Barloc of Norbury was amedievalCatholicsaint andhermit,[1] fromAnglo-Saxon England.
Very little is known of the life of thissaint. Barloc's name indicates he might have beenCeltic. He is known tohistory mainly through thehagiography of theSecgan Manuscript;[2] he also occurs in a litany in MS Tanner 169*[3] of theBodleian Library,Oxford.
Saint Barlock has been identified withFinbarr of Cork. Around 1179, John Fitzherbert, 3rd Lord of Norbury, built a church in Norbury dedicated to St Barlacus. (Fitzherbert had previously been Governor ofWaterford.}[4] This church replaced a previous Anglo-Saxon one, which may also have been named for Barlock. HistorianJohn Blair suggests a connection between the name Barlock and the Welsh "Barrog".[5]
The name also appears as Saint Barlok in a 1491 charter.[6]
Barloc wasvenerated atSt Werburgh's,Chester and hisfeast day is on 10 September.