1879 in Wales
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| See also: | List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1879 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
Events
- 13 January – In a mining accident at Dinas Colliery, Ruabon, 63 men are killed.
- 22–23 January – Rorke's Drift is successfully defended by 139 British soldiers from the South Wales Borderers against an assault by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors.
- 2 May – Eleven Victoria Crosses are awarded to soldiers active in the defence of Rorke's Drift, the recipients including Privates John Williams and Robert Jones.[1]
- 1 September – The ballroom of the Lord Nelson Hotel in Milford Haven becomes the first in the UK to be lit by electricity.[2]
- 22 September – In a mining accident at Waunllwyd, Ebbw Vale, 84 men are killed.
- 3 October – Pryce Pryce-Jones opens his Royal Welsh Warehouse at Newtown, Montgomeryshire.
- 17 October – Official opening of the Severn Railway Bridge in Gloucestershire (destroyed in 1960).
- 29 November – Stradey Park opens as the home of Llanelli RFC.[3] It remains the home for Llanelli RFC for nearly 130 years, and later for the regional side Scarlets, but closes in November 2008 when the teams' new home, Parc y Scarlets, opens in nearby Pemberton.
- date unknown
- Railway engine drivers and firemen from Griffithstown form a craft union which becomes the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen.
- The Croesor Tramway becomes the Portmadoc, Croesor and Beddgelert Tram Railway.[4]
- Butter (General) Market in Wrexham opens.[5]
- Welsh draper D H Evans opens his shop in London's Oxford Street.[6]
Arts and literature
New books
English language
- D. Walter Thomas & Edward Hughes – The Cymric language
- Brinley Richards – The Songs of Wales (Royal Edition)
Welsh language
- Beriah Gwynfe Evans – Owain Glyndwr (play)[7]
- Daniel Owen – Offrymau Neilltuaeth[8]
Music
- Joseph Parry
- "Aberystwyth" (first published)[9]
- "Man of Sorrows"
- Edward Stephen – Ail Lyfr Tonau ac Emynau ("The Second Book of Tunes and Hymns")[9]
Sport
- Football
- 18 January – Wales play England for the first time, at Kennington Oval. Wales lose 2–1, but see their first international goal, scored by William Davies.
- Newtown win the Welsh Cup in the second year of its existence.
- Rugby union
- 18 January – Treherbert RFC play Cardiff for the first time.
- Brecon RFC and Ebbw Vale RFC are founded.
- Tennis – The first tennis club in Wales is formed by the Newport Athletic Club.
Births
- 1 January
- Ernest Jones, psychiatrist (died 1958)
- Willie Llewellyn, Wales international rugby union (died 1973)
- 15 March – David John Thomas, Wales international rugby union (died 1925)
- 7 April – Philip Turnbull, hockey player (died 1930)
- 23 June – Percy Bush, Wales international rugby union player (died 1955)
- 8 August – Arthur Harding, Wales international rugby union captain (died 1947)
- 28 August – Edward E. Clive, actor (died 1940 in Hollywood)
- 29 August – Donough O'Brien, cricketer (died 1953)
- 3 September – Illtyd Buller Pole-Evans, botanist (died 1968)
- 4 September – Eliot Crawshay-Williams, politician and writer (died 1962)[10]
- 12 September – Rupert Davies, Welsh-Canadian politician (died 1967)
- 2 October – Idris Bell, papyrologist (died 1967)[11]
- 6 November – George Daggar MP, politician (died 1950)[12]
- 9 November – S. O. Davies, politician (died 1972)
- 27 November – Dick Jones, Welsh international rugby player (died 1958)
Deaths
- 22 January – John Vivian, MP, English-born member of the Vivian family, 60[13]
- 20 February – John Orlando Parry, actor, pianist, artist, comedian and singer, 69
- 5 March – John Davies of Nercwys, minister and writer, 79[14]
- 28 March – Robert Jones, Anglican priest and writer, 69
- 10 May – Robert Thompson Crawshay, ironmaster, 62
- 14 May – Thomas Nicholas, antiquary, 63[15]
- 13 August – Edward Edwards, zoologist, 75[16]
- 25 August – John Evans, Welsh-born Canadian politician, 63[17]
- 23 September – Francis Kilvert, diarist, 39
- 11 December – William Thomas (Gwilym Marles), minister and writer, uncle of Dylan Thomas, 45[18]
References
- ^ London Gazette, 2 May 1879. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ The Electrician. James Gray. 1879. p. 215.
- ^ Scarlets official website
- ^ Great Britain (1901). Local and Personal Laws.
- ^ The London Gazette. 1879. p. 5255.
- ^ Gordon Mackenzie (1972). Marylebone: great city north of Oxford Street. Macmillan. p. 80.
- ^ Professor Philip Schwyzer; Professor Willy Maley (28 April 2013). Shakespeare and Wales: From the Marches to the Assembly. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-4094-7566-8.
- ^ David Daiches (1971). The Penguin companion to literature: Britain and the Commonwealth. Penguin. p. 407. ISBN 978-0-14-051034-8.
- ^ a b Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. 1953. p. 697.
- ^ Charles Roger Dod; Robert Phipps Dod (1911). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Limited. p. 257.
- ^ Wales. Druid Press. 1944. p. 103.
- ^ John Davies. "Daggar, George (1879–1950), trade unionist and Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "In Memoriam". The Cornishman. No. 48. 12 June 1879. p. 4.
- ^ Williams, Griffith John. "John Davies". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ Jenkins, John Austin (1894). "Nicholas, Thomas (1820-1879)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 40. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 433.
- ^ Hunt, Robert (1889). . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 17. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
sources: [Athenæum, No. 2706, 6 Sept. 1879; information from friends in Anglesea, and from Edwards's son, Mr. John R. Edwards of Liverpool.]
- ^ Smith, Dorothy Blakey (1972). "John Evans". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ David Jacob Davies. "THOMAS, WILLIAM (Gwilym Marles; 1834–1879), Unitarian minister, social reformer, writer, and schoolmaster". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 6 March 2019.