Editing St Davids

{{Short description|Cathedral city in Pembrokeshire, Wales}}
{{About|the city in Wales|other uses|Saint David (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox UK place
| static_image_name = StDavidsCathedral.jpg
| static_image_caption = [[St Davids Cathedral]]
| type = [[City]]
| country = Wales
| welsh_name = Tyddewi
| official_name = St Davids
| map_type = Stdavids pembrokeshire map.svg
| community_wales = [[St Davids and the Cathedral Close]]
| unitary_wales = [[Pembrokeshire]]
| lieutenancy_wales = [[Dyfed]]
| constituency_westminster = [[Mid and South Pembrokeshire (UK Parliament constituency)| Mid and South Pembrokeshire]]
| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Preseli Pembrokeshire (Assembly constituency)|Preseli Pembrokeshire]]
| post_town = HAVERFORDWEST
| area_total_sq_mi = 17.96
| area_footnotes = (community)<br />{{convert|0.30|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<br />(urban area)
| postcode_district = SA62
| postcode_area = SA
| dial_code = 01437
| os_grid_reference = SM755255
| coordinates = {{coord|51.882|-5.269|display=inline,title}}
| population = 1,751
| population_ref = (2021) (community)
| static_image_2_name = {{Infobox mapframe|frame=yes|frame-width=240|frame-height=240|plain=no|type=point|zoom=13|id=Q648732|mapframe-caption=Map}}
| london_distance_mi = 220
| cardiff_distance_mi = 90
| website = {{URL|https://stdavids.gov.uk}}
}}
'''St Davids''' or '''St David's'''<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do;jsessionid=pLHTT2vVSz9qgnx9WxNzLBqGm0JP3nB7Ynx2jnNLMygff5jxGzjP!716755703!1312170645594?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=8&containerAreaId=790567&nsjs=true&nsck=true&nssvg=false&nswid=1920 Parish Headcounts for Pembrokeshire] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910133948/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do;jsessionid=pLHTT2vVSz9qgnx9WxNzLBqGm0JP3nB7Ynx2jnNLMygff5jxGzjP!716755703!1312170645594?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=8&containerAreaId=790567&nsjs=true&nsck=true&nssvg=false&nswid=1920 |date=10 September 2012}} (based on 2001 Census) at Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2011-08-01.</ref><ref>As specified in ''New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors'' [[OUP]] 2005. The name is often spelt without a [[Apostrophe#Possessives in geographic names|possessive apostrophe]], even by [http://www.stdavids.gov.uk/ St Davids City Council] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201205313/http://www.stdavids.gov.uk/ |date=1 December 2005}}</ref> ({{langx|cy|Tyddewi}}, {{IPA|cy|tiː ˈðɛwi|}}, <small>{{abbr|lit.|Literally}}</small>&nbsp;"[[Saint David|David]]'s [[Welsh toponymy|house]]”) is a [[St David's Cathedral|cathedral]] [[City status in the United Kingdom|city]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=GENUKI: St David's |url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/StDavids |access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref> in [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]]. It lies on the [[River Alun, Pembrokeshire|River Alun]] and is part of the [[community (Wales)|community]] of [[St Davids and the Cathedral Close]].<ref name=community-name>{{Cite web |title=The Preseli (Communities) Order 1987 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/124/body/made |website=legislation.gov.uk |language=en |quote=Communities 6. In the District as altered....<br />(3) the...existing communities of...Cathedral Close of St. David's,...St. Davids,...shall be abolished; <br />(4)...new communities to be known as...St. Davids and the Cathedral Close,...shall be constituted; |access-date=9 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910014607/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/124/body/made |archive-date=10 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><!-- The legislation at legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/124/made clearly shows the lack of an apostrophe, and indeed demonstrates a further example where it is added in the case of St Ishmael's --> It is the resting place of [[Saint David]], Wales's [[patron saint]], and named after him.

St Davids is the United Kingdom's [[List of smallest cities in the United Kingdom|smallest city]] by population (number of residents within the wider community was 1,751 in 2021<ref>{{NOMIS2021|id=W04000466|title=St. David's and the Cathedral Close community|accessdate=23 February 2023}}</ref>) and [[Urban area#United Kingdom|urban area]], however it is not the smallest city by [[Local government#United Kingdom|local authority]] boundary area (which is the [[City of London]]). St Davids was given [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] in the 12th century. This does not derive automatically, but in England and Wales was traditionally given to cathedral towns under practices laid down in the early 1540s, when [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] founded [[diocese]]s. City status was lost in 1886, but restored in 1994 at the request of [[Queen Elizabeth II]].

