St. David's Episcopal Church (Wayne, Pennsylvania)
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St. David’s Church and Graveyard
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St. David’s, April 2009
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| Location | Wayne, Radnor Township, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 40°1′38″N 75°24′16″W / 40.02722°N 75.40444°WCoordinates: 40°1′38″N 75°24′16″W / 40.02722°N 75.40444°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1715 |
| NRHP reference # | 78002394 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 20, 1978 |
| Designated PHMC | October 13, 1947 |
St. David's Episcopal Church, often known as St. David’s at Radnor or, less often, as Old St. David's, is a parish of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, founded in the early 18th century and named after the Patron Saint of Wales. A Book of Common Prayer, given as a gift to Lydia Leamy in 1854, refers to St. Davids as "Radnor Church". It has grown to be the largest congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, with some 950 active families and 3,000 members. The original church building, built in 1715 and the subject of a Longfellow poem, still stands. It is in nearly the same condition as when it was built, several new buildings having been constructed to house the growing congregation. The adjacent graveyard is a part of the historic site. The church property is divided by the borders of three townships, in two counties, often causing confusion as to the church's location. The church office is located at 763 South Valley Forge Road in Wayne, Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
After the establishment of the Welsh Tract in the colony of Pennsylvania, the area was settled by numerous emigrants from Wales, particularly Welsh Quakers, although Welsh people of other faiths, drawn by Pennsylvania’s religious toleration and the opportunity to conduct their affairs in their own language, settled the area as well. In those days, life on the frontier saw exercise of religious beliefs in a limited way (frequently without houses of worship or clergy), which became a concern to many. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in London, sent the Welsh Anglican Rev. Evan Evans to the area as a circuit missionary. He began holding fortnightly services in private houses, including that of William Davis in the area known as Radnor, in the southern part of the Welsh Tract, starting November, 1700. Rev. Evans returned home in 1706, leaving the area with no clergyman.
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