Who was St Piran?
When did he live?
Did he really exist?
And what about Piran today … and what about his flag?
When did he live?
Did he really exist?
And what about Piran today … and what about his flag?
Piran was a holy man who was born in Ireland in the 6th century A.D.
In fact there was more than one Ciaran/Piran in Southern Ireland, but the Ciaran (Kieran) in whom we are interested was born and educated on Clear Island, just a few miles off the southwest coast. [The letter ‘C’ in Irish mutates to a ‘P’ in the Cornish language.] There were considerable migrations of Irish people into Cornwall in those days including St Ia, St Erca, St. Breaca, etc. and the Kern (bands of mercenary foot-soldiers about whom Shakespeare makes a couple of references) – hence Kern-ow, many Kern or land of the Kern.
Legend has it that Ciaran went around encouraging the warring tribes of Ireland to turn to Christianity. Jealous of his influence with the people the local kings had him bound to a millstone and hurled from a cliff-top into the raging seas.
As he plummeted downwards we are told that the storm abated, the sun came out and his mill-stone floated on the calm sea. As he sailed off towards Cornwall, the crowds on the Irish cliffs were converted to Christianity.
Cast up on the beach at Perranporth, his first converts were a fox, a bear and a badger. Then he set up a religious cell in the nearby towans, which brings us back to the known facts. However, one should take care not to throw out the baby with the bathwater! Sailing on a millstone is easily dismissed as nonsensical, but pause a moment to consider the evidence:
At that time, itinerant Holy men carried their own portable altar stone, called a lecc (lectern). Although this was essential ecclesiastical equipment, it would have been an inconvenient object to carry around. It would have made good sense therefore to make a hole through the middle through which they could loop a piece of rope. Then, apart from being easier to carry it would have been useful in the bottom of a small boat (like a coracle) as ballast or even as a base in which to locate a small mast.
When the seas cast him up on that North Cornwall beach no doubt the native people expressed their astonishment at his survival. ‘How did you manage it?’ would have been the question on everyone’s lips, but his simple belief would have amazed them even more … holding up the lecc he could have replied, ‘I came on this!’ (ie on my faith). You can imagine an early Cornish news reporter dashing off crying, ‘Read all about it, Read all about it. Holy man arrives on mill-stone!’ Out of such simple stories legends are born.
Piran’s 6th century Oratory attracted many followers, resulting quite possibly in a considerable monastic community being founded, similar to that of Saint Columba on Iona and St.Cuthbert on Lindisfarne. This could have comprised a number of individual monk’s cells, a corn mill, a store, a refectory or communal dining room, and a hospitium, or guest house. In 1820 Davies Gilbert of St. Erth recorded “thousands of teeth and human bones, even whole skeletons lying exposed in regular order”, and Caroline Fox, the Quaker, corroborated these facts only 15 years later. Such a cemetery would indicate there had indeed been quite a population thereabouts at some stage in its history.
The first building on that site was the 6th/7th century cell built of wattle and daub (sticks and clay). This stood little hope of long-term survival and was replaced around 800 A.D. with building number two, constructed of pieces of granite, moorstone and slate embedded in clay. It is the remains of this primitive building, over which the commemorative stone now lies. This is the focus of the hopes of restoration lying at the heart of present day campaigners under the leadership of the St. Piran Trust.
Whilst evidence for this place, arguably the earliest remaining site of Christianity in Britain, remains elusive, there is no doubt that this was at one time the area of a prosperous religious foundation. It was visible at the time of the 1086 Domesday Survey, and in an inventory of 24th August 1281 there is mention of St. Piran’s pastoral staff ornamented with gold, silver and precious stones; a silver chalice of 20 ounces and a copper bell. In 1433 Sir John Arundell left, in his Will, 40 shillings for a silver casket to contain the head of St.Piran. As recently as 1720 Nicholas Roscarrock recalled, as a boy, seeing the relics of St.Piran, including the skull, “being carried up and down the country” (a common means of raising funds for the church).
Building No.2 however was inundated with sand so in the late 11th century the community moved to a new stone church built on higher ground to the East. In the 12th century this was enlarged into a Norman church, the remains of which can still be visited, adjacent to Christel Mael, one of most beautiful and best preserved Celtic Crosses in Cornwall, standing at the eastern extremity of Piran’s Lan, or holy enclosure.
Richard Carew, in his 1602 ‘Survey of Cornwall’ writes of the difficulties of maintaining these sites in amongst the towans: “St Piran too well brooketh his name ‘in Sabuloe’: for the light sand carried up by the north wind from the sea shore daily continueth his covering and marring the land adjoinant, so as the distress of this deluge drave the inhabitants to remove their church, Howbeit when it meeteth with any crossing brook, the same (by a secret apathy) restraineth and barreth his farther encroaching that way. It was in consequence of this notion that the inhabitants, thinking such situation secure, removed their church only about 300 yards, it being on the opposite side of the brook.”
This building, number three, suffered from the same problem as its predecessor, inundation by sand. In the late 16th century William Camden records the church as, ‘in sabulo positum’, situated in the sands, hence the name of the parish, Perran - zabuloe.
In 1584 the historian, John Norden, painted a graphic picture – “… the parish being almoste drowned with the sea sande, that the north-weste wind wherleth and driueth to the lande, in such sorte, as the inhabitants haue bene once alredye forced to remoue their church …”
Thus it was that after some 1,200 years of trying to build on the sand, early in the 19th century they took the advice offered in Matthew chapter 7 verse 24, to build their church on the rock, some three miles inland at Penhallow. That present church of St.Piran was dedicated in 1805.
Meanwhile spare a thought for Piran whose flag represents the pure silvery tin running from the black ore, or it could be the light of Christianity shining through the darkness.
We are told, that he lived to the age of 200, and died in a drunken stupor, whilst having perfect teeth and perfect eyesight…?
There is still an expression in that part of Cornwall, ‘To be as drunk as a Perraner’.
Today in the early 21st century Piran is alive and well, that is Piran’s memory and status, and his flag is seen everywhere, on public buildings and private houses and everywhere in between. Plans are well advanced to uncover his Oratory – probably the oldest Christian building in Britain - and preserve it for posterity. And St. Piran’s Day, 5th March is celebrated the length and breadth of the land.
Happy St.Piran's Day.
Howard Curnow, St. Hilary. 10/02/2014