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Men hir (standing stone) near Capel y Santes Non, Tyddewi, Sir Benfro - St Non's Chapel, St Davids, Wales 41.jpg|thumb|The landscape around St Davids is scattered with ancient monuments, such as this [[Menhir]] near St Non's chapel.]]
Although the surrounding landscape is home to a number of [[Palaeolithic]], [[Bronze Age]] and [[Iron Age]] sites, documentary<ref>Only one or two names in [[Ptolemy]]'s [[Geographia]] have been linked to the whole county.{{cite web |last1=Merrony |first1=Mark |title=Some Thoughts on the Romanization of Pembrokeshire |url=https://www.pembrokeshirehistoricalsociety.co.uk/thoughts-romanization-pembrokeshire/ |website=Pembrokeshire Historical Society Cymdeithas Hanesyddol Sir Penfro |date=10 November 2019 |access-date=18 July 2022}}</ref> and archaeological evidence suggests that Pembrokeshire was not heavily occupied by the [[Roman people|Romans]]. Following the [[Roman withdrawal from Britain]], the area that would become St Davids was known in [[Ecclesiastical Latin]] as ''Meneva'' or ''Menevia'' and in [[Welsh language|Welsh]] as ''Mynyw''. Some medieval texts state that the area was home to a cell, church or monastery founded by [[Saint Patrick]] around the year 470 AD, years before the birth of Saint David.<ref name="cyclopaedia">{{Cite journal |last=Anon |year=1837 |title=David's, St. |journal=The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge |publisher=Charles Knight and Co. |location=London |volume=7–8 |pages=317 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8dPAAAAMAAJ&q=pilgrimage+to+st+davids&pg=RA1-PA317 |access-date=21 June 2012}}</ref>

===Age of David===
[[File:River Alun-Afon Alun from the footbridge - geograph.org.uk - 1502526.jpg |thumb|The [[River Alun, Pembrokeshire|Afon Alun]] in modern times, where Saint David founded his church and monastery]]
David is said to have been born to [[Saint Non]] around 500 AD, at the place where the [[Chapel of St Non]] now stands. He was baptised by [[Ailbe of Emly|Saint Elvis]] at [[Porthclais]], and was brought up by his mother at [[Llanon]]. He may also have been educated at the [[Whitesands Bay (Pembrokeshire)|"Ty Gwyn"]], Whitesands by [[Paul Aurelian|Saint Paulinus]]. David is thought to have founded an earlier community somewhere to the west of modern St Davids, before establishing a new church and [[Monastery of Saint David, Wales|monastery]] at a place then known as "Glyn Rhosyn" on the banks of the [[River Alun, Pembrokeshire|Afon Alun]] (where the current Cathedral now stands).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sucs.org/~rhys/stdavid.html |title=Saint David and Saint David's Day |last=Jones |first=Rhys James |date=28 February 1994 |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607024933/http://sucs.org/~rhys/stdavid.html |archive-date=7 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During his life, David gained great fame throughout the [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic church]] and was a key figure in the fight against the [[Pelagianism|Pelagian Heresy]]. At the [[Synod of Brefi]] in 545 AD, Saint [[Dubricius]] (who held two Bishoprics, Caerleon and [[Bishop of Llandaff|Llandaff]]) is said to have freely given David the ancient [[Metropolitan See]] of Caerleon.<ref>{{cite CE1913|wstitle= St. David |volume= 4 |last= Toke |first= Leslie Alexander St. Lawrence |author-link= |short=1}}</ref> It is also implied that in transferring the See from Caerleon, David also transferred an important royal court. The [[Welsh Triads]] name "Mynyw" as the seat of "one of the three Tribal Thrones of the island of Britain" (the other courts being [[Celliwig]] and [[Pen Rhionydd]]). The entry states that the court had [[King Arthur|Arthur]] as Chief Prince, "Dewi" as the Chief Bishop, and "[[Maelgwn Gwynedd]]" as Chief Elder.<ref>Rachel Bromwich (editor and translator), ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Welsh Triads'', second edition (Cardiff: University of Wales, 1978), Triad 1.</ref> Indeed, [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] would describe David as "The pious archbishop of Legions, at the city of Menevia" (Caerleon's name in both Welsh and Latin means "The city of Legions").<ref name=Toke>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05179a.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Dubric|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref>

=== Medieval pilgrim site ===
The monastery would become known as ''Tyddewi'' (House of David) and was a famous centre of [[pilgrimage]] early in its history, attracting both foreign pilgrims of status and numerous [[Viking]] attacks by the ninth century. Its scholastic community was also famous throughout the Celtic world and in [[Anglo-Saxon England]]. When [[Alfred the Great]] wanted to establish a centre of learning at his court, he requested [[Asserius Menevensis]], (Asser of St Davids) to join them. At that time, Asser had lived all his life at St Davids, being raised, [[tonsure]]d, trained and ordained there. Yet Alfred's desire to secure his service was such that he acquiesced to a number of delays and requests before finally agreeing that Asser could split his time between Alfred's court and St David's.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Asser |first1=John |title=Alfred the Great : Asser's Life of King Alfred and other contemporary sources |date=2004 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England |isbn=9780141909424}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Keynes & Lapidge |title=Alfred the Great |pages=93–94}}</ref>

