Saint Pedrog of Padstow
The fourth of June in the Orthodox Church is the feast day of one of the founding saints of Cornwall, in the far southwest of England. Saint Pedrog – whose name is cognate with that of Saint Padrig, and indeed who is sometimes associated with him – was a missionary hermit and monk in Cornwall. He was known to Saint Samson and Saint Gwyddnog, and their relations ended up being friendly even if they went through some territorial disputes.
Pedrog was born to Glywys ap Solor, the legendary king of Glywysing in southcentral Wales. Glywys was one of these legendarily prolific kings, who had with his wife Gwawl twenty-two children – twenty one sons and one daughter. Among the sons were Saint Gwynllyw (rival and later son-in-law to Brychan Brycheiniog), Merchwyn and Pawl Penychen (with both of whom Saint Illtud had several ill run-ins), Edelig (mentioned in the Life of Saint Cybi) and Saint Pedrog. Physically, Pedrog is described as ‘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 by watchful care the wisdom of riper years’. Of all his sons, Pedrog was the only one who (at first) sought to take up the ascetic life, rather than be included among his father’s heirs in the cyfran division of his kingdom. Instead, he took a handful of disciples and left to study the monastic life in Ireland. In Ireland he made the acquaintance of Saint Cóemgin of Glendalough, who took instruction from him and who shared his love of animals – a trait we shall see below.
When Pedrog returned to Britain, he had some sort of run-in with Saint Samson and Saint Gwyddnog over the issue of his dwelling-place. This dispute has been glossed and smoothed over in various ways, in most of the hagiographical materials I have to hand, but the basic contours of it seem to have been that Pedrog’s arrival caused a bit of a fuss with Samson, who made an appeal to Gwyddnog over the use of his cell. Gwyddnog appears to have ruled in Pedrog’s favour, though he made Pedrog give several concessions to Samson before his departure – two of which were to keep the name of Samson in his dwelling-place; and to remember Samson at every Liturgy. Gwyddnog also offered Pedrog the use of his own kirk, which is now the one at Padstow but which was then named for him: Llanwethinoc. Saint Gwyddnog’s name continued to be associated with the site until after the Norman Conquest. At any rate, the dispute in which all three holy men of Wales and Cornwall were involved was settled to everyone’s satisfaction, it seems, as none of them seem to have bore the other two any ill will after.
Saint Pedrog lived there for thirty years. He had a discipline common among the Welsh saints, of reciting the Psalms whilst standing in cold water. At the end of these thirty years he decided to embark on a pilgrimage to Rome, which he made and completed. On his way back, he had fair weather and smooth farings until he reached Devon – the town of Newton St Petrock. Once he reached Newton, so close to his home in Cornwall, it began to storm so heavily for many days. He is reputed to have predicted to his companions that the storm would pass overnight, but it continued so hard that he could not go forward no matter how fervently he prayed for the storm to end. Stricken into repentance for his arrogance, he returned the way he had come, and once he had gotten to Rome, he continued on, setting sail for Jerusalem. Not stopping in Jerusalem, Saint Pedrog made his way all the way to India. He made a desert hermitage on an island in the Indian Ocean, where he lived for seven years, being sustained by God on berries and nuts and fish from the sea. There, in the wild places of that island, he met a wolf, which he managed to tame with humble patience and persistence. When at last he returned to Cornwall from India, the tame wolf came with him – this wolf is depicted in much of the artwork commemorating Pedrog.
Pedrog returned to his cell in Cornwall where he lived the rest of his life. He was disturbed once in prayer by a deer that had fled into his cell, and he gave shelter to the poor frightened creature when a powerful nobleman with his horses and hounds came hunting it. (This appears to be a common trope in British hagiography, and even among the Saxons.) The powerful nobleman, in this case, happened to be Custennin King of Cornwall, who was then a pagan still. Custennin was obviously impressed enough with Pedrog that he converted to Christianity and gave him his official protection.
Pedrog came again across the domain of another holy man – this time a Cornish man named Saint Guron – and again lay claim to his monastic dwelling. With the support of the king, Saint Pedrog naturally got his way; and Saint Guron had to leave for Gorran Haven. But at Bodmin, Saint Pedrog established a monastery – now St Petrocs Church there – which quickly attracted monks and flourished in the centuries following his death. Saint Pedrog reposed at Treravel, whilst travelling between Nansfenten (now Little Petherick) and Llanwethinoc (now Padstow). On account of his holiness and humility, Pedrog is revered in Cornwall particularly, but also in France (where he is known as Saint Perreaux), England and Wales. Holy father Pedrog, pray unto Christ our God that our souls may be saved!
O Pedrog, Master Builder of the Faith in the West,
Who didst prefer the heavenly warfare to thy kingly heritage and military prowess:
With thy companions thou didst travel
Through the West Country establishing churches
And didst include the animals in thy loving care.
In thy monastic zeal thou didst recite the Psalms in rivers:
Through thy prayer may the flow of Christian Faith
Ever increase in our land!
St Petrocs Church, Padstow
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