling for supremacy. One of the mightiest among them, in the west, seems to have been the regulus, named Tendurus. ? * In the Acts of St. Petrock, by John of Teignmouth, a Constantine is mentioned, not however as a chief, but as a rich man. His ser- vants had chased a stag, which fled for protection to the cell of St. Petrock. This circumstance was related to their master, who became violently indignant.
He made an attempt to draw his sword, against the holy man ; but, suddenly, hiswholeframeseemedrigid. However,Petrockforgavehisenemy,andon pouring forth prayers for him, Constantine was restored to strength. After- wards, on being taught the Faith of Christ, he and twenty of his pagan war- riors, were converted from the evil of their ways, while Constantine himself became a Christian teacher. He resided in Cornwall, for some time, after his conversion. This may he inferred, from the fact, that a church in the country 75 hasfromtimeimmemorialbeenassociatedwithhisname. Itmarked,pro- bably, the place of his abode, and where his Christian labours had been exercised. Moreover, there is a trace of his connection with the district, in which Petrock himself resided. In the parish of St. Minver, which originally belonged to Padstow, were the ruins of an old chapel, ? 6 dedicated to St. Con- stantine. 77 It is not improbable, that the change, which God's grace wrought in Constantine, was brought to pass, through the instrumentality of St. Petrock, and that the penitent occasionally occupied a cell, on tiie sands of the northern shore, to hold frequent intercourse with his spiritual guide. The place above all others, which was dear to Petrock's memory, must have
8
been the hermitage of his early days, at Bodmin. 7
proceeded, to plant the first and most renowned monastery, that ever existed on Cornish soil. Tendurus or Theoderic and Constantine aided St. Petrock, by their generosity and piety. 79 Among other works, Petroc is said to have
a book " De Vita Solitaria good authority for such a statement.
composed
men aided in establishing, is related to have occupied the site of St. Petrock's
68 See Dr. Thomas Fuller's " Worthies of
7S Constantine, in the Hundred of Kirrier. From the notice of the Church in Domesday, it seems to have been, as Polwhele says, one of more than ordinary note. " S. Constan- tinus tenet dim. hidam terne, quae fuit quieta
England," p. 563. 69 See Bale's
"Irish Saints in Great ? 6 There was a " Well built of stone Britain," chap, ii. , strong
"
Scriptorum Illustrium Majoris Britannia," &c. Centuaria Prima,
num. xl. , p. 56.
70 See Right Rev. Patrick F. Moran's ab omni servicio T. R. E. "
and arched over," near it, as we are in- 71 He adds " others think it called Pad- formed.
p. 33-
stow from St. Petrock, a Disciple of St.
:
Patrick, who—settled in the same house and "
77 When Hals wrote his history.
? 8 "The late Priory of Blake Chanons stoode at the Est Ernie of the Paroch Chirch YardofBodntyne. S. PetrocuswasP—atrone of this and sumtyme dwellyd ther. " John
built here. " Histoiy of Cornwall," vol. i. , Bookiv. ,chap,xi. ,sect,i. ,p. 380.
73 According to John Leland.
Leland's " vol. Itinerary,"
73 This Constantine
the tyrant of that name, whom Gildas vehe-
mently denounced for his life of iniquity ; since we are to'. d, that after having slaugh-
may
be identical with
ii. , p. 84.
79 " Regnabant eo in Corinia saeculo duo reguli, fama celebres, Theodoras et Constat! - tinus ; quotum cum liberahtate turn pietate adjutus, locum condendoaptissimum monas- terio aliquot passuum millibus a Sabrltto dis- ; cui nomen —
tered his rivals, the sons of Mordred, he was
seized with remorse, and he resigned the
throne, to spend the rest of his days in seclu-
sion. Thus, in his old age, he became lingua Bosmanach a monachis iditum. " a pattern of Christian virtue, and he was a
preacheroftheGospel,indistantlands.
74 He is described, in the Life attributed to John of Tinmouth, as a man of fierce
aspect and of savage manners,
" (Jommentarii De Scriptoribus Britannia's. " auctoreJoanneLelandoLondinate,tomusi , cap. xxxv. , De Petroco, p. 6;.
^ See Bale's " Scriptorum Illustrium. Ma- joris Britannise," &c. Centinrio Prima,
tantem littore
accepit patria
Thither, it is said, he
8° we are at a loss to find ;" but,
any A monastery, which some holy Irish-
120 ——
[June 4- n institute of considerable
magnitude.
planted Little
wall,owethen
West Hollacombe, Lidiord.