The cult of Saint David was actively encouraged by the cathedral's pre-Norman Bishops, especially [[Sulien]] and [[Rhygyfarch|Rhigyfarch]], who would write ''Vita sancti Davidis episcopi'', the standard [[Hagiography|Vita]] of the saint.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Howlett |first1=David |editor1-last=Gameson |editor1-first=Richard |title='Rhygyfarch ap Sulien and Ieuan ap Sulien', in [[The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain]], Volume 1: c. 400-1100 |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |pages=701–706}}</ref>

[[File:Speed St David's insert.jpg|thumb|St Davids depicted on Speed's 1610 map of Wales]]
As the [[Normans advanced into Pembrokeshire]], the city became a [[Welsh Marches|marcher]] borough, and the new [[hundred (county subdivision)|hundred]] was named "[[Dewisland]]". The cathedral was rebuilt during the Norman era and much of the earliest sections that are still extant, date back to the twelfth century. However, it is thought that this cathedral would have followed the layout of medieval structure and it continued to host its many ancient relics, including the remains of David.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Driver |first1=Toby |title=Pembrokeshire : historic landscapes from the air |date=2008 |publisher=Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru/Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales |location=Aberystwyth |isbn=9781871184334 |edition=Rev |chapter=4 |quote=The westernmost peninsula of Pembrokeshire is dominated by the city and cathedral close of St Davids, spiritual home of the patron saint of Wales, which has stood as a place of religious sanctity and pilgrimage for well over a millennium. In medieval times it was said that two pilgrimages to St Davids were equal to one to Rome. The site of St David's original early Christian community, thought to have lain west of the city, has long been lost to history and archaeology and has passed into the realms of legend. This early community was short-lived, however, and was soon moved inland to the banks of the River Alun where the cathedral stands today. By the ninth century St Davids or Menevia was a famous Welsh monastery and a cult centre for followers of the famous saint. While the earliest sections of the cathedral date back only to the twelfth century, it is thought likely that the layout of the medieval cathedral close wall may have followed the line of the pre-existing religious enclosure.}}</ref>

At its height, the city was visited by many [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrims]], including noblemen and kings such as [[William the Conqueror]] in 1081,<ref>{{cite book|first=David |last=Walker|title=Medieval Wales|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|year=1990|url=https://www-cambridge-org/core/books/medieval-wales/normans-in-wales/B63F038627BD6C8C6826A33A1573DC76|url-access=subscription|p=24}}</ref> [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] in 1171, and [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] and [[Eleanor of Castile|Queen Eleanor]] in 1284.<ref name="cyclopaedia" /> [[Pope Calixtus II]] decreed that two pilgrimages to St Davids were equivalent to one to [[Rome]] ("''Roma semel quantum dat bis Menevia tantum''"). The monastery became a Cathedral in the twelfth Century.<ref name=day /> This allowed a vast income to be raised from visiting pilgrims in the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name=day>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927230659/http://www.history.uk.com/history/st-davids-day-pembrokeshire-st-davi/|title=St David's day, Pembrokeshire |archive-date=2011-09-27|url=http://www.history.uk.com/history/st-davids-day-pembrokeshire-st-davi/|website=History.UK.com|date = 16 February 2003|access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>

===Decline===
The [[Reformation]] saw both the income and importance of St Davids begin to fade as pilgrimages fell out of favour; this was exacerbated by the appointment of a number of English Bishops who were seemingly less concerned with the welfare of the cathedral or the city. Perhaps most infamously, [[Bishop of St David's|Bishop]] [[William Barlow (bishop of Chichester)|William Barlow]] sold the lead from the roof of the Bishop's Palace in 1536, beginning a long period of neglect for St Davids.<ref>{{cite book |author=Boden, Anthony |title=Thomas Tomkins: the last Elizabethan |publisher=Ashgate Pub. Co |location=Aldershot |year=2005 |pages=18 |isbn=0-7546-5118-5}}</ref>

Barlow had the Bishop's chief residence moved to [[Abergwili]], [[Carmarthenshire]] in 1542 and St Davids continued to decline. In 1603, the antiquarian [[George Owen of Henllys|George Owen]] described the city as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a [[portreeve]].<ref>George Owen, ''The Description of Penbrokshire by George Owen of Henllys Lord of Kemes'', Henry Owen, ed., London, 1892.</ref> The seventeenth century, saw two separate bishops apply for licences to demolish some of the city's ancient buildings, and the Bishop's palace was now considered "beyond repair".<ref>{{Coflein|num=21633 |desc=St Davids Bishops Palace |date=2008-10-27 |access-date=2013-05-18}}</ref>

