Did you know it is Devon Day on 4th June? Well now you do! Obviously to us, we eat, drink and love Devon every day of the year, especially North Devon with its beautiful coastlines and top attractions. Today though, is a day for everyone to celebrate the best county in the UK and we’re here to tell you a little more about the history of Devon Day and why we celebrate it.
So, in case you didn’t know, Devon Day happens every year on the 4th June. Why the 4th June? Well, that’s because that is the day dedicated to St Petroc, who happens to be Devon’s patron saint. He’s also one of the Patron Saints of Cornwall over the border, but we won’t talk about that.
Here in North Devon, there are a number of villages named for him, including Petrocstowe and Newton St Petroc, both in the Torridge area and a number of local organisations also share a name with him. Though he is a big deal here in Devon, St Petroc was actually from Wales! He travelled over to Devon and ministered to the people there in between various pilgrimages over the world, he visited Rome, Jerusalem and India, where it is said he managed to tame a wolf! In fact, animals were kind of his thing, he is often depicted with an unusual pet, sometimes you see him with a stag, which we like to think is reminiscent of Exmoor’s deer population.
As today is Devon Day, you’ll likely see a lot of green flags flying around the county and on social media – that’s the Devon flag, which has been in use by Devon County Council since 2006, following a competition run by the BBC to find a design for the county flag. It has since been dedicated to St Petroc and is one of the ways in which we Devonians show off our pride in our county.
This year to help us celebrate Devon Day, we want to know what you love most about North Devon – let us know on Facebook or Twitter and we can all celebrate the best county in the UK together!