These places
Petrock [
i
*tn
healed the sick and he wrou.
orks* character. AUas
^ ^. ^
of many miracles, was acknowledged
supernatural*
"*
to be
to close, and kno ro»^
^^ his disci pi
about
Petrock's last legacy.
the world,
It as sosi
gh
^
and detest envy
n, alto
^m«'
abandoned
Sould repress anger,
onlv shun detraction,
^
S -fl! ^
,
ed buteQ
. ^
g £
£
,
ti e that y
but
n
m Qnly
in
th
gi Styshould i ato be
les y
Of the
^f
These and SSL* At Petrocstow^
there too, he was ^
and
^ for a He
and the love
^^^o
or ^£*£
Chost
85 h s
account has it, that h
^^ sometime
^j 1 aosto
again, sixth century on A.
Lppy -mortaluty
died, it is said, after tinny
^^ gg roonastery ^
day before
the
nones of June
^
rac f
^ ^°monks> 1 KW> =
whq
ks after
merlv passed some part
s bonour. 9° to
&
whe„ he
S'shed^ and Petrock had founded
*«*
' »
;
thg *e sea-
eve
SSto eir
virtue y
~~~
.
. . .
^. ^ had ^^%^^S^
jg
g* ^ ^ h
^ ^
; *-ce,, in Cornwall -JJ
No. less.
een Padstow Bodmin ^e
t an ^twelve
b
Corm
are ^ DevQn> viz. ,
va Minor, and ieval
in
^ samtcontomaa
u
pleasurable
all evil nea
ldnot rs
a J
«
oG^omepn^d were
» h«mo^
f;such ilfike exhortations
co
ntaented,
cot,
Jthe Bened,c. ,„e Ori*^.
A reign of Kmg 'f
5
'*'
the time repaired
monastery of
nt.
"^ e
P^ed we«t
befo exchanged
re e
-
^^
-u
rf ^^
Peetroc *
St.
Brent, Clannaborough« 1 m the si t
^^ Petrock, and ^< ments,
^,
m0rtal o{ h d to everlasting bliss,
se
in the word y of
01 n» J*^*SSit is stated,
«* =
our ^_^^^^^-TZ^^
ot retro-,
sai
vol. vi. , Jura «• c^ss? a. "^s:^•
num. xl. , p- 5&- nlloowW . called by, or asso- 8t These are even k>
the ^ame of or elated with, ^bt slation
Saints,"
„ of Hisloty
^ h^
i•ecl• ^
'c "XotitiaMonas-
'ts. e - Acta
iv. . Vita, Su^-cta, J. 0) $
Sanctoru-JJ ex Mb. «a^goFrbe
llearne, M. A. .
mouthensi,
7. p. 401. . t ofTpunc or Adelston,
St Mon^tica. "
>» *,'J'2to *Jam. «
sect. iv. „ ^ . «
JBT co. -". "'"-
Magi* B^aj Esq. , and Samue! ,
,/«« with cotnmocUtees
o in
Fgdtstaw is ful
to by. **** P^Te Itinerary of John of Insch Men.
""^
^
es of an
J
»^
^
mst
Sg
^
tu
g
e in th
sixtn ;
cno
J
L
ur
^
i
£
*
o^
aS they had
ng Tb£K ^»ded
*
S,^ *^
xxiii-
90 See ibid. , h Rev
sect,
9. See Daniel Lysons vol. hi-, P- 30-
See Tohn Scriptoribus
9=>
,, Lelana s
commenta .
tomus
„ Bntanmcrs,
de
rii
c
June 4. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 121
a monastery, in honour of St. Petrock. 93 Giving a list of the Bishops of
Cornwall, Heylin 94 names, in the first place, St. Petrock ; adding, that he lived about the year 850. But, this date is three hundred years, after the time of St. Petrock of Padstow and, some writers suppose, he must have
— —;
been although a namesake a different person from the patron. The
episcopal See for Corwall was placed at Bodmin,95 by King Edward the
and
a. d.
was the seat of the Bishops in Cornwall. 97 At that date, the pirates, who
Elder,
by Bishop Plegmund,
905.
infested the shores of Domnonia and Cornubia, ravaged St. Petroc's-stowe. 98 We are informed, that King Athelstan 99 gave part of the bones, hair and gar- ments of St.