By the 19th century, only the Cathedral itself seemed to retain the city's former glory, as described in the ''[[Penny Cyclopaedia]]'':<ref name="cyclopaedia"/>
<blockquote>
At present its appearance is that of a poor village, the houses, excepting those of the clergy, being in a ruinous state. The locality is lonely, and the neighbouring district wild and unimproved; but it is still an interesting place as the seat of a large episcopal see, with a fine cathedral and the remains of other magnificent religious edifices.
</blockquote>

===Modern city===
[[File:St Davids 1971 - geograph.org.uk - 2806125.jpg|thumb|Cross Square, St Davids in 1971]]
The unique nature of the cathedral and the city was evident as late as the twentieth century. Following the [[disestablishment]] of the [[Church in Wales]] in 1920, the Cathedral Close was allowed to operate as its own civil parish, separate from that of the adjacent city for the next 50 years.

With better transport links and the advent of tourism, the city prospered once more in the later twentieth century, with the city's 210 [[listed building]]s making it a destination for walkers, tourists and modern pilgrims.<ref name="britishlistedbuildings.co.uk">{{Cite web|title=British Listed Buildings: St David's and the Cathedral Close|url=https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wales/st-davids-and-the-cathedral-close-pembrokeshire#.YDeFTHf7SqA|access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref> Many of the ancient buildings, including the [[St Davids Bishops Palace|Bishop's Palace]], are today maintained by [[Cadw]] and open to the public.<ref>{{cite web |title=St Davids Bishop's Palace |url=https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/st-davids-bishops-palace |access-date=8 August 2022}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:StDavids-map.svg|thumb|Map of St. Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales, demonstrating the size of the settlement, compared to its wider city boundary. Also indicated are isolated hamlets and offshore islands.
{{Legend|#FD3EC4|Community/city boundaries|outline=#606060}}
{{legend|#C0C0C0|Main settlement area|outline=#606060}}]]
The community council area sits at the southern end of the Irish Sea on a [[peninsula]], between [[Cardigan Bay]], [[St George's Channel]] and [[St Brides Bay]]. It covers not just the mainland area, but also several islands off the coast, of which [[Ramsey Island]] is the largest and the only one inhabited, separated by the Ramsey Sound. The most westerly mainland point of Wales is at [[Pen Dal-aderyn]]. To the north lie [[Whitesands Bay]] and [[St Davids Head]], which are locally notable landscape features. The community includes the former chapelries at [[St Justinian]] and Gwrhyd.<ref>{{cite web|title=Penbrok comitat|publisher=British Library|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/unvbrit/p/001map00000c7c1u00035000.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927183108/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/unvbrit/p/001map00000c7c1u00035000.html |access-date=22 July 2024|archive-date=27 September 2021 }}</ref> The mainland contains much area used for farming, but contains very small scattered residences and several campsites.

[[St Davids Lifeboat Station]], at St Justinian, has saved an estimated 360 people since the first lifeboat was located there in 1869; four lifeboatmen have died while saving others.<ref>[http://stdavids-rnli.org.uk/rnli2%20start.htm St Davids Lifeboat Station: Introduction] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811062822/http://stdavids-rnli.org.uk/rnli2%20start.htm |date=2011-08-11}} at Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Accessed 1 August 2011.</ref> The [[Irish Sea]] includes a large number of offshore rocks and islands and is notorious for strong tides.<ref>[http://stdavids-rnli.org.uk/rnli3%20station.htm St Davids Lifeboat Station] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822022340/http://stdavids-rnli.org.uk/rnli3%20station.htm |date=2011-08-22}} at Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Accessed 1 August 2011.</ref> The entire coastline around St Davids forms part of the [[Pembrokeshire Coast National Park]]. Saint Non's Well overlooks the [[Pembrokeshire Coast Path]] and [[St Brides Bay]]. [[RAF St Davids|St David's Airfield]], although named after the city when opened in 1943,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/HLC/StDavids/area/area296.htm |title=Dyfed Archaeological Trust: St David's Airfield |access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref> is in the neighbouring community of [[Solva]]. The highest point is [[Carn Llidi]] at {{convert|181|m|ft|0}}.

