St Petroc Minor Cornwall

Just over three miles from Padstow you’ll find a small village, Little Petherick, nestled in the picturesque wooded valley of Little Petherick Creek, a tidal tributary of the River Camel. Little Petherick is served by a modest looking parish church whose exterior conceals what ‘The Buildings of England- Cornwall’ by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner/Peter Beecham describes as – “one of the architectural highlights of Cornwall”.
Origins of the name Little Petherick
The village was first documented as Nasfonteyn, a Cornish word meaning ‘valley with a spring’ in 1274, but, it wasn’t until 1708 that the spelling that we recognise today was first recorded. ‘Petherick’ is a derivative of Petroc who was a Saint active in Cornwall during the 6th century.

‘Little’ (Minor) being used to distinguish the church and parish from the larger settlements at Padstow and Bodmin.
St. Petroc is one of the patron Saints of Cornwall and in iconography is often portrayed with a stag. This alludes to a legend where he protected a deer being hunted by King Constantine of Dumnonia and which led to Petroc converting the king to Christianity. His feast day is 4th June.

Little is known about his life, but, it’s believed that he was the son of a Southern Welsh king and, after completing his education in Ireland, he travelled to Llanwethinoc (Padstow) on the North Cornish Coast where he founded a monastery.

He and his followers went on to found many churches in Kernow (Cornwall) and Dewnans (Devon) amongst the Britons of Dumnonia as well as Wales and Brittany and these remain dedicated to Saint Petroc.

Of notable importance is the ecclesiastical settlement he created at Bodmin which to this day houses the 12th-century casket containing his relics; and of course, the small subsidiary settlement near Padstow which is now known as Little Petherick.

The village of Little Petherick
The small village is set within a designated conservation area and is bisected by the busy Padstow-Wadebridge Road (A389). It’s dominated on one side of the road by The Old Mill Bistro and the church on the opposite side.