ABSTRACT
St. David's Day, which enjoyed the patronage of the monarchy from at least the fifteenth century, has had a lengthy, though far from smooth, history in London. Newspaper reports of St. David's Day celebrations vary in length and detail. St. David's Day was celebrated in the Principality with the usual festive observances in honour of the patron Saint. An illustration of how these events entwined civic and national pride is offered by the St. David's Day celebrations at Swansea in 1821, 'when the occasion was embraced to commemorate the lighting of the town with gas'. St. David's Day provided an opportunity for these signifiers to be gathered together, each reinforcing the other's presence. St. David himself could symbolise the virtues of philanthropy and education; the humble leek distinguished the Welsh from their Saxon foes in battle; the harp and the poetic language embodied music and literature.
