A question often asked is why such a big church in a small village? There are two main reasons:
a) The Archbishop of York was the Lord of this Manor from Saxon times until the Reformation. The area was prosperous enough for King Canute to grant 5,200 acres of land to the Archbishop of York in 1033.
b) Patrington was an important market town, as has already been mentioned.
There are very few churches in England dedicated to St Patrick. The reason why our church is so dedicated is the subject of much legend and speculation. Is the village name derived from St Patrick's town? Did St Patrick ever venture this far south? We will never know!