893 Asser clearly describes his kinsman, Nobis, also of St Davids, as Archbishop. One of the earliest mentions of the religious community at St Davids Cathedral comes in the work of Asser who was trained there. The early ecclesiastical organisation of the Welsh church is unclear but scanty references reveal that some form of archbishopric definitely existed, with multiple bishops under the jurisdiction of a senior see. Originally corresponding with the boundaries of Dyfed (Demetia), St Davids eventually comprised all the country south of the River Dyfi and west of the English border, with the exception of the greater part of Glamorganshire, in all some 3,500 square miles (9,100 km 2). Records of the history of the diocese before Norman times are very fragmentary, however, consisting of a few chance references in old chronicles, such as ' Annales Cambriae' and ' Brut y Tywysogion' ( Rolls Series). The history of the diocese of St Davids is traditionally traced to that saint in the latter half of the 6th century.
The current bishop of St Davids is Joanna Penberthy, since the confirmation on 30 November 2016 of her election. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, founding St Davids Cathedral. The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids.