==City status==
{{see also|City status in the United Kingdom|List of smallest cities in the United Kingdom}}
In the 16th century, a town was [[City status in the United Kingdom|recognised as a city]] by the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|English Crown]] if it had a [[List of Church of England dioceses|diocesan cathedral]] within its limits, along with a royal charter or borough privileges. This link was abolished in 1888,<ref name="Beckett">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jqqSSOyjBEoC&pg=PA22 |title=City status in the British Isles, 1830–2002 |first=J. V. |last=Beckett |page=22|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd |year=2005 |access-date=31 January 2012|isbn=9780754650676}}</ref> and amid prior borough reorganisation (see [[#Governance|Governance]] below),<ref name=city-status>{{Cite web |title=Agenda Item No: 5 COMMITTEE REGENERATION AND COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE DATE 4 MARCH 2003 TITLE OF REPORT ROCHESTER CITY STATUS RESPONSIBLE OFFICER Mark Bowen, Assistant Director, Legal and Contract Services |url=https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/data/regeneration%20&%20community%20overview%20and%20scrutiny%20committee/20030304/agenda/report%20(agenda%20item%205)%203.pdf |website=democracy.medway.gov.uk |publisher=Medway Council |quote=St. David's in Wales lost City Status through local government re-organisation at the end of the 19th century |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819230219/https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/Data/Regeneration%20%26%20Community%20Overview%20and%20Scrutiny%20Committee/20030304/Agenda/Report%20%28Agenda%20item%205%29%203.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> St Davids lost the right to call itself a city. In 1991, St Davids town council proposed that a case for city status, which the residents had long considered it to have anyway, should be promoted in connection with the 40th anniversary of the coronation of [[Queen Elizabeth II]], and in 1992 the [[Home Office]] agreed to refer the matter to [[Buckingham Palace]]. In 1994, at the Queen's request, St Davids was again granted city status along with the Northern Irish town of [[Armagh]], "in recognition of their important Christian heritage and their status as cities in the last century".<ref name="Beckett"/> The [[letters patent]] conferring city status were issued on 16 September 1994.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Crown Office |journal=London Gazette |date=23 September 1994 |issue=53798 |page=13403 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/53798/page/13403 |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref> The following year the Queen visited to formally present the letters patent in a ceremony at St Davids Cathedral on 1 June 1995.<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2001/mar/03/unitedkingdom.guardiansaturdaytravelsection |title=The small city with the big kicks |last=Alderson |first=Alf |date=3 March 2001 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204053558/http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2001/mar/03/unitedkingdom.guardiansaturdaytravelsection |archive-date=4 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The award of city status is typically granted to a [[Local government in Wales|local authority]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Corby City Bid |url=https://www.corby.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Corby%20City%20Bid.pdf |website=corby.gov.uk |publisher=Corby Borough Council |quote=Applications may only be made by an elected local authority – normally, in respect of the entire local authority area.}}</ref> whose administrative area is then considered to be the formal borders of the city. By this definition, the whole community area of St Davids and the Cathedral Close, including the settlement of St Davids, its surrounding rural area, and islands off the coast, is considered to be within the city. St Davids contains the lowest population of all the cities of the UK, and has the smallest urban area, at {{convert|0.23|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}. However, with the formal city area defined by its community council extent of {{convert|17.93|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, this sizeable expanse including offshore islands mean that several UK cities are smaller in area, with the City of London being the smallest at {{convert|1.12|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}. In Wales, St Davids is the third smallest after the community areas of [[St Asaph]] with {{convert|2.49|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} and [[Bangor, Wales|Bangor]] with {{convert|2.79|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}.

==Governance==
[[File:St Davids City Hall geograph-4086887-by-Jaggery.jpg|thumb|[[St Davids City Hall]]]]
St Davids became a [[Ancient borough|borough]] in 1115,<ref>{{Cite web |title=PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT SITE NUN STREET, ST DAVIDS, PEMBROKESHIRE: HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT APPRAISAL |url=http://www.haystonplanning.co.uk/uploads/1/0/1/9/101956008/appendix_a_historic_environmental_appraisal.pdf |website=haystonplanning.co.uk |quote=Nothing is known of any civilian settlement prior to 1115 when St Davids was established as a borough, receiving its first charter from King Henry I. |access-date=8 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908202343/http://www.haystonplanning.co.uk/uploads/1/0/1/9/101956008/appendix_a_historic_environmental_appraisal.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> when [[Bernard (bishop of St Davids)|Bernard]], the first Norman Bishop of St Davids, was granted a charter by [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] designating the lands of [[Dewisland]] as a [[Marcher Lord]]ship.<ref name="CECvMATR"/>

This gave Bernard wide-reaching powers over this realm, with his headquarters remaining initially at St Davids. However, subsequent Marcher Bishops came to base the administration of Dewisland, including the exchequer, chancery and court, in [[Llawhaden]] by the 13th century.<ref>Brian Howells, ''Pembrokeshire County History'', Volume 2, Haverfordwest, 2002, p. 148.</ref><ref name="CECvMATR">Judgement in ''Crown Estate Commissioners v (1) Mark Andrew Tudor Roberts (2) Trelleck Estate Ltd: ChD'' (Mr Justice Lewison), 13 June 2008</ref> King [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] then passed the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542|Laws in Wales Acts]], which in 1535 and 1542 abolished the status of Marcher Lordships. Dewisland was merged with the adjacent [[Cemais (Dyfed)|Lordship of Kemes]] and the surrounding [[Pembroke Castle|Lordship of Pembroke]] to form [[Pembrokeshire]], of which Dewisland became a hundred. In 1835 a report from government commissioners investigating municipal corporations determined:

