The village takes its name from St Brannock – a Welsh saint and missionary who arrived, probably as part of an invading group, in Braunton around 550AD.
The First Church in Devon
He stayed and settled among a tribe of native Britons, who he converted to Christianity. He went on to build a church – the first in North Devon – in Braunton. Brannockstood, the township that grew up around this church, later became Brauntona, and by the end of the nineteenth century, Braunton
The saint is remembered in the village’s crest – which curiously features him standing in front of a cow. This is perhaps a reference to a tale in which St Brannock performed a miracle on his favourite bovine.