St David's Priory, Swansea (3rd deposit), Records

Scope and Content

Weekly notices 1964-1971, typescript and copies of History of St David's Priory 1805-1981 by Ron Howells.

Administrative / Biographical History

St. David's Priory is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Swansea. It replaced an earlier church building which had been established c1808. Father Charles Kavanagh (d 1856) built the new church of St. David's in 1847 as well as the Catholic school adjoining St. David's. St. David's was enlarged and in 1864 a new presbytery was built. Most of the parishioners came from the Greenhill area and it became essential to build a church there and in 1866 St. Joseph's church opened. In 1873 the parish was taken over by the monastic Order of Saint Benedict, and St. David's Church was elevated to the status of a Missionary Priory. In 1875 St. Joseph's became an independent Mission and a larger new church was opened in 1888. Today the mission is divided into two districts, St. David's which is responsible for Catholics in the area south of Croft and Thomas Street and St. Joseph's which is responsible for the Catholics north of this line.

Access Information

Please contact the Archivist at University of Wales Swansea regarding access to this collection.

Acquisition Information

Deposited in May 1994.

Other Finding Aids

A paper list is available.

Conditions Governing Use

Contact repository for details. No publication without written permission from the Archivist.

Related Material

GB 217 LAC/99 St. David's Priory, Swansea, GB 217 LAC/144 St. David's Priory, Swansea (2nd deposit), GB 217 LAC/146 St. David's Priory, Swansea (4th deposit). Descriptions of these collections are available on the Archives Hub.