Petrock, to the monastery of St. Peter's, at Exeter. 100 The monas- tery of St. Petrock, at Bodmin, being burnt down by the Danes, the bishops removed their seat further east to St. on the River 101 The
German's, Lyner. monastery seems to have continued in ruins for some time, and it went into
thepossessionoftheEarl—ofMoretonandCornwallattheconquest; but
s re-edified in soon after it wa—
10, to some or 1120, according accounts,
1 106 a Canon of the 177,
Abbey
of
Bodmin, by
name
Martinus,
n
and restored to its former use by a nobleman, called Algar,
102 I03
as others state
with the licence of the king, and with the assistance of William Warlewast,
of Exeter. 10* it was Then,
to Canons
10s
In the removed the
Bishop
108
in Brittany.
to King Henry II. , and implored of him to aid them, in recovering the sacred relics. The king granted their request. A band of armed men was sent to the Abbey of St. Mevennus. I09 These insisted on the restoration of the
from ancient Charters of Donation, an ac-
count of St. Petrock and liis monastery, vol.
i. , p. 213. This, however, is not easily re-
concilable with the time, in which he Anglorum," lib. ii. , p. 146. flourished, according to other historians.
94 See "Help to English History," p. 116.
95 At Bodmin, Cornwall, there was a Lazar House dedicated to St. Laurence,
"
;'
See Monasticon Anglicanum, by Sir
William Dugdale, vol. vii. , part ii. , p. 757, new edition by John Caley, Esq. , F. R. S. , Henry Ellis, LL. B. , and the Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel, D. D.
given
year bones of this saint, and carried them to the Abbey of St. Mevennus,10?
However, Roger, the prior of Bodmin, went with his brethren
"
96 See William Borlase's Histoiy of loci possessionem adductis, solicite in jus
— Commentarii de Cornwall," vol. i. , book iv. , chap, xi. , pr^tinum reduxerunt. " "
sect, i. , p. 381.
9? William of Malmesbury writes
auctore Joanne
" Cor- nubiensium sane potificum succiduum or-
dinem uec scio nee nisi appono,
quod apud sanctum Petr—ocum confessorem fuerit episco- patus sedes. " "De Gentis Pontificum Ang-
loium," lib. ii. , p. 146. Saville's edition.
98 See the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle," p. 399, in "Monumenta Historica Britannica, or Materials for the History of Britain," &c. vol. i. Also, Florentii
of n. 1.
con," p. 579.
99 See "Monasticon
226.
100 See William Borlase's "
"
yn Bodmyne. " John Itinerary," vol. ii. , p. 84.
History Cornwall," vol. i. , book iv. , chap, xi. ,
I0
108 " See Roger de Hoveden's
sect, i. , p. 381.
101
"Locus est apud aquilonales Brittones supra mare iuxta flumen, quod dicitur
June. Annales,"
" Chroni- Anglicanum," p.
Chiich —
Wigornensis
Leland's
Bollandistes,
Saints," tome vi. , ive Jour de Juin, p. 441,
:
Until the s Bodmin year 981,9
in australi parte. "
"
— De Gestis Pontificum
Regular.
Hegelmithe, quid am dicunt fuisse ad sanctum Gennanum iuxta flumen Liner supra mare
Ang- licarvm ^criptores post Bedam pntcipui,"
edito W. Saville, Londini, 1596, fol. 102 "
See Bishop Tanner, in his
Notitia Monastica," Cornwall, sect, iv. , edition of
James Nasmyth, M. A.
103 He was uterine brother to King
William I. of England, and he despoiled ol all its forms the shrine of Petroc. " Algams nobilis et Gullelmus Gitarvestius episcopus Iscanus fundos, canonicis Augustinianis in
"
Scriptoribus Britannicis,
Lelando Londinate, tomus i. , cap. xxxv, pp. 61, 62. t
104 See William Borlase's " of History
Cornwall," vol. i. , book iv. , chap, xi. , sect. ii. , p. 380.
104 In reference to this place, we read : "There hath been Monkes, then Nunnys, then Seculare Prestes, then Monkes agayn, and last Canons Regular in S. Petrockes
106 See Les Petits
"Vies des
?
His feast occurs, on the 31st of
p. 324.
109 It was in the diocese of St. Maclo-
" Rerum
122
aVESOFTHBlR^SAim^
min,"1 marked the
J ^BodQmUinL. at
merly
It
doubtless brou their early tomb-
fiod
relicswere tQ
*
fa of
and labours final
in a small chapel,"
gr mages
reposed
^^ ^ 01 e
place were made to
veneration
and were
^d **'
i
There, holy
attache
r n Fo°r
****&*>
mthe chu£h
^
the tomb and fhrin chmxh
festival is noticed. andinaManuscript ^rolo^rf
the 4th of June. »« 8S
! Bann^. Gould
^
likewise m£
^. ^ {n thatpriBeip*>
Butler," andofRev '
^e
Pembrokeshire.
fa
thereIS I e -
Sanctorum,' D ^|. aS»*TM^,
sect. 3, P-
^
, Sheantiquary, t
^
name
ThetimeofJobu^'L^SuPofthegrea ^ hi
were to ^^ ages caused ^
man
to state, that the and lost. Cornwall
Mg*
Christian
John Capgrave,
df
^IJ? a monastery, in
.
