Scheduled MonumentsWalesSt Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School
Medieval · School

St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE442
Period
Medieval
Site type
School
Broad class
Education
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School is a medieval educational building located within the cathedral close at St Davids in Pembrokeshire. The structure dates to the medieval period and served as a schoolhouse providing instruction to pupils associated with the cathedral establishment. The building reflects the importance of formal education within cathedral closes during the later medieval period, when such institutions offered training in Latin, grammar, and theological subjects to prepare scholars for ecclesiastical and administrative roles. As a scheduled ancient monument, the Free School survives as material evidence of medieval educational practices and the institutional infrastructure that supported learning within one of Wales's most significant religious centres.

St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE442. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School?

St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School is a medieval educational building located within the cathedral close at St Davids in Pembrokeshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE442.

What period does St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School date from?

St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a school. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across Britain.

Who is responsible for protecting St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School?

St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is PE442.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Non's Chapel (1.1 km), Well, south of Rhos-y-Cribed (1.6 km), Caerfai Camp (1.9 km).

Aubrey Research

Generate a full report for this location

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.

Research the area around St Davids Cathedral Close: The Free School