<blockquote>
THE city and parish of St. David's is situate in the manor of Dewisland. The Bishop of St. David's is [[Lord of the Manor]]; and it appears that an officer, called the [[mayor]], is annually appointed by the steward, whose duty is to collect certain chief rents to the bishop. The mayor assumes to take certain small tolls by virtue of his office: his right to do this is disputed, but the tolls being very trifling, are frequently paid. The mayor is merely an officer of the Manor Court. A belief exists amongst some of the inhabitants that the city was once a corporation; but there are no burgesses, charter, or other vestige of municipal institutions. The belief has probably arisen from the lord's officer being called a mayor.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Report on City of St Davids |title=First report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the municipal corporations in England and Wales |page=358}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=St Davids Genealogy Resources & Parish Registers {{!}} Pembrokeshire |url=https://forebears.io/wales/pembrokeshire/st-davids |website=forebears.io |quote=The city [St Davids] is not incorporated, but there is an officer called a mayor or bailiff of court leet, whose duties consist only in collecting the chief rents belonging to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners within the limits of the city, which is co-extensive with the township or division called "Cylch-y-Dref", and to see that no encroachments are made on a common which the inhabitants hold under an old lease from the bishop and chapter; he is therefore merely an officer of the manor court, and the existing belief that the city was once a corporation appears to rest on no trustworthy authority, since "there are no burgesses, charter, or other vestige of municipal institutions."}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Under this summary, the borough was considered within the report as "municipal in name only", and non-parliamentary.<ref name=report1>{{Cite book |last1=Appendix – Table 2 – Boroughs – Municipal not parliamentary |title=First Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England And Wales. London: C. Knight, 183540. |date=30 March 1835 |page=58}}</ref>
Any remaining legalities pertaining to the city were removed in 1886, when these were abolished by the [[Unreformed boroughs in England and Wales 1835–1886#Municipal Corporations Act 1883|Municipal Corporations Act 1883]], with its [[Municipal corporation|corporation]] deemed to be long extinct, and the very small population (1,025 residents in 1835)<ref name=report1/> not helping its cause in an age where [[Rotten and pocket boroughs|boroughs with unrepresentative populations]] were being singled out for reform. This act, in turn, appears to have caused the loss of city status, as there was no corporate body available to petition for a [[Unreformed boroughs in England and Wales 1835–1886#Municipal Corporations Act 1883|renewal of its charter]].<ref name=city-status/> The subsequent renewal of the status in 1994 (see [[#City status|City Status]] above) and the reasons then given conclude that the status was in place until 1886.

The borough lay across two parishes, and by the time of the creation of [[registration district]]s in 1837 these were:<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/places/regindex2-3.pdf | title=UK places index | access-date=8 September 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908202412/https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/places/regindex2-3.pdf | archive-date=8 September 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/haverfordwest.html |title=Haverfordwest Registration District |access-date=8 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908202453/https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/haverfordwest.html |archive-date=8 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> the Cathedral Close of St. David's – the [[Cathedral close|close]] surrounding the cathedral and associated church buildings;<!-- Note to editors – until 1987 the parish/community had an apostrophe (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/124/made), so please leave as is --> and St Davids – the rest of the city and rural areas. These were [[Civil parish#Civil and ecclesiastical split|split from the church]] into civil parishes during 1866, electing secular councillors from 1894, converted to Welsh community administrative areas in 1974, and merged in 1987<ref name=community-name/> to form the present day St Davids and the Cathedral Close.

St Davids City Council is the [[Community (Wales)|community council]] body, which has twelve [[councillor]]s.<ref name="stdavids.gov.uk">{{Cite web|url=http://stdavids.gov.uk/the-council/|title=City Council|website= stdavids.gov.uk}}</ref> The City Council employs one [[Clerk (municipal official)|City Clerk]] and one Financial Officer.<ref name="stdavids.gov.uk"/> In June 2020 the council elected its first [[Sikhism|Sikh]] mayor, Councillor Bira Sehmi, believed also to be the first Sikh mayor in Wales.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk/news/pembrokeshire_news/18495940.cllr-bira-sehmi-elected-first-sikh-mayor-st-davids-possibly-wales/ |title=Cllr Bira Sehmi elected first Sikh mayor of St Davids and possibly all of Wales |work=Tivy-side Advertiser |date=4 June 2020 |access-date=19 June 2020}}</ref> The council is based at [[St Davids City Hall]] on High Street, which was completed in 1924.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://northamptonshirewalks.co.uk/walks-outside-northamptonshire/walk-17-a-pembrokeshire-pilgrimagea-walk-from-the-uks-smallest-city/  |title=Walk 17: St Davids Circular: A Pembrokeshire Pilgrimage from the UK's smallest city|date=4 September 2014 |publisher=Northamptonshire Walks|access-date=5 June 2022}}</ref>

