History
Padstow was originally named Petroc-stow, Petroc-stowe, or 'Petrock's Place', after the Welsh missionary Saint Petroc, who landed at Trebetherick around AD 500. After his death a monastery (Lanwethinoc, the church of Wethinoc an earlier holy man) was established here which was of great importance until the town was raided by the Vikings in 981 (the Vikings laid waste "Petroces stow" (probably Padstow) according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). Either as a result of this attack or later the monks moved inland to Bodmin taking with them the relics of St Petroc. The cult of St Petroc was important both in Padstow and Bodmin.
In the medieval period Padstow was commonly called Aldestowe (as the 'old place' in contrast to Bodmin the 'new place'). The modern Cornish form Lannwedhenek derives from Lanwethinoc and in a simpler form appears in the name of the Lodenek Press, a publisher based in Padstow.
The seal of the borough of Padstow was a ship with three masts the sails furled and an anchor hanging from the bow, with the legend "Padstow".
Read more about this topic: Padstow
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of persecution is a history of endeavors to cheat nature, to make water run up hill, to twist a rope of sand.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“To summarize the contentions of this paper then. Firstly, the phrase ‘the meaning of a word’ is a spurious phrase. Secondly and consequently, a re-examination is needed of phrases like the two which I discuss, ‘being a part of the meaning of’ and ‘having the same meaning.’ On these matters, dogmatists require prodding: although history indeed suggests that it may sometimes be better to let sleeping dogmatists lie.”
—J.L. (John Langshaw)
“Tell me of the height of the mountains of the moon, or of the diameter of space, and I may believe you, but of the secret history of the Almighty, and I shall pronounce thee mad.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)