In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described St Davids like this:
St Davids, small town and par., in W. of Pembrokeshire, on N. side of and 1 mile from St Brides Bay, 15 miles NW. of Haverford west, 11,185 ac., pop. 2053; P.O., T.O. St Davids (the Mynyw of the Britons, and the Menevia, or Menapia, of the Romans) owes its name to St David, the patron saint of Wales, who was archbishop of Caerleon, and afterwards of Menevia or St Davids, where he died about 601. ...
Though now an insignificant place, in the middle ages it was an important city, owing to the numerous pilgrims attracted to it by the sanctity of its shrine. Fragments still remain of the lofty embattled wall, 1200 yards in circuit, which formerly enclosed the Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace, St Mary's College, and other ecclesiastical buildings, chiefly ruinous. The Cathedral, a venerable Gothic structure, has been carefully restored. St Davids Head, 2½ miles NW., is 100 ft. high.
St Davids through time
St Davids is now part of Pembrokeshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how Pembrokeshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about St Davids itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of St Davids in Pembrokeshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/8776
Date accessed: 16th April 2024
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