24/05/2026
There appears to be a lot of confusion surrounding the recently invented event named "Devon Day" or Devonshire Day so we have decided the write this article to set the record straight. It began in 2014 when the commercial tourism company 'Visit Devon' approached BBC Radio Devon with the idea of beginning an annual event to celebrate the county of Devon and to increase tourism to the region. BBC Radio Devon first began promoting their new "Devon Day" in 2016 with the aid of 'Visit Devon'. They chose the 4th of June as the date for their newly invented "Devon Day" as the 4th of June is Saint Petroc's feast day and Saint Petroc is supposedly the saint whom the Devon Flag is dedicated to. Although apparently a fitting and innocent choice, this decision to choose Saint Petroc's Day is not uncontroversial. The Devon Flag itself was also invented by BBC Radio Devon. Back in 2003 they launched a competition for listeners of the radio station to design a brand new flag for the county of Devon. Despite the county already having a long established coat of arms and various other ancient symbols attached to it such as the three hares. BBC Radio Devon chose a design by young Ashburton student Ryan Sealey as the winning design. It was a white cross fimbriated in black with a dark green background. Around this time a group of enthusiasts who named themselves the 'Devon Flag Group' decided the flag should be dedicated to Saint Pretroc but this decision was made without any public consultation and no approval from Devon County Council or any other authority. Saint Petroc seems like a good choice in some ways because he has a long history of being celebrated in Devon but he is also claimed by the Cornish as their number. 2 saint after Saint Piran and Petroc is held in particularly high esteem in Padstow and Bodmin, one of the ancient capitals of Cornwall. Although Petroc does have far more churches dedicated to him in Devon than in Cornwall - it was still a controversial choice. Right from the outset the Boniface Link Association of Crediton appealed for Saint Boniface to be chosen at the saint to which the flag was dedicated as unlike Saint Petroc who was originally from Wales - Saint Boniface was born in Devon, educated in Exeter and has strong ties to the county and is not claimed by any other county in Britain. Boniface also has international recognition, frequently named as "The Greatest Englishman", "The First European" and 'the Apostle of the Germans'. Whereas St Petroc is only really celebrated in Cornwall and Wales. So it would make far better sense to choose a saint who was born and raised in Devon and was a genuine historical figure as opposed to one who is semi-mythical. BBC Radio Devon claim that their "Devon Day" is a purely secular event which is most contradictory when you consider that they chose the feast day of a Cornish saint on which to hold it! In 2019 the Boniface Link Association finally succeeded in their campaign to have Saint Boniface officially recognised as the Patron Saint of Devon with it being made official by a unanimous vote by Devon County Council and the approval of both the Anglican and Catholic Churches in Devon with letters of great jubilation being sent by the then Bishops of Exeter and Plymouth respectively. Despite this advancement, BBC Radio Devon has refused to acknowledge Saint Boniface and it continues to promote the "Devon Day" on the Feast of Saint Petroc. Most frustratingly, the irony of fate and history has placed Saint Boniface's feast day on the 5th of June, the day right after Saint Petroc's Day! So this sadly makes the battle to recognise and promote Saint Boniface Day even harder because those who back Devon's home-born, officially recognised Patron Saint have an extra battle on their hands with BBC Radio Devon sucking all the attention away on the day before. And sadly their campaign has really begun to take hold all over the county as they have such a large and prominent platform, not just on the radio but now on social media too. But just like the Devon flag which they invented, their Devon Day event was also created without the consultation of the people of Devon and served-up to us as if it was ancient fact which we simply must accept without question. Now we could try to battle against this or we could view it from a broader sense; Saint Petroc hails from a time when there was no separate Devon and Cornwall, that artificial human line had not been drawn in the Age of the Saints, that came much later with the Saxon King Athelstan. In Petroc's time, he was visiting the Kingdom of Dumnonia which encompassed both modern Cornwall and Devon and part of Somerset too, right up to the River Parrett. The cosmic synchronicity has placed Saint Boniface's feast day (5th June) right after that of Saint Petroc (4th June) and that is some co-incidence indeed for Saint Boniface represents the beginning of Devon as we know it, the separate county that emerged when early Saxon settlers had infiltrated the East of Dumnonia and began pushing into the red soil heartlands that were so highly prized as agricultural land. It is said that Boniface was born of a Saxon father and a British mother so therefore he perfectly represents the union of the old and the new - the ancient Celt and the Germanic settler. He witnessed the last days of sacred groves and wood-hege worship and the beginnings of the English church before taking Christianity and education to the Germanic regions of the European mainland. We feel that Devonians should rightly celebrate both these aspects of our history and heritage. So instead of arguing over which feast day is the correct day to celebrate Devon, lets revel in the fact that Devon now has two super saint days in which to celebrate our gorgeous green county and it is also poignant to remember our roots and the time when we were not rivals with our Cornish cousins but siblings in one united peninsula kingdom. And then to reflect on how a man from the tiny settlement that Crediton undoubtedly once was, bravely ventured across the waves to an unknown land and caught to improve the lives of others even if we in the modern day might find the beliefs of people in the early medieval period most alien from our beliefs now, it was the good intention behind it which is the most important aspect to remember. So let's celebrate our extended Devonshire Weekend with joy and pride and who knows, one day it may even become a regional bank holiday!!!
