About
Bodmin Town Museum tells the story of Cornwall's historic county town — a community whose importance in Cornish life stretches back to the early medieval period and whose experiences across the centuries touch on some of the most dramatic episodes in English regional history. Set in the heart of Bodmin, the museum draws on extensive local collections to document the town's evolution from a Priory settlement through a prosperous market town, a centre of Cornish rebellion, and a Victorian administrative capital, to the present-day community at the gateway to Bodmin Moor.
Bodmin's claim to be Cornwall's county town rests on its medieval pre-eminence — it was the largest town in Cornwall in the Domesday Survey of 1086, and it remained the most significant settlement in the county until Truro's growth in the eighteenth century. The Priory of St Petroc, established in the sixth century when the saint arrived from Wales, made Bodmin one of the most important pilgrimage centres in south-west England. The relics of St Petroc — a holy man who founded monasteries across Cornwall and Brittany — were housed here until 1177 when they were stolen and subsequently recovered from Brittany. The museum explores the town's deep Christian heritage and its importance in the cult of the Cornish saints.
Bodmin was also the focus of two of the most significant popular uprisings in English history: the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, when Cornish and Devon men marched on London demanding the restoration of the Latin Mass after the imposition of the English Prayer Book, and the Perkin Warbeck Rebellion of 1497, when thousands of Cornish men marched to support the Pretender's claim to the throne. These episodes of defiance — in which Bodmin men played leading roles — reflect the town's historic position as a centre of Cornish identity and resistance to imposed change from London.
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Plan Your Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Combine with Cornwall's Regimental Museum at Bodmin Keep (5 minutes' walk) for a full day of Bodmin history — both are free.
- The Bodmin and Wenford heritage steam railway runs from Bodmin General station (20 minutes' walk from the museum) — an excellent addition to a day visit.
- Bodmin Parkway station (on the main London Paddington to Penzance line) is 6 miles away; take a connecting bus or taxi into town.
- Lanhydrock House (National Trust), 3 miles south, makes an excellent combination — one of the finest Victorian country houses in Cornwall.
- The museum is free but volunteer-run — a donation helps sustain it and is warmly appreciated.
- Mount Folly Square has several cafés and the town centre has a good range of independent shops and pubs for refreshments.
- Bodmin Gaol, 10 minutes' walk north of the museum, is a striking Victorian prison building offering separate paid heritage tours.
- The Camel Trail cycling route starts in Bodmin and follows a disused railway track to Padstow (12 miles) — an excellent way to arrive or depart by cycle.
Highlights
St Petroc and the Bodmin Priory
Bodmin's origins lie in the foundation of the Priory of St Petroc — one of the most venerated Christian sanctuaries in early medieval Cornwall. Saint Petroc, who arrived from Wales in the sixth century and founded monasteries across Cornwall, Devon, and Brittany, made Bodmin the centre of his mission.
His relics — kept in an ivory casket of Norman workmanship — attracted pilgrims for centuries and were stolen by a Breton monk in 1177, recovered only after diplomatic intervention by Henry II.
The museum traces Bodmin's position as a pilgrimage centre and the central role of the Priory in the town's medieval identity.
The Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549
In the summer of 1549, Bodmin was the rallying point for one of the most dramatic rebellions in English history. When Edward VI's government imposed the new English Prayer Book, displacing the Latin Mass, the people of Cornwall and Devon rose in arms. The 'Prayer Book Rebellion' or 'Commotion Time' saw thousands of west-country men march on London, famously describing the new English service as 'a Christmas game' — incomprehensible to those who spoke Cornish.
The rebellion was crushed with considerable bloodshed, and Bodmin's mayor Henry Bray was among those executed. The museum's treatment of this episode is both scholarly and moving.
The Crown Jewels in Bodmin Gaol
During the First World War, when German naval bombardment and possible invasion seemed genuine threats, the government decided to move the Crown Jewels from London to a place of safety. They were sent to Bodmin Gaol — the county prison of Cornwall, built in 1779 and considered sufficiently remote and secure.
The Domesday Book was also stored here during the same period.
The museum tells this remarkable story of how Bodmin, usually known as the end of the railway line in Cornwall, briefly became the custodian of England's most precious national treasures.
Bodmin Moor — Archaeology and Landscape
The museum serves as an accessible introduction to the extraordinary archaeological landscape of Bodmin Moor, which begins just east of the town.
The moor is one of the most densely monument-rich upland landscapes in Britain, with hundreds of Bronze Age stone circles, standing stones, cairns, and field systems. Finds from moor excavations — flints, pottery, and metalwork — are displayed alongside maps and photographs showing the prehistoric landscape that provided the backdrop to centuries of Bodmin's history.
Collections
The Bodmin Town Museum holds collections covering archaeology, local and county history, natural history, and social history relating to Bodmin and the surrounding area. The archaeology collection includes prehistoric finds from Bodmin Moor and the surrounding parish, with Bronze Age metalwork, Neolithic flint tools, and Iron Age pottery.
The local history collection covers the full sweep of Bodmin's history from the medieval Priory through the Victorian county town to the twentieth century, with particular strength in material relating to the Prayer Book Rebellion and the town's role as a centre of Cornish resistance.
The social history collection includes domestic objects, photographs, clothing, trade records, and personal documents donated by local families.
Bodmin Through the Ages
Main permanent gallery covering the history of Bodmin from the foundation of St Petroc's Priory through medieval rebellions, Victorian county administration, and into the twentieth century.
Bodmin Moor — Prehistoric Landscape
Display focusing on the extraordinary archaeology of Bodmin Moor, with finds and interpretive material exploring the Bronze Age and Iron Age communities who shaped this upland landscape.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.