500-The building outside the west end of the church covers t he well of St Guron, who established the first Christian cell here .
Various streams run under the churchyard (including one which used to supply the Brewery which stood opposite) It is possible that St Guron's well had for centuries been a meeting place for (Cornu-Celt) celebrations and ceremonies.
530-St Petroc, who took over the care of the early Christian community. He became a master Builder of the Celtic Church in the West and Brittany. A Welsh Prince, trained in Ireland, he had landed at Trebethrick (Place of Petroc) opposite Padstow and lived there and at Padstow for some years before coming here. He made Bodmin "the Abode of Monks" and the religious centre of the West, founding the Priory and travelling to spread the Faith. Many churches in the West are dedicated to him.
564-St Petroc died.
The Reliquary- That at one time contained the bones of St Petroc can be seen in the church, stolen from the priory in 1176 and returned to Bodmin in 1177. Lost for centuries after the dissolution of the monasteries, it was finally returned (minus the relics) to the church in 1957.
Norman -Part of the tower contains masonry from this period.
12th Century-Font note the figures of evil on the West and the good on the East.
1469-72-The present church is of this period. It is the largest parish church in Cornwall and is 151ft long by 65ft wide. Most of the masonry is the original 15th century work, the pillars being typical Cornish perpendicular with small capitals. It is one of the few Churches of the period of which the building records survive complete. The Mayor's Accounts are preserved at the County records office in Truro It was truly a Town effort, for the local Trade Guilds (numbering about 40) took lead and most people according to their means in money goods and labour. The total recorded cost was £196 7s 4d (about half a million pounds today).
The timber was brought from Wales to be shipped to Wadebridge. Some of the original woodwork can be found in the present screens and priests seats.
1472-A pair of organs were installed but these disappeared and possibly music for services was dispensed by other instruments from the Musicians Gallery above the west door.
1491- The church furniture -Pulpit, Screens, Seats etc cost £92 under a separate contract with one Mathy More.
1500-The painted panels are German.
1533- Thomas Vivian the last but one Prior of Bodmin died being titular Bishop of Megara. The Vivian tomb formerly stood before the High Altar of the Priory Church and was transferred to the Parish Church soon after the Dissolution. Note the Vivian Arms, those of the Priory (three fishes) and those of Henry V111.
1699- The spire 150ft high was struck by lightning which resulted in the destruction of the original roof. A few beam s remain opposite the Lady Chapel.
1775-The present Organ was given by James Larche and George Hunt, Bodmins two MP's.
19th Century -the West Wall was rebuilt.
1860-Further restoration took place.
1932-The organ was moved to the West End of the church under the direction of Sir Charles Nicholson, the North East Chapel (St Maurice's) became the Chapel to the Duke of Cornwall's light Infantry. Standards and Battle Honours can be found in the North Aisle.
Nicholson also re-designed the Chancel. Behind the present reredos ( which contains some of the 1491 Mathy More panels ) can be found the original reredos with mosaics The High Altar is of local granite.
Note.
Slate memorials-One by Neville Burnard, the noted Cornish Sculptor from Altarnun. the others are by Richard Durant, his two wives and 20 children (1632) and to Peter Bolt, his two wives and 13 Children (1633).
Warne Memorial-This incorporates reproductions of pages from "The Bodmin Gospels" (from the original in the British Museum) and these pages record the freeing of slaves "at the altar and Bell of St Petroc".
Lantern Cross-(on pedestal) This head of a Lantern cross was found in the church yard during the last century. In a sunken panel on its face is depicted the Crucifixion. the figures of our Lord, St John and the Virgin Mary are in relief. At the ends are small sculptured figures possibly of Bishops and at the back is a recess which probably contained another group of figures. Icon (on pillar) Presented by the Joint Services School of Linguists who occupied the barracks in the 1950's during the Cold War period. Many of them worshipped here.
The Lady Chapel -The East Window commemorates Mrs Walter Raleigh Gilbert and depicts Fortitude, Patience, Faith, Hope , Charity and Purity. the Gilbert family formerly owned Priory House and married into the Pennington family of Bellfounders. the Madonna is by Faust Lang.
The Lectern-This is made up of a few medieval misericords. We are not sure if it was a mistake of one of the workman, however if you look at one of the figures it has five fingers and a thumb.
The Porch-Is carved Pentewan Stone and is a fine example of groyning. Above the porch are two Parvise (Priests) chambers in which originally the parish priest lived. On the external south face are three empty niches, presumably these once held statues-possibly including one of St Petroc-which were probably destroyed during the Civil War (or Earlier).
Chantry Chapel-At the east end of the church stands the now roofless chapel of St Thomas Becket. It was licensed on 18th March 1377 ( just over 200years after his murder in December 1170). For over 300 years it was used as a school ( the for-runner of Bodmin Church of England School) in the 16th century, Sir Nicholas Taprell, had the princely salary of £5 6s 8d p.a. A charter of Henry VIII records this and continues that Bodmin was the "greatest Markett towne in the Shere (of Cornwall)-a very meate place for a learned man to be for the Lorde knows the said 2,000 people (these being local communicants) are very ingnorante". The building has been roofless for about 100 years and is a listed building. Note the Decorated East window, the triple sedilia and the piscina. there is a crypt underneath which may have been a Charnel House.
Parish Registers-Began to be kept in England from 1538. In 1598 it was ordered that each Parish should buy a parchment Register and that all names from the older (usually paper) registers should be copied from the beginning but especially since the first year of Queen Elizabeth's I reign. It is for this reason that so many Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals began in 1558, as Bodmin registers do. the transcriber obeyed the last part of the order but did not copy the first twenty years.