The parishes were part of [[Haverfordwest]] [[Rural Sanitary District|rural sanitary district]] from 1872, and when parish and district councils were established in 1894 the two parishes were included in the [[Haverfordwest Rural District]]. In 1974 the two parishes were changed into communities and placed in [[Preseli Pembrokeshire|Preseli]] district.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Haverfordwest RSD through time {{!}} Census tables with data for the Sanitary District |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10302092#tab02 |website=visionofbritain.org.uk |access-date=9 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910014455/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10302092#tab02 |archive-date=10 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Preseli was abolished in 1996 under further local government reform and the city presently comes under [[Pembrokeshire County Council]] for all principal government services.

The [[electoral ward]] of [[St David's (Pembrokeshire electoral ward)|St Davids]] elects a county councillor to Pembrokeshire County Council.

==Culture==
===Arts===
[[File:Flag of Saint David.svg|thumb|The Flag of Saint David (''Baner Dewi Sant'')]]
The city hosted the [[National Eisteddfod]] in 2002. The Archbishop-designate of Canterbury, Dr [[Rowan Williams]], was inducted into the [[Gorsedd of Bards]], a historic order of Druids.<ref>[http://www.walesinstyle.com/things_to_do/pembrokeshire/st_davids_and_st_davids_cathedral.aspx St Davids and St Davids Cathedral, Pembrokeshire] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907145817/http://www.walesinstyle.com/things_to_do/pembrokeshire/st_davids_and_st_davids_cathedral.aspx |date=7 September 2011}} at Wales in Style. Accessed on 1 August 2011</ref>

===Charity===
The St Davids Penknife Club is a group of people dedicated to voluntary fund raising for local groups and charities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://penknifeclub.co.uk/wordpress/about/ |title=St Davids Penknife Club |access-date=2011-07-03}}</ref>

===Sport===
St Davids has a [[rugby union]] club, [[St. Davids RFC]], which competes in the [[Welsh Rugby Union]] League West.<ref>[http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/club/swalecleagues/tables.php?includeref=1999&season=2013-2014&stage=6W SWALEC League Six West] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318082902/http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/club/swalecleagues/tables.php?includeref=1999&season=2013-2014&stage=6W |date=18 March 2014}} at Welsh Rugby Union</ref>

===Tourism===
In addition to the cathedral and 210<ref name="britishlistedbuildings.co.uk"/> other [[Listed building|listed]] ancient buildings and structures, notable features of the city and community include the 14th-century Tower Gate, the [[Celtic cross|Celtic Old Cross]] and a number of art galleries. St Davids is also a base for [[walking]] and [[list of water sports|water sports]]. In 2019 [[Which?|Consumers' Association]] members placed St Davids in the top three best value beach destinations in Britain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best value British beach towns |publisher=Consumers Association |url=https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/destinations/article/best-value-british-beach-towns |access-date=24 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822045455/https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/destinations/article/best-value-british-beach-towns|archive-date=22 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Whitesands Bay]], about {{convert|2|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} west of St Davids, is a popular water sports resort. It has been described as the best [[surfing]] beach in Pembrokeshire and among the best tourist beaches in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/content.asp?id=8093&d1=0 |title=Pembrokeshire County Council |date=19 September 2017 |access-date=2 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720131858/http://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/content.asp?id=8093&d1=0 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Media===
Television signals are received from the [[Preseli transmitting station|Preseli]] TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated west of the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/St_Davids | title=Freeview Light on the St Davids (Pembrokeshire, Wales) transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref>

Radio stations are provided by [[BBC Radio Wales]] on 95.9 FM which broadcast the local opt-out from its studios in [[Carmarthen]]. Other radio stations including [[Heart South Wales]] on 105.7 FM and [[Radio Pembrokeshire]] on 102.5 FM, a community based station.

The city is served by the Haverfordwest-based newspaper, ''[[Western Telegraph]]''.

==Education==
[[Ysgol Dewi Sant]] (St David's School) is the local secondary school covering years 7–13 (aged 11–18).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Curriculum |url=https://www.pgfl.org.uk/schools/dsf/DewiSant/Pages/curriculum.aspx |year=2014 |access-date=15 January 2014 |work=Ysgol Dewi Sant website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116132853/https://www.pgfl.org.uk/schools/dsf/DewiSant/Pages/curriculum.aspx |archive-date=16 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Ysgol Bro Dewi (Dewisland School) is a Voluntary Controlled Primary School, with pupils from Reception to Year 6.

