An introduction from our Patron:
Braint arbennig a phleser o’r mwyaf yw cael croesawu’r Arddangosfa hon.
It is a pleasure both as Patron of the Society and personally to introduce the St Davids and Dewisland Historical Society’s Silver Anniversary Exhibition. I and the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral are eternally grateful to the Society for volunteering to help compile the Inventory.
The sheer range of the Society’s interests are well reflected in the various panels of the Exhibition and are a reminder not only of the long history of human activity in this peninsula but also of the geology and the seascape. The connections nationally and globally of the area and its inhabitants has also been brought out, not least because of the number and variety of this visitors tourists and pilgrims who visit every year, many of them returning annually and finally settling in this remarkable community.
The intention certainly of the Founders and Patrons of the Society was the vital one of creating a bridge of awareness and knowledge between those who have always lived here and those who have recently made it their home.
Wyn Evans
The inaugural meeting of the St David’s and Dewisland Historical Society took place in November 1995 when a group of 19 interested people elected Dr George Middleton as chairman. Very Rev’d Wyn Evans was invited to be Patron and Mr D.W. James was invited to be President.
By the end of the first year, there were 40 members who each paid £5.00 membership fee. The number of members has since more than doubled and each person now pays £10.00 which is the main revenue of the Society. The meetings are now open to visitors to the Society at a fee of £3.00, and refreshments are available at a small charge 30 minutes before each Talk.
The pattern of monthly talks, summer visits and annual exhibitions was established early and still continues.The Society has undertaken several pieces of research including Transcription of the Tithe Map, establishment of an extensive Photographic Archive and the establishment of a complete list of pupils at the secondary school in St David’s from the Intermediate School to the present day.
For the last decade, we have been building up our digital Library of photographs, documents and articles of interest to the Society and its members.
The extensive image Library is now being organised into a location, subject and people based platform, with the key information saved with each image so that the library can be interrogated to access specific interests. With several thousand images to update, the process will take many months, and after looking at various archive formats, it has been decided that the preferred method of retaining information is to keep it with the image.
The image metadata can be updated individually as more information becomes available on an image, and can include a very wide range of data, including dates, location, camera and lens details, comments, dimensions, resolution, folder path, file name etc.
We are always grateful for any additional images that members may make available, which can be scanned and the original returned. The Library will be kept on the Society laptop and may be accessed through the Committee Members, although no alteration to an image will be permitted.
The 2020 Society Exhibition:‘25 Years of the Society’
The History of the Society
From the Archives
Talks through the years
Annual Exhibitions
Publications
Articles
The Cathedral Inventory
Society Visits and Events
