During the medieval and early modern periods the Welsh diocese of St Davids was one of the largest in the country and the most remote. As this collection makes clear, this combination of factors resulted in a religious life which was less regulated by the institutional forces of Church and State. Addressing key ideas in the development of popular religious culture and the stubborn continuity of long-lasting religious practices into the modern era, the volume shows how the diocese was also a locus for continuing major religious controversies, especially in the nineteenth century.

Contents: Foreword; Introduction: approaches to the history of religion in St Davids Diocese 1485-2011, William Gibson; The Diocese of St Davids in the Reformation era I: from rebellion to reaction, 1485-1553, John Morgan-Guy; The Diocese of St Davids in the Reformation era II: from reaction to Restoration: 1553-1660, John Morgan-Guy; Defending the faith: theology in the Diocese of St Davids, c. 1534-2000, Robert Pope; 'The most glorious enterprises have been achiev'd': the Restoration Diocese of St Davids 1660-1730, William Gibson; Religious revivals in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Eryn Mant White; Celebrating a saint on his home ground: St David's Day in St Davids Diocese during the 19th century, Mike Benbough-Jackson; St Davids and disestablishment: reassessing the role of Bishop John Owen, Harri Williams; The modern Diocese of St Davids, William Price; Index.