heroes
he accordingtot
of
d and
rava
the
*« Missal, preserved
GemeUcensis ln the
^ ^^,,3
EngSlish
fhis was written
Usuard,»3andinanold
' ^ejea bdong
t0 the
Garlturocuhjaont C
:
>
Besides^
JU^ Marty
£h £
n s f
This holy n^lhat ^Vsome connection
with TM*£TM 120 of two
Uanbedrog,
Seasons. is titular samt a
^ ^^^
n , p. trock from the fact, that Petrol £
d
churcn^ in Carnarvonshire
a nan Lobineau
These are known
r rememDered ^ addltlon,
^ »
Alter
^ Exeter, dedicated to St. JPe^tntjocaKs.
forms
lity.
as Dr.
" Notitia Monas- *9TrtSf-- Grey W-CSt
vius. "o
t,- i- See Bishop
s> Tonner's
r"coi="is *°? ;, See "Britannia
Sg
and otter principal
ft. south side
1,-gf^SSSSr-'
I l°- viii. , part iii. , P; 5
Tnmbe f S. Petrok
«'
vol. n. ,
°*
d I52
i.
Itinerary,"
P;
Tanner
"". « See " Catalog Generis Sanctorum. "
°f
for- of hls to
of subsequent
namg among and
ges
s Uen B
^
ons
, morated at
Alban
n£ ^
^out Bre >
of Bruxelles, his
,»*
In
i
>
JohnfJeUastois co
&g given b Joh ,
c
^ an old
:d same
o
^ France
.
„.
See
theBo«audUts- P«vius,
£
e^
e,
atthe ofth
at
J"S 'see "Lives of the Saints,"
vol. v. . .
Rev. Dt
t in,-' Edited by ^5*XtCtE
Kelly, p.
xxvi.
[June 4-
^^^
Sancta," part
saints,
L, PP-
June 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 123
same day. Probably, some mistake of entry has occurred, in either instance— perhaps in both cases. The church of Cluain-Ernain, which is said to have been the churc—h of St. Columbus 2 —called by some Columbanus 3 and by others
4
Columba was situated in Delbhna, a territory of Meath. It was formerly
and otherwise called Magassuil. The Bollandists, 5 who have a notice at this date of St. Columbus, of Cluain-Ernain, cannot undertake to distinguish him,
among the many Irish saints having homonymous names, and therefore they
must wait further information regarding him. This saint has been alluded
in our notices of 6 and he is classed the of to, St. ^Meallan, among disciples
Patrick. 7 St. Columba or Columbus of Killeanain, he is called in the Tri-
of
logy Donegal,
10 that veneration was
given,
on this
day,
8 and Columbanus
by Joceline. 9
We find entered in the
Martyro- toCruimtherColum. He is said to have been a priest of Domhnach-mor-Maighe Imchlair. This place has been identified with Donaghmore, near Dungannon, in the county
of Tyrone. "
Article IV. —St. Ernin, or Ernineus, of Cluain. When the leaves are young and vigorous in the seasons of spring and summer, the rough breezes cannot remove them from the brandies ; but, when they begin to fade and wither in autumn and winter, they fall before the slightest gust. So do men easily yield before the blasts of temptation, when the energies of their souls fail ; while the holy ones of earth preserve a spiritual vitality, under the most trying circumstances of their lives, and like the ever-green trees, the rude winds cannot cause decay or failure. It is set down in the Martyrology
1 that Ernin, o—f Cluain, had a festival, on this
partite Life,
of
—denomination of his place applied in composition to so many Irish localities
Donegal,
2
renders it difficult to identify However, he is called the son of
this saint.
Craskin,3 in Adamnan's Life of St. Columba; and, in the Annals ofRoscrea,*
these state, that he departed this life, a. d. 634. 5 Father John Colgan and the Bollandists 6 refer his festival, to this 4th day of June.
Article V. —St. Finchan, or Fionnchan. An entry is found, in the 1
MartyrologyofTallagh, atthe4thofJune,regardingFinchan,whosename
is entered simply, and without account of any other particulars, which might
serve to him. This likewise, the of 2 identify day, Martyrology Donegal only
mentions the veneration paid to Fionnchan.
2 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars ii. , cap. ix. , p. 130.
3 By Joceline. See ibid. , Sexta Vita S. Fatricii, cap. xciii. , p. 86.
4 See ibid. , n. 29, p. 174.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," Junii iv. , tomus i. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 374.
See Volume First of this work, at the 28th of January.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Quinta ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiiii.
