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Special Collections and Archives
The foundation stone for St David’s College, later the University of Wales, Lampeter, was laid in 1822. The earliest records in the collection predate its foundation and include correspondence from its founder, Bishop Thomas Burgess, architectural plans drawn by C.R. Cockerell, and lists of subscribers and donors to the college. Its official records include its Charters and Statutes, student registers, examination results, minutes and financial records, annual reports, calendars and prospectuses.
The Photograph Collection, student records and college magazines put flesh on the bones of the ‘official’ history, illuminating the personal lives of those who made up the student body.
The collection also includes the records of St David’s College School, 1884-1945.
The archive service of the (then St David’s College, Lampeter was established in 1970 by the Lecturer in History and Honorary Archivist, D.T.W. Price. Price assembled material relating to the history of the college when undertaking research for his two-volume work, A History of St David’s University College, Lampeter (University of Wales Press, 1977 and 1990).
The college, formally known as the South Wales and Monmouthshire Training College, was opened in 1848 to train Anglican men to teach in elementary schools. It is one of the oldest teacher training colleges in Wales.
The college records were transferred from the Carmarthenshire Records Office to the Lampeter campus in 2013. An additional deposit, including material relating to former Principal, the Rev. Canon T. Halliwell was received in 2017.
The collection includes administrative and financial records, HM inspection reports, curriculums, student registers, college magazines, and photographs dating from 1855 to 1997.
A detailed history of the college is available: Russell Grigg, History of Trinity College, Carmarthen 1848-1998, University of Wales Press, 1998.
UWTSD’s Swansea origins lie in three educational institutions: Swansea College of Art (est. 1853), Swansea College of Education (est. 1872) and Swansea College of Technology (est. 1897).
The three organisations merged in 1976 to become West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education; this was renamed Swansea Institute of Higher Education in 1991. It became Swansea Metropolitan University in 2008, then merged with UWTSD’s Lampeter and Carmarthen campuses in 2013.
The archives of the Swansea institutions are currently being catalogued. Any questions about the archives should be directed to specialcollections@uwtsd.ac.uk
Ystrad Meurig school was established c.1734 by Edward Richard, a scholar, critic, antiquary, and Welsh poet. The school was legally endowed as a grammar school in 1757, and, from 1777, offered boys from Cardiganshire a free education in Latin and the principles of the Church of England.
Between 1803 and 1827, Ystrad Meurig became the principal institution for the training of ordinands in the diocese of St Davids. The opening of St David’s College in 1827 led to a reduction in student numbers, and the school developed into a preparatory institution for those wishing to attend St David’s College or the University of Wales. Student numbers continued to decline, and in 1973 the school, now renamed St John’s College, finally closed.
The school’s library and records were moved to St David’s College, and the school is now used as a village hall. The collection includes admission and attendance registers, financial records and correspondence, school magazines, photographs, and related publications.