==Transport==
The [[A487 road]]'s only non-primary section, between [[Fishguard]] and [[Haverfordwest]], passes through St Davids. Heading southwest from Fishguard, the A487 makes a sharp turn at St Davids, directing travellers eastwards toward Haverfordwest. [[TrawsCymru]] Connect route T11 operates eight times a day along this section of A487.<ref>{{Cite web | title=T11 - Fishguard - Haverfordwest {{!}} Transport for Wales | url=https://traws.cymru/en/services/RBRO/T11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208194433/https://traws.cymru/en/services/RBRO/T11 | access-date=2025-02-01 | archive-date=2023-12-08}}</ref>

==Notable people==
The following were born in St Davids:
*[[Asser]] (died c. 909), a monk at St Davids who was [[Mentorship|mentor]] to [[King Alfred the Great]] and wrote his biography.<ref name=CE_Asser>{{Cite CE1913 |wstitle=John Asser |first=John Joseph |last=A'Becket |volume=1}}</ref>
*[[William Barlow (Archdeacon of Salisbury)|William Barlow]] (died 1625), an expert on magnetism and Anglican cleric whose father, also [[William Barlow (Bishop of Chichester)|William Barlow]], served as bishop in 1536–1548.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baal-Barrow |publisher=Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714 |editor=Joseph Foster |place=Oxford |date=1891 |pages=51–78 |website=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/alumni-oxon/1500-1714/pp51-78 |access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref>
*[[Thomas Tomkins]] (1572–1656), a musician and composer.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Davies, W. Ll. |date=1959 |title=TOMKINS family, musicians |publisher=Dictionary of Welsh Biography |access-date=28 January 2020 |url= https://biography.wales/article/s-TOMK-INS-1550}}</ref>
*[[Richard Fenton]] (1747–1821), a Welsh lawyer, topographer and poet.<ref>{{Cite DNB |wstitle= Fenton, Richard |volume= 18 |last= Cooper |first= Thompson   |author-link= Thompson Cooper |pages = 326-327 |short=1}}</ref>
*[[Henry Hicks (geologist)|Henry Hicks]] (1837–1899), a surgeon and geologist who practised there from 1862 until 1871.<ref>{{Cite DNBSupp |wstitle= Hicks, Henry |volume= 2 |pages= 419-420 | first= Thomas George |last= Bonney |author-link= Thomas George Bonney |year=1885 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Wilfrith Green]] (1872–1937), a brigadier-general who served in the British and Indian armies
*[[Mary Keir]] (1912–2024), Welsh supercentenarian.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2022-03-03 |title=Wales' oldest woman celebrates 110th birthday in Llandeilo |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60610207 |access-date=2024-12-21 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
*[[Kieran Evans]] (born 1969), a film director and screenwriter.<ref name="Bafta">{{Cite web |publisher=BBC |title=Bafta win for Pembrokeshire-born director Kieran Evans |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-26229878 |date=17 February 2014 |access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref>

=== Sport ===
*[[Ian Walsh (footballer)|Ian Walsh]] (born 1958), a Wales national association football player.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ian WALSH – League appearances – Crystal Palace FC|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/|access-date=2020-10-02|website=Sporting Heroes}}</ref>
*[[Rowland Phillips (rugby)|Rowland Phillips]] (born 1965), a rugby union player for Wales and later rugby league for Wales and Great Britain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rowland David Phillips |url=http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/player/10309.html |access-date=2020-10-02 |website=ESPN scrum}}</ref>
*[[Jo Price]] (born 1985), a Welsh rugby union player and former footballer.
*[[Jasmine Joyce]] (born 1995), a player for Wales women's national rugby union sevens and the British women's sevens team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.<ref name="BBC">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/36062061|title=Rio 2016: Wales' biggest overseas Olympic contingent ready for opening ceremony|publisher=BBC Sport|date=4 August 2016 |access-date=5 August 2016}}</ref>

==Twin towns==
St Davids is [[sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{Cite web |title=St Davids City Council – Twin towns |url=http://www.stdavids.gov.uk/twin-towns/ |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110051/http://www.stdavids.gov.uk/twin-towns/ |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Naas]], Ireland
* [[Orléat]], France
* Matsieng, [[Lesotho]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Wales}}
*[[Chapel of St Non]]
*''[[Annales Cambriae]]''
*[[Bishop of St Davids]]
*[[Diocese of St Davids]]
*[[City status in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Brian Brendan O'Malley, compiler (1985), ''A Pilgrim's Manual: St Davids''. Marlborough: Paulinus Press {{ISBN|0-907740-13-8}}

==External links==
{{commons category|St David's}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[http://www.stdavids.gov.uk/ St Davids City Council]
*[https://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/explore-pembrokeshire/towns-and-villages/st-davids St Davids at www.visitpembrokeshire.com] (official council tourism website)
*[https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/StDavids Further historical, genealogical and ecclesiastical information and sources on GENUKI]

{{UK cities}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Davids}}
[[Category:St Davids| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Wales]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Pembrokeshire]]